Box Score LEXINGTON, Va. – Sophomore forward Andrew Franz (Charlotte, N.C. / Ravenscroft) paced five Generals in double-figures with a career-high 32 points as the Washington and Lee men's basketball team posted a 100-92 win over Southern Virginia in the consolation game of the W&L Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday at the Warner Center.
Southern Virginia (0-2) held a 26-23 lead with 9:22 left in the opening half, but the Generals used a 10-0 run over the next 3:45 to assume a 33-26 lead at the 5:37 mark. Senior forward Drew Kimberly (Fairfield, Conn. / Fairfield Ludlowe) keyed the run with four straight points and W&L (1-1) maintained a five-point lead (40-35) heading into the break.
Senior guard Kevin Gill (Richmond, Va. / Benedictine) and Franz hit consecutive three-pointers to start the second half, as the Generals' lead climbed to 11-points (46-35) at the 17:56 mark.
The Knights chipped away at the W&L advantage, eventually cutting it to a two-point game (56-54) on a pair of free throws by junior forward Wesley Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill. / Crystal Lake South) with 10:23 to play. Southern Virginia remained within striking distance until a 7-0 run gave W&L a double-digit lead (74-63) with 6:11 left in the contest. Southern Virginia never got closer than seven points (78-71) the rest away as the Generals scored 100 points for the first time since claiming a 102-73 win over Methodist last November 20.
W&L shot 53.4 percent (31-58) from the floor and drilled 30-of-39 (.769) free throws in the contest. Franz finished 9-of-16 from the floor and 11-of-13 from the line en route to posting his career-best game. He also claimed eight rebounds and five assists. Kimberly also notched a career-high scoring total, posting 22 points, to go along with a career-high 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. He shot 8-of-11 from the floor. Junior forward Jim Etling (Loveland, Colo. / Loveland) notched a career-best 13 points and five assists, while Gill and junior guard Clay McLean (Charlotte, N.C. / Davidson Day) chipped in 12 points each.
Evans led Southern Virginia with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Junior guard Preston Eaton (Mapleton, Utah / Central Wyoming CC) tallied 20 points, while junior guard Chris Baker (Columbia, Mo. / Missouri Southern State) totaled 17 points and six assists. Sophomore center Ben Canevari (Murray, Utah / Cottonwood) added 11 points as well.
Washington and Lee returns to action next Saturday when it travels to Guilford for a 3:00 pm contest.
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