FERRUM, Va. – The Washington and Lee men's basketball team shot just 31.1 percent (19-61) from the floor in falling at Ferrum College by a score of 62-54 on Wednesday evening.

The Generals (2-1) fell behind early and trailed by a score of 29-22 at the halftime break.  The Panthers (2-1) opened the second half with a 10-0 run keyed by six points from Alek Ayer to stretch their lead to 39-22 with 16:22 to play.

Ferrum maintained an 11-point lead (54-43) with 3:14 remaining, but W&L used an 11-2 run capped by a three-pointer from senior forward Patrick O'Connor (Richmond, Va. / Douglas Freeman) with 55 seconds left to make it a two-point game (56-54).  However, Ferrum junior center Rashawn Speas hit a layup on the next possession and the Generals never threatened again.

W&L hit just 8-of-29 (.276) shots from the floor in the first half and finished the game just 10-for-17 (.588) from the free throw line.  Junior guard Andrew Franz (Charlotte, N.C. / Ravenscroft) led the Generals with 15 points and eight rebounds.  Sophomore guard Andy Kleinlein (Chesterfield, Mo. / Chaminade College Prep) posted 14 points and four assists, while O'Connor had three points and seven rebounds.

Senior forward Jamal Pullen led four Panthers in double-figures with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.  Speas tallied 13 points and nine boards, and first-year guard Troy Mann registered 12 points.  Ayer added 10 points as well.

Washington and Lee returns to action on Friday when it hosts Christopher Newport for a 7:00 pm contest. 

-- http://www.generalssports.com --