LEXINGTON, Va. — Despite a career-high 34 points from junior forward Andrew Franz (Charlotte, N.C./Ravenscroft), the Washington and Lee men's basketball team lost to William Peace, 89-74, on Sunday at the Warner Center.

The Pacers (4-2) missed their first three triples of the game, and fell behind 10-6 with 15:04 left in the half. WPU responded by hitting eight of its next nine from long range to take a 38-28 lead with 7:57 in the half.

William Peace eventually stretched the lead to 14 (51-37) by halftime on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Jalen Vince (Fayetteville, N.C./Seventy-First High School) with 1:37 on the clock, which marked the team's 11th (11-of-22) of the opening period.

The Generals (2-4) came out aggressive in the second half, scoring 11 of 15 points, and cut the lead to seven, 55-48, on a layup by first-year forward Joe Sherwood (Madison, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) with 14:41 remaining in the contest. The Pacers countered with a 7-0 run over the next 2:06 to stretch the advantage back to 14 (62-48). WPU would extend the lead up to 21, before reaching the final margin, 89-74.

Franz notched his 34 points on 13-of-20 from the floor, 3-of-8 from long distance and 5-of-6 from the line. He also added nine rebounds and three assists. His previous career-high was 32 registered in a 100-92 victory over Southern Virginia on November 16, 2013.

First-year forward Clayton Murtha (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) came close to a triple-double with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. The Blue and White shot 57.4 percent (27-of-47) from the floor, but committed 19 turnovers, which led to 20 points for William Peace.

The Pacers had nearly three players score 20 points, as junior guard Nate Strother (Wilson, N.C./Wilson Christian) totaled 21, senior forward Shawn Shaffer (Cary, N.C./Green Hope) netted 20 and junior forward Chris Thomas (Holly Springs, N.C./Cary Christian Academy) recorded 18. Strother hit 5-of-10 three-pointers and finished 6-of-11 from the field. Shaffer went 8-of-10 from the floor. Vince finished with a team-high six assists.

WPU shot 49.2 percent (30-of-61) from the field and 40.6 percent (13-of-32) from beyond the arc. The Pacers only committed seven turnovers.

The Generals enter ODAC play on Wednesday, when they travel to Eastern Mennonite for a 7:00 pm contest.

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