Box Score LEXINGTON, Va. — The Washington and Lee men's basketball team made a key defensive stop on the final possession against Roanoke on Wednesday to earn a 62-60 win at the Warner Center.
The Generals (5-9, 2-3 ODAC) took a 62-60 lead with 16 seconds remaining, after sophomore guard Andy Kleinlein (Chesterfield, Mo./Chaminade College Prep) split a pair of free throws. The Maroons (6-8, 1-4 ODAC) then brought the ball into the frontcourt and called timeout with 9.8 seconds on the clock.
On the ensuing possession, junior guard Carter Wright (Roanoke, Va./Mars Hill) received the inbounds pass and dribbled to the top of the key before launching a potential game-winning triple with four seconds on the clock. Senior forward Patrick O'Connor (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) did not give Wright an inch of space on the shot, and then corralled the rebound to secure the W&L victory.
First-year forward Clayton Murtha (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) scored a game-high 17 points, including 13 in the second half, to pace the Generals. Kleinlein was the only other Blue and White player in double figures with 11. He also had four rebounds and a career-high six assists.
Wright led Roanoke with 11 points, and senior forward Andrew Daniels (Fairfax, Va./Oakton) chipped in 10 points, four rebounds and four assists. The Generals held the Maroons' Daniel Eacho (North Chesterfield, Va./Monacan) to just nine points, but the senior forward did grab a game-high seven boards.
W&L connected on 7-of-12 shots from beyond the arc, but struggled from the free throw line at 56.5 percent (13-of-23). Roanoke hit just 4-of-18 from downtown, but knocked down 12-of-15 (80.0 percent) from the charity stripe.
After falling behind by seven in the opening minutes, the Generals led by four, 28-24, at the start of the second half. W&L eventually stretched the lead to double figures (52-41) on two free throws by Murtha with 8:23 left in the contest.
The Maroons went on a 13-2 run over the next three minutes, capped on a tip-in by first-year forward Joey Miller (Yorktown, Va./Grafton) at the 5:18 mark, to tie the game at 54-54. The Generals regained a 57-54 advantage with 4:26 on the clock, but two free throws and a jumper by Eacho gave Roanoke a 58-57 lead with 3:12 remaining.
Murtha responded on the next trip down with a jumper to give W&L a 59-58 lead, and then Kleinlein stretched the lead to three (61-58) with two free throws at the 2:13 mark. After back-to-back empty possessions, Daniels cut the lead to one, 61-60, on a jumper with 1:16 left. But the Generals' defense held the Maroons scoreless in the final minute to seal the win.
W&L heads to Lynchburg on Saturday for a 4:00 pm contest.
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