LEXINGTON, Va. – The 15th-ranked Virginia Wesleyan men's basketball team closed the game with a 23-8 run en route to posting a 65-52 victory over Washington and Lee on Saturday afternoon at the Warner Center.

The Generals (4-3, 1-1) never trailed in the first half and led by as many as nine points on several occasions, with the last (30-21) occurring with 6:10 left in the first half following a layup by senior forward Andrew Franz (Charlotte, N.C. / Ravenscroft).

Virginia Wesleyan (5-2, 2-0) chipped away at its deficit, eventually knotting the game at 34-34 with two seconds left in the half when junior guard Khory Moore (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) split a pair of free throws.

The Marlins grabbed their first lead of the game early in the second stanza when junior forward Kaelin Poe (Hampton, Va./Kecoughtan) scored on a layup at the 18:57 mark for a 36-34 advantage.  Neither team led by more than three points until the Generals went cold from the field after first-year guard Devin Kearns (Cibolo, Texas / Samuel Clemens) gave W&L a 44-42 lead after a three-point play at 13:53.

The Generals missed each of their next 13 shots from the floor, as the Marlins surged to a 60-46 lead until first-year forward Roy McMillan (Raleigh, N.C. / Broughton) broke the dry spell with a jumper at the 2:45 mark.

W&L finished just 5-of-27 (.185) from the floor in the second half, including 1-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.  Sophomore forward Clayton Murtha (Dallas, Texas / Highland Park) led the Generals with 11 points and 13 rebounds, but he shot just 2-of-12 from the floor.  McMillan tallied 10 points, while Kearns totaled with points, three assists and two steals. 

Sophomore forward Corey White, Jr. (Newport News, Va./Heritage) paced the Marlins with 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Poe contributed 10 points and 10 boards, while senior guard Nick Doyle (Franklin, Va./Southampton) posted 10 points. 

Washington and Lee will now break for finals and the holidays before returning to action on Dec. 29-30 when it hosts the W&L Tournament.  The Generals host Methodist in the opening game at 4:00 pm.

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