WINCHESTER, Va. – Washington and Lee made just three field goals in the final 10:20 of the game as Shenandoah pulled away for a 68-61 win over the Generals in ODAC men's basketball on Wednesday evening at Shingleton Gymnasium.

The game featured six ties and eight lead changes, before the Hornets (4-18, 3-10) took the lead for good with a 12-0 run that turned a 54-51 W&L lead into a 63-54 Shenandoah advantage with 1:38 remaining.

Senior forward Patrick O'Connor (Richmond, Va. / Douglas Freeman) gave W&L (8-14, 5-8) the three-point advantage (54-51) when he made a jumper at the 6:16 mark.  However, it was the Generals' last basket from the floor until W&L made two baskets in the final 39 seconds of the contest.

Xavier Alston started the decisive run for the Hornets with a jumper at the 6:45 mark.  The senior forward would add three more points during the run, which also featured five points from sophomore guard Aaron Patterson.

The Generals closed to within six points (64-58) on a layup by junior guard Darren Douglas (Elmsford, N.Y. / Rye Country Day) with 39 seconds left, but the Blue & White could get no closer.

Shenandoah jumped out to a 12-point lead (18-6) in the opening 7:53 of the game, but the Generals were able to cut it to a six-point game (30-24) at the half.  W&L opened the second stanza with a 14-5 run featuring a pair of three-pointers by sophomore guard Stephen Himmelberg (Chapel Hill, N.C. / Chapel Hill) to take a 38-35 lead, but W&L went cold and the Hornets pulled away for the win.

W&L finished the game just 37.7 percent (20-53) from the floor with 16 turnovers. First-year forward Clayton Murtha (Dallas, Texas / Highland Park) led all scorers with 16 points.  He also grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.  O'Connor tallied 11 points and sophomore guard Andy Kleinlein (Chesterfield, Mo. / Chaminade College Prep) added 10 points and six assists.

Shenandoah shot 53.3 percent (24-45) from the field and was paced by Alston's 15 points and six blocks.  Patterson added 14 points.

W&L returns to the court on Saturday when it hosts Virginia Wesleyan for a 2:00 pm contest.

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