LEXINGTON, Va. — Sophomore forward Connor Schroeder recorded 26 points, on 8-of-12 from beyond the arc, to lead Lynchburg to an 81-63 victory over the Washington and Lee men's basketball team on Saturday in the ODAC-opener for both teams.

The Generals (1-4, 0-1 ODAC) fell in an early hole, as the Hornets (4-1, 1-0 ODAC) scored the first 17 points of the game. W&L did not record a basket for the first seven minutes; with junior guard Michael Hegar's (Cary, N.C./GRACE Christian) jumper putting the team on the board (17-2) with 12:52 left in the first half. The points by Hegar started a 31-16 run by the Blue and White over the final 13 minutes of the half, which brought the Generals to within two, 33-31, at the break.

W&L took its only lead of the game, 37-35, two minutes into the second on a jumper by senior guard Andy Kleinlein (Chesterfield, Mo./Chaminade College Prep). Lynchburg answered with 12 of the next 16 points to reclaim a six-point spread (47-41) with 13:11 remaining in the contest.

With 8:46 left on the clock, Lynchburg held a five-point advantage, 54-49, but would score the next 14 points to blow the game open. Junior forward Logan Seacrist started the run with an old-fashioned three-point play, and then Schroeder hit three consecutive triples. Senior guard Jay Allen capped the spurt with a pair of free throws to push the margin to 19 (68-49) with 6:27 on the clock. The Hornets extended the lead to as many as 21 the rest of the way before reaching the final margin.

Lynchburg shot 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from downtown and 46.2 percent (30-of-65) from the field. The Generals were held to 5-of-18 (27.8 percent) from long range and 23-of-58 (39.7 percent) from the floor.

Sophomore guard Devin Kearns (Cibolo, Texas/Samuel Clemens) totaled a team-high 15 points, while Kleinlein had 12 points and three assists. Junior forward Clayton Murtha (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) notched his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Along with a game-high 26 points, Schroeder also had 11 rebounds. Senior guard Zack Burnett totaled 17 points and five assists, and Allen registered 15 points and four rebounds.

W&L returns to action on Wednesday, when it plays at Hampden-Sydney at 7:00 pm.

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