LEXINGTON, Va. ‑ Methodist outscored the Washington and Lee men's basketball team, 46-18, in the paint on its way to a 73-54 victory at the Warner Center on Saturday.

The game was tied, 17-17, with 7:02 remaining in the first half, but the Monarchs (2-5) went on a 16-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 33-19 advantage with 2:13 left in the opening stanza. Junior forward Davion Ayabarreno led Methodist during the spurt with eight points. The Monarchs held a 38-25 lead at halftime.

The Generals (1-6) nailed triples on each of their first three possessions in the second half to close the gap to eight (42-34) by the 17:40 mark. Methodist had an immediate answer, scoring 12 straight points to blow the game open, 54-34, with 13:40 left in the contest. The Monarchs pushed their lead to as many as 29 points before reaching the final margin, 73-54.

Sophomore guard Devin Kearns (Cibolo, Texas/Samuel Clemens) led the Blue and White with 13 points. First-year forward Austin York (Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison) totaled five points, five rebounds, one steal and one assist in just 10 minutes of action off the bench.

Ayabarreno recorded a game-high 14 points to pace Methodist's four players in double figures. Junior forward Jackson Whitley had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He also notched four blocks.

The Monarchs shot 53.6 percent (30-of-56) from the floor, compared to just 31.6 percent (18-of-57) for W&L. Methodist also outrebounded the Blue and White, 37-28. The Generals did only commit a season-low seven turnovers.

Washington and Lee will now break for finals, and returns to action at the Daytona Beach Shootout on December 20 and 21. The Generals play Wesleyan (Conn.) at 6:00 pm on the first day.

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