HARRISONBURG, Va. — Sophomore guard Devin Kearns (Cibolo, Texas/Samuel Clemens) hit three free throws with 0.4 seconds left in the game to propel the Washington and Lee men's basketball team to an 86-85 victory at Eastern Mennonite on Wednesday at Yoder Arena.

With the Royals (8-8, 2-5 ODAC) leading 73-70 with 5:29 remaining in the game, senior guard Andy Kleinlein (Chesterfield, Mo./Chaminade College Prep) scored eight straight points on two three-pointers and two free throws to give the Generals (7-9, 3-4 ODAC) a 78-73 advantage at the 3:10 mark.

Junior wing Jerome Jones drained a triple to bring EMU to within two (78-76), and then three free throws by sophomore wing Xavier McCants gave the Royals a 79-78 lead with 1:47 left in the game. Kleinlein sunk a jumper on the next possession to put the Blue and White back up one (80-79), but he fouled out on a drive by McCants on the next play. Kleinlein exited the contest with a career-high 35 points.

McCants made both free throws to put EMU back up one, 81-80, with 1:08 remaining on the clock. Kearns was fouled driving to the hoop with 43 seconds left, and split the pair to tie the game, 81-81. Sophomore guard Khalil Davis made a layup with 34 seconds on the clock to regain a two-point lead (83-81) for the Royals, but sophomore forward Roy McMillan (Raleigh, N.C./Broughton) answered with a layup of his own with 20 seconds left to tie the game, 83-83.

Following a timeout by EMU, junior wing Isaiah Harris-Winn netted a pull-up jumper from the elbow with six seconds remaining to give the Royals a two-point edge (85-83). Kearns sprinted down the court and launched a three-pointer with 0.4 seconds on the clock. He missed the attempt, but was fouled by Harris-Winn. Kearns calmly sunk all three free throws, and EMU failed to get a shot off, as W&L left the court with an 86-85 victory.

Kleinlien went 10-of-16 from the floor, 5-of-10 from beyond the arc and 10-of-14 at the foul line to record his career high. He also had three assists and one steal. Junior forward Clayton Murtha (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) notched a double-double with 17 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. McMillan registered 14 points and four assists off the bench.

Jones and Harris-Winn each totaled 16 points to lead the Royals. McCants added 11 points in 18 minutes off the bench.

Each team went to the free throw line multiple times throughout the night, with the Generals making 25-of-35 (71.4 percent) and the Royals hitting 21-of-29 (72.4 percent). W&L shot 26-of-54 (48.1 percent) from the field and EMU connected on 28-of-53 (52.8 percent) from the floor.

The Generals return to action on Saturday, when they play at Roanoke at 2:00 pm.

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