SALEM, Va. — Second-seeded Roanoke shot 50.0 percent (10-of-20) from three-point range en route to an 82-72 victory over the third-seeded Washington and Lee men's basketball team in the semifinals of the ODAC Tournament on Saturday at the Salem Civic Center.

The Maroons (20-7) could not miss from beyond the arc in the opening half, hitting 9-of-15 (60.0 percent) of their attempts. The Generals (17-10) did not have the same success, making just 2-of-10 (20.0 percent) from long range, as Roanoke took a 45-30 lead into halftime.

The lead was stretched to 17 (52-35) by the 17:18 mark of the second half, but then a three-pointer by sophomore guard Kevin Dennin (Severna Park, Md./Severn School) and two free throws by junior guard Devin Kearns (Cibolo, Texas/Samuel Clemens) trimmed the deficit to 52-40 with 16:06 left in the contest. The margin was down to 10 (59-49) four minutes later, following a layup by junior forward Roy McMillan (Raleigh, N.C./Broughton).

Kearns then made a triple to bring the Blue and White to within seven, 59-52, with 9:57 to go in the game, but six straight points by junior forward Josh Freund extended the Maroons' lead back to 13 (65-52) with 7:58 remaining in the contest.

The Generals responded with eight consecutive points to close the gap to five. Senior forward Nicholas George (Charleston, W.Va./Charleston Catholic) initiated the spurt with a layup. Then junior guard Alex Starr (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands Regional) made a pair of free throws, followed by another layup by George. Starr capped the run with two more from the charity stripe to put the score at 65-60 with 4:30 to go in the game.

Unfortunately, the Blue and White would get no closer. First-year guard Jorden Davis converted an old-fashioned three-point play on Roanoke's next offensive trip to push the lead back to eight (68-60).

After senior forward Clayton Murtha (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) split a pair of free throws, Roanoke junior guard C.J. Miles sunk four straight from the charity stripe to give the Maroons a 72-61 lead with 1:48 left in the game. W&L played the foul game in the final two minutes, but could not close the gap, as Roanoke advanced to the championship game on Sunday.

Kearns totaled a game-high 16 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists. George had 15 points and four rebounds, and Starr and Murtha each tallied 11 points.

Miles led all players with 23 points. He was 6-of-11 from the field and 5-of-7 from downtown. Freund notched a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

The Generals struggled with their shot all night, making just 26-of-70 (37.1 percent) from the floor and 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) from long range. W&L held a 10-rebound advantage, 45-35, but Roanoke made 24 free throws compared to 13 for the Blue and White.

W&L concludes its season 17-10 overall, after advancing to the ODAC semifinals for the second consecutive season. The 17 wins are the most for the team since the 2009-10 squad also finished with 17 victories.

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