LEXINGTON, Va. — The Washington and Lee men's basketball team nearly overcame a 15-point second-half deficit, missing the potential game-tying three-pointer with 4.6 seconds left in the contest, but fell just short in an 82-79 loss to 17th-ranked Lynchburg on Thursday at the Duchossois Tennis Center.

The Generals (12-5, 5-3 ODAC) erased an eight-point halftime deficit to assume a 49-46 advantage by the 16:22 mark of the second half, but the Hornets (16-1, 7-1 ODAC) then scored the next 18 points to assume a 15-point margin (64-49) at the 12:45 mark. Senior guard Austin Wrighten led the charge for Lynchburg, scoring 11 of his game-high 24 points during the spurt.

The lead was still in double figures (78-66), following a three-pointer by senior forward Connor Schroeder with 5:15 left on the clock, but then two free throws by senior guard Devin Kearns (Cibolo, Texas/Samuel Clemens) and a jumper by sophomore guard William Brueggeman (Houston, Texas/Strake Jesuit College Prep) trimmed the gap to eight, 78-70, with 4:14 to go in the game.

Wrighten was fouled on a three-point attempt on the next possession, but converted just one free throw. Then a three-point play by Kearns and a layup by sophomore forward Curtis Mitchell (Chevy Chase, Md./Georgetown Prep) pulled the Generals to within four (79-75) with 3:01 remaining. The spread was still four, 81-77, at the 1:31 mark, but then both teams came up empty on their next two possessions.

Senior forward Roy McMillan (Raleigh, N.C./Broughton) drove through the lane with the clock winding under 20 seconds, but missed a contested layup. Sophomore forward T.C. Thacker grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled with 16 seconds on the clock. He converted just one of two free throws, which allowed Kearns to push the ball down the court and drain a jumper with just over eight seconds on the clock to bring the score to 82-79.

McMillan then forced a turnover by knocking the inbounds pass off the leg of a Hornet to give the Generals the ball with 7.6 left on the clock. Off the inbounds play, a pass found McMillan behind the arc on the left side in front of his bench, but his three-point attempt was long. Mitchell tipped the rebound back out to McMillan, but his quick pass to the top of the key went off the fingers of Brueggeman and into the hands of senior guard Jesse Case to secure the victory for Lynchburg.

The Generals took 21 more shots than the Hornets, but W&L finished the night just 29-of-80 (36.3 percent) from the field. Lynchburg shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the floor and was 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) from long range compared to just 26.5 percent (9-of-34) for the Blue and White.

McMillan totaled 22 points, nine rebounds and two steals for the Generals. Mitchell had a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Brueggeman ended the night with 16 points and six rebounds, and first-year guard Mark Lamendola (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) set a career-high with six steals before fouling out with four minutes left in the game.

Wrighten added 11 rebounds to his 24 points, while shooting 7-of-15 from the floor and 8-of-11 from the line. Thacker had 18 points and nine rebounds and Schroeder finished with 15 points and nine boards.

The Generals trailed 42-34 at halftime, but went on a 13-2 run in the first three minutes of the second to grab the 47-44 advantage. Brueggeman ignited the spurt with a three-pointer at the top of the key. McMillan followed with an old-fashioned three-point play to trim the deficit to 42-40 just 47 seconds into the period.

A jumper by Thacker momentarily slowed the onslaught, but then a triple by McMillan and a fast-break layup by Mitchell gave the Blue and White its first lead of the contest, 45-44, at the 17:52 mark. Mitchell then dropped in another layup to put W&L in front, 47-44, with 16:55 left in the game.

The Generals return to action on Wednesday, when they host Shenandoah at 7:00 pm.

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