LEXINGTON, Va. — The Washington and Lee men's basketball team finished the game on an 18-7 run and junior forward William Brueggeman (Houston, Texas/Strake Jesuit College Prep) tied a career-high with 29 points, as the Generals topped St. Mary's (Md.) on Saturday, 79-65, on day one of the W&L Holiday Tournament at the Duchossois Tennis Center.
 
The Blue and White (8-3) held a 14-point advantage (57-43) with 12:28 remaining in the second half, but the Seahawks (3-8) scored 15 of the next 19 points to trim the deficit to three, 61-58, with 7:02 left on the clock. First-year forward Gary Grant totaled 10 of the points for St. Mary's to make it a one-possession contest.
 
W&L answered the spurt with five straight points on two free throws from junior forward Curtis Mitchell (Chevy Chase, Md./Georgetown Prep) and a three-pointer by Brueggeman. Grant converted an old-fashioned three-point play on the next trip down to cut the lead to five (66-61) at the 5:12 mark, but the Generals notched 11 of the next 13 points to assume a 77-63 spread with 1:11 left in the game.
 
Brueggeman put the finishing touch on the run with a triple in front of his own bench as the shot clock expired to put the game away, as the Blue and White pulled out the 14-point win.
 
The Generals dominated in rebounding, 55-38, but committed 21 turnovers compared to 13 for St. Mary's. The Seahawks struggled at the line, shooting 46.7 percent (7-of-15), while W&L was 21-of-30 (70.0 percent) from the foul line.
 
Bruggeman shot 8-of-17 from the field and 6-of-14 from long range to total his 29 points. This marks the third time in his career he's had 29 points and the second time this season. He also finished the game with six rebounds.
 
Mitchell led the team with 17 rebounds, tying his career-high set earlier this year against Randolph-Macon. Junior guard Kevin Dennin (Severna Park, Md./Severn School) had 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals. First-year guard Sam Wise (Winchester, Va./John Handley) stuffed the stat sheet with five points, seven assists and nine rebounds.  
 
Grant led the Seahawks with 21 points on 9-of-19 from the floor. Junior forward Miles Gillette had 13 points and four rebounds, and senior guard Justin Milstead totaled 12 points and five boards.
 
The second game of the W&L Holiday Tournament takes place on Sunday at 2:00 pm, with St. Mary's facing Gettysburg. The final contest will see the Generals compete against the Bullets on Monday at 2:00 pm.