DANVILLE, Va. – Washington and Lee head men's basketball coach
Chris McHugh '09 earned his 100th win on Saturday, after his Generals shot nearly 70 percent in the second half to top Averett, 85-63.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (10-5, 4-2 ODAC) scored the first six points of the game, and they opened play on an overall 11-2 run across the first 6:05. Senior
Jack d'Entremont held the early, individual scoring lead with five points, as W&L made 5-of-8 shots from the floor to get things started.
W&L gradually pulled away from the Cougars (4-12, 2-6 ODAC) until the first half ended, limiting the home team to no longer than five straight points over any stretch, while holding Averett to 10-of-33 (.303) shooting from the field. The Generals made 15-of-31 shots overall in the first 20 minutes, with d'Entremont entering halftime with 10 points and a first-half high 15 from senior
Robert DiSibio.
The Generals did not let up in the second half, as the Cougars, again, were unable to put more than five straight points together during any stretch of the final 20 minutes. Averett's Jordan Lewis and Bryce Shaw combined for four points to open the second half, cutting their deficit to nine points, but W&L's strong balance of offense and defense did not allow Averett closer than that for the rest of regulation.
Senior
Drew Harrell tallied 14 points in just the second half, followed by first-year
Conor Roberton with eight in the second period. The Generals shot an astounding 18-of-26 (.692) from the field in the second half, while limiting the Cougars to 14-of-35 (.400).
TOP PERFORMERS:
Harrell's 14 second-half points put his game total at 20, which led all W&L players. Harrell shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the field, made one three and he added nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. DiSibio came in next with 19 points, six rebounds and four dimes, while d'Entremont scored 11 and pulled down eight boards.
Roberton and classmate
Parker Neuenhaus also got into double figures for the Blue and White with 10 points each. They combined to shoot 9-of-14 from the field, with Neuenhaus contributing five points and three blocked shots.
Shaw led all players with 23 points in the game, followed by 12 points each from Lewis (4-14 FG) and Jamison Graves. Graves made 5-of-9 shots overall, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
McHugh becomes just the third coach in program history to reach triple digits in the win column. Through 149 games leading the Blue and White, McHugh's Generals hold a 100-49 record (.671), and he holds the highest winning percentage in program history among coaches to have been in the position for multiple seasons.
Harrell's 20-point game marked a new career-high for the senior, topping his previous mark of 19 set on December 20 of this season against Trinity (Texas). Additionally, Harrell's 8-for-8 performance goes down as the second-most made field goals in a game without a miss in program history. Only Andrew Franz's '16 perfect 10-of-10 day on February 26, 2016, against Randolph is ahead.
DiSibio's 19 points propelled him two spots up the program's all-time scoring list. He passed Devin Kearns '19 (1,425) and Pat Dennis '78 (1,428), and he now sits in 12th place. DiSibio can pass John Lee Graves '84 (1,441) for 11th place with three more points.
d'Entremont's eight-rebound effort puts his career total at an even 500 through 69 games. He also is now just 60 points away from 1,000 for his career.
TEAM STATS:
W&L's hot second-half shooting vaulted their field goal percentage for the game up to 0.579, which included 0.500 (8-16) from deep. The Cougars finished at 35.3 percent (24-68) and 34.6 percent (9-26) from long range. The Blue and White also held advantages in points off turnovers (17-7), second-chance points (10-5) and points in the paint (50-28).
UP NEXT:
The Generals will remain on the road in their next contest, a 5:00 p.m. start at Roanoke on Wednesday evening.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
