HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. – The Washington and Lee men's basketball team opened play at the Hampden-Sydney Charlie Cobb Classic on Friday with an 88-73 loss against Eastern.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Despite being outscored 48-34 in the first half, the Generals (1-6) kept pace with the Eagles (7-3) through the first 14 and a half minutes of play. The Eagles opened the game by making 11 of their first 21 shots, but eight turnovers in that time allowed W&L to remain in the game. Neither side scored more than two consecutive field goals in the first 14:37, as Eastern held a slight 30-29 advantage.
Momentum then shifted to the Eagles over the final 5:09, as they ended the first half on an 18-5 run, making 6-of-7 shots from the field. W&L sophomore
Conor Roberton led the team in first-half scoring with 10 points, while Eastern's Arkese Claiborne had a game-high 19 points (8-9 FG) at the break.
The Generals claimed the longest scoring run of the second half at 7-0 from 15:59 to 14:18 on a floater from junior
Colin Ryan, and a triple and layup from junior
A.J. Thomas. W&L's 7-0 run cut their deficit down to 11 points, but the Eagles scored the next five points in response. Like the first half, the remainder of the second half saw neither team able to score more than two consecutive field goals. With both teams virtually exchanging scores, the Eastern lead ranged from 11 to 18 points throughout the final 20 minutes.
TOP PERFORMERS:
W&L had five players in double-digit scoring, led by 16 from junior
John Loughlin, who made four three-point shots and added five rebounds and an assist. Ryan and Roberton both finished with 14 points on a combined 13-of-24 shooting. Ryan grabbed 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, plus four assists and a steal.
Thomas and first-year
Connor Amorosi rounded out the five Generals in double figures with 10 points each, with five rebounds and four assists combined.
Claiborne paced all scorers in the game with 33 points and eight assists. He made 13-of-21 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 from long range. Olise Onyeka came in next with 19 points (6-8 FG), nine rebounds, five assists, four blocks and a steal, while Zubair Lee contributed 11 points, nine boards, three assists and two steals.
TEAM STATS:
Both teams made 31 field goal attempts, but the Eagles connected on 54.4 percent of their shots to 36.5 percent from the Blue and White. Eastern held a sizeable advantage at the free throw line in the game, as it made 19-of-26 foul shots to just 2-of-4 for the Generals.
W&L held a 43-42 edge in total rebounds in the game, but outgained the Eagles, 18-5, on the offensive glass. The Generals also forced three more turnovers than they committed (17-14) and outscored the Eagles, 15-8, in second-chance points. Eastern held positive margins for the game in fastbreak points (21-9), points off turnovers (15-9) and points in the paint (46-38).
UP NEXT:
The Generals will be back in action for Day 2 of the Charlie Cobb Classic on Saturday when they take on John Carroll at 2:00 p.m.
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.
