SALEM, Va. – Seniors
Robert DiSibio and
Drew Harrell both scored 27 points on Thursday to lead the fourth-seeded Washington and Lee men's basketball team past fifth-seeded Roanoke, 80-70, in the ODAC quarterfinals.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (17-9) began the second half with a 48-42 lead, which was quickly extended to 10 points in the first 80 seconds on buckets from sophomore
Colin Ryan and Harrell. The W&L offense then hit a lull over the next five and a half minutes, scoring just four points to nine for the Maroons (16-10), which cut the Blue and White lead to five points.
Over the next three minutes, senior
Jack d'Entremont helped keep W&L in front, connecting on a three at the end of the shot clock, but Joshua McClary answered on the ensuing Roanoke possession with a three of his own to get it down to a three-point game. The Generals then went on a 13-5 run to push their lead to a game-high 11 points, and they held the Maroons to just 2-of-4 shooting over the final 3:31.
The first half featured hot shooting from both sides, as 90 points were scored between the two sides on better than 57 percent shooting. W&L had the hotter of the two starts, making 5-of-6 shots out of the gate for a 12-7 lead through three and a half minutes. Roanoke then used a 14-7 run (6-6 FG) to pull in front, 21-19, at the 11:58 mark, but threes on back-to-back possessions from sophomore
A.J. Thomas and DiSibio gave the Generals their lead back.
Roanoke managed to gain one more lead in the first half (26-25), but the Generals closed the half on a 23-16 run, shooting 9-of-14 in that stretch. The Blue and White defense also started to find its groove over the final eight and a half minutes before halftime, holding Roanoke to 5-of-12 from the field.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Harrell's 27 points marked a new career high for the senior, and he finished the day shooting 10-of-16 from the field and 6-of-7 from the foul line. He also pulled down nine rebounds and had a block and a steal on defense. DiSibio's 27 points came next to 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. DiSibio not only tied for the game high in points, but he also dished out a game-best five assists.
Ryan tallied 11 points for the W&L offense on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the floor, plus three assists and two blocks, while d'Entremont contributed five points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
McClary matched DiSibio's and Harrell's 27 points, making 10-of-17 shots and notching a Roanoke-high four assists. Coming in next in points for the Maroons were Justin Kuthan at 15, Joshua Morse with 12 and Marcus Morgan at 11.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
DiSibio's 27 points vaulted him into fifth place on the W&L men's basketball program scoring list. He heads into the team's semifinal on Saturday with 1,671 points after passing Mike Daniel '72 (1,665). DiSibio is also now five made three-point field goals away from tying Andy Kleinlein '17 for the second-most such shots in program history (189).
The Generals advance to the ODAC semifinals for the first time since the 2018-19 season, where they also met Randolph-Macon.
TEAM STATS:
W&L shot 44.4 percent (28-63) for the game after a blistering 59.4 percent (19-32) in the first half. They also made 17-of-19 free throws, and they went 12-of-14 at the foul line in the second half. Roanoke made an even 50 percent (16-32) of its shots in the first half before going 9-of-29 (.310) in the second half for a game percentage of .410.
The Generals held a 44-33 advantage in total rebounds and a 12-9 positive margin in offensive rebounds. The Maroons outscored the Blue and White in second-chance points (10-8) and bench points (27-10), but W&L outgained Roanoke in points in the paint (38-28) and fastbreak points (13-3).
UP NEXT:
The Generals will meet top-seeded and second-ranked Randolph-Macon in the ODAC semifinals on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in the Salem Civic Center. The Yellow Jackets advanced to the semifinals with a 71-68, overtime win over eighth-seeded Shenandoah before the Generals tipped off.
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.
