DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Washington and Lee men's basketball team has its season-opening six-game winning streak come to an end on Monday afternoon in a 79-61 final against Trine to kick-off the Mauro Panaggio Holiday Tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Generals (6-1) held up strongly in the first seven minutes, trailing only 11-9, before the Thunder (5-3) went on an 18-6 run over the next 5:40 to take a 29-15 lead. During that run, Trine's Danny Flood hit a trio of triples and led his team with nine points.
- W&L closed out the first half on a high note, cutting their deficit down by five points for a 36-27 Trine lead at the break. First-year Addison Newkirk hit a three to get the Generals going again, with a team-best four points from sophomore Connor Amorosi.
- The Generals kept pace with the Thunder to start the second half, outscoring them 16-15 across nearly nine minutes of play, ending with a three from senior Colin Ryan. On the ensuing possession, however, Jayden Bradshaw connected on a three which ignited the Thunder on a 26-8 run until they led, 77-51, with three minutes to play.
- Despite the large deficit, the Generals battled until the final horn and scored 10 of the final 12 points of the game. First-year Daniel Buttemere scored seven of those points before a Bryce Breeden three closed the scoring.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Ryan paced the W&L offense with 12 points, four rebounds and five assists, with Amorosi adding 10 points, three rebounds and two assists. Newkirk followed with nine points and led the Generals with six rebounds and two steals.
- Flood led the way for the Thunder, as he scored 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 7-of-9 from long range. Bradshaw tallied 17 points, and both players finished with four rebounds and three assists.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Monday's loss marked the Generals' first of the season. They had gotten off to the first 6-0 start to a season for the program since the 1987-88 season, while they had been seeking the first 7-0 start since the 1946-47 campaign.
TEAM STATS:
- The Generals shot 39.3 percent (24-61) from the floor in the game, but made 44.1 percent (15-34) of their field goals in the second half, including 4-of-6 from outside. Trine finished at 47.5 percent (28-59) for the game, including 44.8 percent (13-29) from outside. They shot 45 percent or better in both halves and 40 percent or better from three in both periods.
- The Thunder outrebounded the Generals by a 41-33 margin, but a 12-11 W&L edge in offensive rebounds led to a 15-11 scoring advantage for the Blue and White in second-chance points.
- Both teams committed nine turnovers, but the Thunder managed to turn their nine takeaways into 12 points, compared to two points for W&L. The Generals outscored Trine, 32-24, in the paint, and the Thunder held the bench points advantage, 31-23.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will face SUNY Brockport on Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. in the Mauro Panaggio Holiday Tournament consolation game.
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.
