SALEM, Va. – A
Bryce Breeden layup with 18 seconds left plus a final defensive stand against three shot attempts pushed the Washington and Lee men's basketball team to a 58-57 win over No. 15 Roanoke on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Generals (11-2, 3-1 ODAC) trailed by four points with three minutes to play before senior Colin Ryan hit shots on back-to-back possessions to tie the game, 54-54, at the 2:15 mark. The teams then traded one layup each to make it a 56-56 game with 1:26 remaining.
- After one stop apiece on the ensuing possessions, the Maroons (9-4, 2-2 ODAC) went to the line with 34 seconds, but Caleb Franze made just 1-of-2 attempts. On the other end, Ryan drove into the lane and found Breeden on the baseline for the go-ahead reverse layup.
- Out of the timeout, the Maroons managed three shots in the final seconds, including a Jackson Bell jumper just inside the arc on the left wing at the buzzer. That attempt fell short, however, to seal the W&L win.
- Scoring was at a premium throughout the contest, as the Maroons led 30-29 at the half, with both teams shooting under 35 percent from the field. No sustained scoring runs lasted longer than five points (one for each team). The Generals remained in the game thanks to 18 points combined from Ryan and sophomore Connor Amorosi.
- W&L and Roanoke improved on their shooting in the second half, but the game remained close for the duration of the second half. Roanoke led by as many as six points in the second half, but that lead evaporated immediately behind a W&L 7-0 run midway through the period.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Amorosi paced the W&L offense with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor. He also pulled in five rebounds, had one assist and blocked a shot. Ryan followed with 16 points, three rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal.
- First-year Kevin Die' added nine points of his own, all from beyond the three-point line, with Breeden scoring seven points and securing three rebounds. Senior A.J. Thomas and sophomore Jackson Ransom were the Generals' top rebounders with seven and six, respectively.
- Gavin O'Malley led four Maroons in double-figures with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Bell and Marcus Morgan both scored 11, but Bell was held to 3-for-16 shooting. Porter Stanley rounded out the double-digit quartet at 10.
- Morgan led all players in the game with 10 rebounds to log a double-double, and he also dished out a team-high three assists.
TEAM STATS:
- The teams' field goal percentages finished nearly identical, with Roanoke holding the slight edge 0.386 (22-57) to 0.382 (21-55). Damage was limited from three-point range, as the Generals and Maroons combined to go 6-for-37 (.162).
- Roanoke was also the top team in total rebounding (41-37) and offensive rebounding (12-11), but W&L outscored the hosts off turnovers (8-7), on second-chance points (9-7), bench points (14-12) and fastbreak points (8-2).
- The Generals improved to 9-0 on the season when they force more turnovers than they commit. The Maroons turned the ball over 13 times in the game to nine for the Blue and White.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will look to build on their strong win on Wednesday when they travel to Shenandoah for a 5:00 p.m. opening tip.
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.
