WINCHESTER, Va. – The Washington and Lee men's basketball team overcame yet another double-digit second-half deficit on Wednesday night, surging past Shenandoah in the final 20 minutes for a 73-69 win.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Trailing by 17 points at the half, senior John Loughlin got the Generals (12-2, 4-1 ODAC) going in the second half with a triple on the opening possession. The Hornets (7-8, 0-5 ODAC) maintained their decisive advantage for the next couple minutes before senior A.J. Thomas and sophomore Bryce Breeden sank back-to-back threes to make it a 47-38 SU lead.
- Three minutes later, the Generals ignited for an 18-3 run, which included 13 straight points on the front end, to assume a 60-55 lead with 5:39 left in the second half. Thomas and first-year Addison Newkirk both scored five points in that time to lead W&L.
- Over the next five minutes, both teams battled it out from the free throw line (SU 8-11, W&L 5-6), en route to Dorian Davis tying the game at 69 with 39 seconds to play.
- Senior Colin Ryan then made a go-ahead floater in the lane to regain a two-point lead, before a defensive stop and two more free throws from Thomas with four seconds left sealed the victory.
- The Hornets raced out to a 24-7 lead through the opening nine minutes behind 9-of-13 shooting from the floor and 10 points from Ellis Wright. Shenandoah led by as many as 19 points in the first half, but the Generals closed the first half on a high note with a three from sophomore Connor Amorosi.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Amorosi led the Generals with 22 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc and 8-of-12 at the foul line. He scored 10 in the first half and 12 in the second half, while adding four rebounds and two assists.
- Ryan scored 16 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, to go along with team highs of eight rebounds and five assists. Thomas contributed 14 points and six boards, as he went 2-for-5 from the field and 8-for-10 on free throws.
- Wright paced the Hornets with 20 points, six rebounds and two blocks, followed by 15 from John Allen, who went 5-of-7 from the field. Allen led the defense with three steals.
- Davis rounded out the double-digit scorers on the night with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting (3-4 3pt FG, 3-4 FT). Davis also pulled in six rebounds to match Wright for the team high.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Wednesday's win marked the Generals' second double-digit comeback of the season, both of which have come in the last four games. They trailed Guilford by 12 points in the second half before edging the Quakers, 90-88, on January 3.
TEAM STATS:
- The Generals shook a sluggish first half to shoot 48.1 percent (13-27) in the second half, ending the night at 39.2 percent (20-51). Free throw shooting also played a major role in W&L's come back. The team made 27-of-36 (.750) for the game, with 19 makes on 25 attempts in just the second half.
- The Hornets were held to 33.3 percent (6-18) shooting in the second half after going 16-of-31 (.516) in the first half. They also cooled off from outside, shooting 7-of-11 from deep in the first half before making just 1-of-5 in the second half.
- W&L owned the rebounding advantage on the night, 35-28, including 10-5 on the offensive glass. Both teams turned the ball over 11 times.
- The Generals outscored the Hornets in second-chance points (11-3), bench points (21-7) and fastbreak points. Shenandoah had the edge in the paint for the game, 26-24.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to action on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. against the WildCats of Randolph College.
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.
