VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Washington and Lee men's basketball team tipped off the 2026-27 season on Saturday at the Batten University TowneBank Tip-Off, but fell against Maryville (Tenn.), 72-53.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Generals and Fighting Scots were evenly matched across the first seven and a half minutes, as Maryville held a slight 11-10 lead. They used an early 8-0 run to build up a seven-point advantage, but W&L responded immediately with six straight points.
- Over the remaining 12 and a half minutes of the half, Maryville did not allow consecutive scores from the Generals as they closed the opening stanza on a 26-14 run. Jaylen Pompey led the Fighting Scots' run with 10 points, while W&L junior Connor Amorosi had seven during that time.
- The Fighting Scots went on to shoot 58.3 percent (14-24) in the second half and got a team-high 15 points from Matthew Schneider to close out the game. They also limited the Generals to 33.3 percent (9-27) shooting from the floor and 11 turnovers in the second half.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Amorosi paced the W&L offense with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Amorosi also had two rebounds, two assists and a steal.
- Sophomore Addison Newkirk had a team-high six rebounds, along with seven points, while senior Conor Roberton and sophomore Mill Chapman both had five boards.
- Pompey and Schneider led the Fighting Scots with 18 points and 17 points, respectively. Schneider and Kyle Cloninger had six rebounds each, while Cloninger adding five steals to lead the defensive efforts.
TEAM STATS:
- The Fighting Scots shot 48.2 percent (27-56) from the field and made 11-of-14 (.786) free throws. W&L connected on 35.3 percent (18-51) of its field goal attempts, including 24.2 percent (8-33) from deep.
- The Generals controlled the rebounding game, finishing with a 37-31 advantage. They also grabbed 16 offensive rebounds to 10 for Maryville.
- Maryville turned a plus-11 (19-8) turnover margin into a 19-5 scoring edge in points off turnovers. They also outscored the Generals 15-11 in second-chance points and 36-16 in the paint.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will match up against St. John Fisher on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. in the TowneBank Tip-Off 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.
