VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Washington and Lee men's basketball team was defeated by Virginia Wesleyan, 76-59, on Saturday afternoon, despite an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double from sophomore
Connor Amorosi.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Both teams opened the game shooting above 50 percent from the floor in the opening seven minutes, but it was the Marlins (17-6, 12-2 ODAC) who held the early lead, 13-10.
- The Generals continued their efficient shooting through 12 minutes of play, and got stops on the defensive end, to flip the game into their favor, 21-20. Amorosi had nine points in the early going, with junior Conor Roberton close behind with seven.
- Virginia Wesleyan proceeded to get a 10-2 run to move back ahead by seven points, but the Generals made three of their final five shots of the half to stay within striking distance at the break, 36-31.
- The Marlins started to put some distance between themselves and the Generals with a 16-7 run to open the second half. Amorosi then made a layup at the 11:21 mark which started a 12-6 W&L spurt to keep their deficit to eight points. Amorosi scored six of those 12 points, with the Generals making 4-of-5 field goals.
- With 8:22 left in regulation, VWU's Omari Deveaux sank a pull-up jumper which spurred a 17-5 run for the hosts across the next 5:39 of play. That run left the Marlins up 20 points with under three minutes to play to secure the win.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Amorosi's double-double was his first of the season and second of his collegiate career, as he made 6-of-13 field goal attempts and 6-of-8 foul shots. Roberton followed in scoring with 10 on 4-for-6 shooting.
- First-year Addison Newkirk was second for the Generals with eight rebounds. Sophomore Ari Hobson matched Roberton's 4-of-6 shooting day to record eight points.
- Deveaux played all 40 minutes for the Marlins and led all scorers with 29 points on 11-of-19 field goals (3-5 3pt FG). Deveaux also grabbed six rebounds, had two assists and two steals.
- Paul Anderson scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while coming away with a game-high four steals. Amari Moorer and Khai Seargeant both scored 10 points, with Moorer pulling in 10 rebounds.
TEAM STATS:
- The Generals made 39.3 percent (22-56) of their shots, but only two of their 17 attempts from deep. The Marlins connected on 46.7 percent (28-60) of their field goals, including 55.6 percent (15-27) in the second half, and made seven threes.
- W&L owned the rebound battle by a final of 45-30 in total rebounds and 15-7 in offensive boards. Those numbers helped the Generals to an 11-5 positive scoring margin in second-chance points.
- The Marlins especially capitalized off W&L turnovers, outscoring the Generals 22-2 in that category. VWU also held scoring advantages in fastbreak points (10-1) and points in the paint (40-32), while W&L's bench outscored the Marlins', 21-17.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will be back on the court on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. against Bridgewater in their final home game of the regular season.
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.
