Lexington, Va. ---The men's basketball team came over a slow start to defeat Washington & Lee, 71-64 in Lexington on Sunday. The men improve to 9-2; 3-1 in the ODAC while the Generals dropped to 6-5; 2-2 in ODAC play. It was the Maroons fourth-straight win over the Generals.
The men held the Generals to 31-percent from the field in the second half and hit 75-percent from the line to guide the Maroons to their third ODAC win of the season. Roanoke blocked five blocks to maintain their season average.
The Generals stormed out to a 15-3 lead to start the game with 11:51 remaining in the first half. The Maroons slowly chipped away at the W&L lead and outscored them, 31-19 the rest of the half to tie the score, 34-34 at halftime. The Maroons took their first lead of the game off a three-pointer by AJ Dowell assisted by Drew Gaeng to make the score, 30-29 just before the half.
The Maroons shot 45-percent in the first half, but the Generals were 50-percent from the floor, including 4-of-8 from three-point range. Dowell had 13 first half points for Roanoke while Greg Bienemann had 17 points and five rebounds.
The Generals took the lead after a Bienemann layup with 17:20 remaining to make it 38-37. It would be their last lead of the game as the Maroons went on an 8-0 run to give them a seven-point lead, 45-38 with 11:09 remaining and never trailed again.
W&L came within one-point, 55-54 after a three-pointer by Chris McHugh with 3:29 remaining. The Maroons kept the Generals away, going on a 14-7 run over the next three minutes to seal their fifth-straight win. The Maroons hit 11-of-13 free throws down the stretch to secure the victory, led by Dowell and Josh LaPorte, who hit all four of their attempts during that span.
Dowell poured in a season-high 23 points, including 10-of-13 from the line in addition to four rebounds. LaPorte chipped in 18 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Curtis Peery had eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Bienemann finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds for the Generals. McHugh had 15 points and four assists, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. W&L outrebounded the Maroons, 42-34.
The Maroons will play at home on Wednesday, Jan. 16 to host Guilford at the Bast Center. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
