(Carlisle, Pa.) – The Dickinson College men's basketball team had an exciting home and season opener. The Devils rallied from 23 points down, but came up just short against Washington & Lee, falling 69-67, on Tuesday night.
The Red Devils struggled to get any rhythm in the early going, finding themselves trailing, 41-25, at halftime. The Generals broke a 13-13 tie at the midpoint of the first half with an 18-1 run to pull in front, 31-14, with 5:55 on the clock.
Washington & Lee stretched the lead to 19 before a late three-pointer by sophomore Tucker Landy (Durham, N.C./Xavier) to make the score, 41-25 at the break.
It looked as though the Generals would be in control the whole way, pulling in front, 52-29, with a little more than 14 minutes to play. The Devils had seen enough, turning up the intensity on defense. Dickinson held W&L scoreless for almost seven minutes, erasing a 22-point lead with an 18-0 run to cut the margin to 55-52.
First-year Gerry Wixted (Moorestown, N.J./Lawrenceville School) drained back-to-back three-pointers to give Dickinson just its second lead of the night with 3:53 on the clock. Kevin Gill answered with a three-pointer and the teams traded leads with the Generals pulling in front for good, 62-61, at the 2:27 mark.
Honig was almost able to save the day, hitting a huge three-pointer with four seconds remaining and then stealing the in-bounds pass. He was unable to gain enough control in the final seconds to get a shot off as the Generals held on, 69-67.
Wixted finished with a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds, shooting 9-of-11 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the line. Honig finished with 21 points, four assists and two steals. He hit 7-of-10 from the field and 5-of-8 from the line.
Chris Barsanti (Hummelstown, Pa./Tilton School) added six points, including a thundering dunk, and tallied six rebounds, three assists and two steals on the night.
The Red Devils are home again this weekend, hosting the Days Inn Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Dickinson hosts Wilkes University at 8:00 pm on Friday night. Penn State Harrisburg will face Catholic University at 6:00 pm.