LEXINGTON, VA - Khobi Williamson (Norfolk, VA / Maury) and Harrison George (Raleigh, NC / Leesville Road) combined for 54 points in a 77-67 road win against Washington & Lee University on Saturday afternoon. The #19 Tigers improve to 19-2, 11-1 in the ODAC while the Generals drop to 10-11, 5-7 ODAC. Hampden-Sydney has now won eight games in a row and 17 of its last 18.
Washington & Lee, having already earned home wins over Virginia Wesleyan then-ranked Guilford, proved to be a formidable match for the Tigers. The Tigers got off to a strong start as Williamson scored H-SC's first eight points to go up 8-3 at 16:27. The Generals charged back with a 7-2 run, finished off by Patrick O'Connor's second three-pointer, tied the contest at 10-10 at the 14:25 mark.
With the game remained tied at 17-17, a jumper each from Cam Anderson (Charlottesville, VA / Blue Ridge) and George put the Tigers back up four, 21-17, with 10:10 left in the half. The Generals once again came back to knot the game at 22-22, but a 10-4 burst from Hampden-Sydney, capped off by a George three-pointer, gave H-SC a 32-26 advantage with 6:40 to go.
From then on, the H-SC offense went cold and started turning over the ball, going 1-8 from the floor with six turnovers, and W&L capitalized on it. An Andrew Franz jumper, a trifecta from Kevin Gill, and a layup from JD Ey gave the Generals a 35-34 lead with 1:36 remaining in the half. Ey made another layup and Javon McDonald made one of two free throws in the final 40 seconds to provide the 38-34 Generals lead at the half.
The start of the second half mirrored the first. Williamson scored the first eight points for the Tigers and two-point shots from George and Jim Etling put the Tigers back ahead 44-40 less than three minutes into the stanza. But a pair of free throws from McDonald and a traditional three-point play out of Drew Kimberly gave the Generals the edge, 45-44, just over a minute later, but Williamson made his fifth bucket of the half on the next Tiger possession to regain the lead for the guests.
The game was even keeled over the next ten minutes, with the lead never going higher than four for either team up until 5:52 left in the game with Hampden-Sydney ahead 63-61. From there on it was nearly all Tigers. Williamson and George scored the next six Tiger points and a McDonald three put the Generals in a five-point hole, 69-64, with 2:57 to go. Keegan Wetzel (Mebane, NC / Eastern Alamance), Greg Lewis (Mechanicsville, VA / Hanover), and Williamson then sealed the win at the free throw line, making six free throws down the stretch.
Williamson posted a career-high 30 points along with 12 rebounds and two blocks for the double-double. He made 13 of his 15 field goal attempts and went a perfect 4-4 from the foul line. George scored 24 points with eight rebounds, five assists, and one steal, converting 11 of his 18 shot attempts. Wetzel posted a game and career-high eight assists along with four boards.
McDonald paced Washington & Lee with 17 points, making 5-of-8 shots, 4-of-7 three pointers, and 3-of-4 free throws. Ey totaled 11 points, six caroms, three assists, and three thefts while Andrew Franz posted seven points, seven helpers, and four rebounds.
The Tigers shot 53.4% (31-58) for the game, 20% (3-15) from three, and 70.6% (12-17) at the free throw stripe. The Generals drained 49% (25-51) from the floor and 40% (10-25) from deep range but struggled at the charity stripe, going 52.8% (7-13). H-SC dominated on the rebounds, more than doubling W&L on the boards at 38-18. Hampden-Sydney also controlled the lane with a 48-20 advantage in points in the paint.
Hampden-Sydney travels to Randolph-Macon on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest.