W&L Men's Basketball Notes - Week 11

Generals’ Hoops Report
Games this week:
GaMe 20: W&L (13-6, 5-5) vs. No. 18 R-MC (16-4, 7-4) • Mon./7:00 pm
Game 21: W&L (13-6, 5-5) at Lynchburg (9-11, 4-7) • Wed./7:00 pm
Game 22: W&L (13-6, 5-5) at Bridgewater (8-10, 6-6) • Sat./3:00 pm

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The Head General
Adam Hutchinson (Amherst ‘93) is in his seventh season as the head coach at Washington and Lee.  Hutchinson has led W&L to a 68-104 (.395) record, including four-consecutive seasons with double-digit wins for the first time since 1987-1991. Hutchinson was honored as the 2008 ODAC Coach of the Year after leading the Generals to a 15-11 record. Last season, Hutchinson led W&L to a 16-13 mark and the Generals advanced to the title game of the ODAC Tournament for the first time since 1989. In his 11 seasons as a head coach, Hutchinson is 101-170 (.373) overall.

Century Mark
With the Generals’ 18-point victory over Randolph, head coach Adam Hutchinson notched the  100th victory in his career. He currently holds a career record of 101-170 and his record at W&L stands at 68-104, including 44-30 over the last three seasons. His 68 wins currently place him fourth all-time in wins at Washington and Lee. Verne Canfield, who coached at W&L for 31 years, heads the list with 460 wins all-time.

Last time out • W&L 77, Emory & Henry 58 • 2/3/10
Washington and Lee outscored Emory & Henry 24-6 over the first 9:29 of the second half, and held the Wasps to 30.9 percent shooting on the night in posting a 77-58 on Wednesday evening at the Warner Center. Following an evenly played first stanza that saw the Generals hold a 28-25 advantage at the break, W&L forced six E&H turnovers and limited the Wasps to 21.4 percent (3-14) shooting during the decisive run to open up a 21-point lead (52-31) with 10:31 to play. W&L, which entered the contest boasting the ODAC’s stingiest defense (61.6 ppg.), won for the third-straight game and allowed fewer than 60 points for the third-straight contest. The Generals also had four players reach double figures in scoring for the first time this season. Senior forwards Zac White and Ben Goetsch each scored 14 points, while first-year guard Jeremy Adkins added 11 markers and junior guard Jason Cimino chipped in 10 points. Goetsch also grabbed 10 rebounds to post his sixth double-double of the season. White added five boards, four blocks and two steals, while Adkins grabbed a career-high eight rebounds and senior forward Andrew Payne tallied nine points, eight rebounds and a career-high five assists. Emory & Henry was paced by senior guard J.D. Dyson, who tallied a game-high 19 points on 7-11 shooting, including 3-4 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Bobby Stafford scored 10 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and handed out five assists for E&H.

Scouting Randolph-Macon
W&L and R-MC are meeting for the 75th time with the Yellow Jackets holding a 60-14 advantage in the all-time series. However, W&L has won two of the last five meetings after not posting a win over Randolph-Macon since the 1976-77 season. The Yellow Jackets enter the week with an overall record of 16-4 and a 7-4 mark in league play. R-MC is also currently ranked No. 18 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. Most recently, the Yellow Jackets defeated Roanoke, 87-54, behind 20 points and seven rebounds from junior center Brandon Braxton. Randolph-Macon jumped out to a 15-4 lead early in the game and never let its lead fall below double-digits in winning for just the second time in its last six games. Sophomore guard Calvin Croskey added 16 points in the win and junior forward Danny Jones chipped in 14 points. On the season, the Yellow Jackets are led by Jones, who is averaging a team-high 13.1 points per game. Braxton is posting 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while junior forward Jordan Brown and junior guard Eric Pugh round out R-MC’s leading scorers with 11.7 and 10.3 points per game, respectively.

Last time against Randolph-Macon • W&L 65, R-MC 57 • 11/28/09
Washington and recorded its first win at Randolph-Macon since the 1958-59 season as the Generals knocked off the then-No. 9 Yellow Jackets, 65-57, at Crenshaw Gymnasium. The win was just second by W&L against Randolph-Macon since 1977 and was W&L’s first win over a ranked opponent this season. The Generals shot 66.7 percent (16-24) from the field in the first half and a three-pointer by senior forward Zac White with six seconds left in the first period gave W&L an 11-point lead (41-30) at the break. The Yellow Jackets held W&L to just one field goal and six points in the first 11:53 of the second half, going on a 17-6 run to tie the game at 47-47. The score was tied again at 49-49 with 6:43 left in the game, but the Generals went on a 7-0 run, keyed by a three-pointer and layup by senior forward Ben Goetsch, to assume a 56-49 lead with 5:30 to play. Randolph-Macon, which shot 1-of-23 (.043) from three-point range, would get no closer than six points the rest of the way as W&L recorded its first win over a Top 10 team since a 44-42 win over fifth-ranked Hampden-Sydney on Dec. 3, 1997. Goetsch led the Generals with 17 points and six rebounds, while first-year guard Jeremy Adkins tallied a career-high 14 points. White added 10 points, four rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Junior forward Jordan Brown paced R-MC with 17 points and seven boards, while junior forward Danny Jones contributed 14 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Calvin Croskey chipped in 11 points and hit the Yellow Jackets’ only three-pointer (1-6).

Scouting Lynchburg
The Generals and Hornets are meeting for the 107th time, with the Generals holding a commanding 75-31 lead in the all-time series. W&L has won eight straight in the series, including a 63-59 overtime decision in Lexington earlier this season. The last three meetings in the series have produced two overtime games and W&L’s average margin of victory has been just 3.7 points. Lynchburg enters the week with an overall record of  9-11 and a 4-7 mark in ODAC play. Most recently, LC fell, 85-67, to No. 16 Eastern Mennonite. The Royals shot 59.4 percent in the first half en route to a 47-30 lead at the break. LC out rebounded EMU, 41-33, but could not overcome 28 turnovers. Senior guard Steven Echols led the Hornets with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while sophomore forward Nate Campbell recorded 17 points and 13 rebounds. On the season, LC is led by Echols, who boasts one of the more impressive stat lines in the ODAC. He is averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.6 steals per game all while playing a league-high 33.7 minutes per game. His scoring average is good for second in the conference, while he leads the ODAC in both assists and steals. Campbell is chipping in 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per night, while senior forward K.C. Mendez checks in at 10.7 points per contest. As a team, Lynchburg boasts the third-highest scoring offense in the ODAC at 79.8 points per game, while they are third from the bottom in terms of scoring defense (79.4 oppg).

Last time against Lynchburg • W&L 63,  Lynchburg 59 (OT) • 1/13/10
Washington and Lee recovered from a 16-point second-half deficit to record a 63-59 overtime victory over Lynchburg College at the Warner Center. The Generals committed 16 turnovers in the first half and trailed 27-22 at the break. The Hornets opened the second stanza with a 13-2 run to assume a 40-24 lead with 16:44 remaining. However a quick 10-0 W&L burst, including back-to-back three-pointers by senior Andrew Payne and first-year guard Jeremy Adkins, cut the LC lead to six points (40-34) with 13:23 left in regulation. W&L chipped away at the Hornets’ advantage and took a 44-43 lead at the 8:50 mark on a jumper by first-year forward J.D. Ey, but LC grabbed the lead back on a layup by senior forward Jeff Langrock moments later and stretched the lead to five points (53-48) on a layup by senior guard Steven Echols with 3:34 remaining. Junior guard Jason Cimino pulled the Generals to within 53-51 when he hit 1-of-2 free throws following a technical foul on the Lynchburg bench with 1:52 left and senior forward Zac White pulled W&L even at 53-53 on a jumper with 1:34 remaining. Each team missed a pair of shots in the final minute and the teams headed to overtime. In the extra session, W&L shot 4-of-6 from the floor spearheaded by senior forward Ben Goetsch, who had eight of the Generals’ 10 points in overtime. A Goetsch layup with 33 seconds left broke a 59-59 tie and Cimino drilled a pair of free throws with 11.5 seconds left to ice the game. W&L committed 29 turnovers and shot just 5-of-14 from the foul line in the contest. However, the Generals held a 47-36 advantage on the boards and shot 45.6 percent (26-57) from the floor in posting their eighth-straight win over the Hornets. Goetsch led W&L with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Cimino posted eight points and five assists, while White notched seven points and seven rebounds. Echols paced LC with 18 points, eight rebounds, seven steals and three assists. Senior forward K.C. Mendez chipped in 14 points and five boards.

Scouting Bridgewater
BC and W&L are meeting for the 118th time and the Generals hold a 72-45 advantage in the all-time series. The Eagles hung on for a 68-64 victory on the Generals’ home court earlier this season and BC has won three of the last four meetings in the series. Bridgewater enters the week with an 8-10 overall record and a 6-6 mark in the ODAC. In their most recent game, the Eagles recovered from a five-point halftime deficit to defeat Randolph College, 61-57, in Lynchburg, Va. Senior guard Dominic Trawick posted a game-high 24 points while adding four steals. Junior forward Segar Jordan added 13 points and senior forward Jake Johnson added 10 markers. On the season, Trawick boasts the league’s highest scoring average at 22.0 points per game, while also adding 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.9 assists per outing. Johnson is averaging 11.9 points per game and Jordan is chipping in 7.9 points and 5.4 rebounds on a nightly basis. For the year, the Eagles rank eighth in the conference in points allowed per game (73.6), while also sporting negative rebounding (-5.2), scoring (-0.3) and turnover (-0.6) margins.

Last time against Bridgewater • BC 68, W&L 64 • 12/2/09
Washington and Lee mounted a late second-half rally, but ultimately fell to Bridgewater, 68-64, at the Warner Center. Trailing 55-32 with 9:28 remaining in the game, W&L outscored Bridgewater, 30-6, over the next 8:20 to assume a 62-61 lead with 1:08 to play. It was W&L’s first lead since 7-3 at 15:38 of the first half. The lead was short-lived, however, as senior guard Dominic Trawick hit a lay up following an offensive rebound on the ensuing possession to give BC a 63-62 lead with 41 seconds to play. From there, the Eagles would hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to secure the four-point win. Holding a slim 7-3 led at the 15:38 mark of the first half, the Generals were outscored 20-6 as Bridgewater grabbed a 23-13 lead with 5:10 left in the opening half. BC would extend its first-half lead to as many as 18 points (34-16) in taking a 34-19 lead into the break. W&L shot just 23.8 percent (5-21) in the first half and turned the ball over 15 times in falling behind. Conversely, Bridgewater shot 60.9 percent (14-23) in the opening stanza, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. In making its late rally, W&L forced the Eagles into 20 second-half turnovers and shot 6-for-14 from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes. Senior forward Ben Goetsch paced the Generals with a game-high 27 points and 12 rebounds. First-year forward Doug Poetzsch scored a career-high 11 points. Senior forward Zac White added nine points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Jason Cimino chipped in five points, five assists and a career-high six steals. The Eagles were led by Trawick’s 16 points and six boards. Senior forward Jake Johnson chipped in 11 points and five rebounds and senior guard D.J. Billups added 10 points and a team-high three steals.

STRONG START = STRONG FINISH
W&L is 42-7 (.857) in its last 49 games when leading at the break and has compiled a 76-29 (.724) record over the past 11 years when it leads at the break. W&L has won a total of 99 games during that stretch, meaning that the Generals have led at halftime in over 75 percent of their wins during the last 11 years.

Hit on 20
Entering this season, senior forward Ben Goetsch had never recorded a 20-point game, with 19 being his career high. However, Goetsch has already posted games of 29 points, 27 points, 23 points, 21 points (on two occasions) and 20 points this season and W&L has already had an individual reach at least 20 points on nine different occasions, eclipsing the six 20-point games from a season ago. However, Goetsch is in the midst of his longest sub-20-point scoring streak, having not reached 20 points since Jan. 13, when he notched 21 points in an overtime win over Lynchburg -- a span of six games.

Four score
Junior guard Jason Cimino, who is averaging 3.8 assists per contest, has recorded four or more helpers on 11 occasions this season and has already racked up 72 assists, far surpassing the 34 dimes he dropped as a sophomore. When Cimino passes out at least four helpers, the Generals have posted a record of 8-3.

Outrebounded
In the Generals’ eight-point win over then-No. 9 Randolph-Macon two weeks ago, W&L was outrebounded 39-29, yet managed to pull off the upset. Over the last two seasons, W&L has been outrebounded by at least 10 boards on seven occasions. Whats interesting is that over the last two seasons, the Generals have posted three wins over ranked teams, and, in each of the those victories, W&L lost the rebounding battle by at least 10 boards. Last season, W&L defeated then-No. 18 Roanoke, 68-66, despite the Maroons holding a 34-23 advantage on the boards. In the quarterfinal round of the ODAC Tournament, then-No. 19 Guilford outrebounded the Generals, 52-38, but W&L pulled out an 82-76 double-overtime win.

Forcing the issue
If Washington and Lee can’t win the rebounding battle when it defeats a Top 25 team, it has made up for that in amping up the defensive intensity and forcing its opponents into more miscues than it commits. W&L has averaged 12.0 turnovers in its last three wins over ranked teams, while the Generals have forced their opponent into an average of 18.7 giveaways per game. Last week, the Generals committed 12 turnovers and forced then-No. 9 Randolph-Macon into 17.

Defensive Prowess
The Generals are currently allowing a league-low 61.4 points per game, a total that also ranks 22nd in NCAA Division III. William Patterson leads Div. III with 53.4 points allowed per game. Additionally, W&L tops the ODAC and ranks 42nd in Div. III in three-point field goal defense. Opponents are connecting on just 29.4 percent (93-316) of their attempts from long range this season. W&L’s defense will be tested this week as they are set to take on the ODAC’s two leading scorers in senior guards Dominc Trawick from Bridgewater (22.0 ppg) and Steven Echols from Lynchburg (20.1 ppg). Also of note, the last time that W&L faced Randolph-Macon, the Generals held the Yellow Jackets to just 0.04 percent shooting (1-23) from beyond the arc.

Stat stuffer
Senior forward Zac White is perhaps the most versatile player on the Generals’ roster and the numbers back that up. White, who is second on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg), is also the only General to average at least one block, one assist and one steal per game. White currently leads the team in blocks (36) and steals (26), and is third in assists (19).

Four or more score
In the Generals’ win over E&H on Wednesday, W&L had four different players reach double-figures in scoring  for the first time this season. Last season, W&L had four players record 10+ points on five different occasions , posting a 5-0 record in those contests. Prior to Wednseday’s game, that last time that four different Generals registered 10 or more points was in a 77-67 win over Bridgewater in the semifinal round of the ODAC Tournament on Feb. 28, 2009.

Brick layers
Many of the W&L men’s basketball players may want to condsider a second career as a mason, as the Generals have proven quite adept at brick laying this winter. Currently, the Generals rank dead last in the ODAC in field goal percentage (.411), three-point percentage (.279), next to last in free-throw percentage (.647), and, as a result of that inability to put the ball in the basket, the Generals are the lowest scoring team in the league at 64.4 points per game.

Tinkering
Coach Hutchinson has been experimenting with his starting lineup over the past several games in an attempt to inject some energy into the league’s most anemic offense (64.4 ppg). Over the team’s first 12 games of the season, the Generals featured just two different starting lineups. However, Hutchinson has trotted out a different starting five in three of the last six games. On the season, W&L has featured five different starting lineups and nine different players have started in at least one contest. Only senior forward Ben Goetsch has been in the starting five in every game. Additionally, Hutchinson as started four different first-years and has had at least two first-years in the starting lineup in each of the last five games.

Add ‘em up
On the year, first-year guard Jeremy Adkins is averaging a modest 4.9 points per game on 43.7 percent (31-71) shooting from the floor. However, since entering the starting lineup against Randolph-Macon on Jan. 27, he has averaged 10.7 points on 50.0 percent (14-28) shooting, including a career-high 14 points against the then-No. 9 Yellow Jackets. He has also averaged 4.0 rebounds, while playing an average of 25.3 minutes per game.

Butter fingers
Following a six-game stretch in which the Generals averaged 20.8 turnovers per game and posted a 2-4 record, W&L has averaged just 10.7 turnovers over its last three games - all wins - while forcing 17 miscues by its opponent in each of the last three contests. On the season, the Generals are fourth in the ODAC in turnover margin (+ 1.42).

Dog days of winter
Over the past three full seasons, the Generals have notched an overall record of 42-38 (.525) , but just a 9-19 (.321) mark in the month of February. Last season, the Generals entered the month of February with a 12-6 record and posted a 4-6 mark, including three wins in the ODAC Tournament, en route to finishing 16-13. Two seasons ago, W&L’s ledger stood at 11-5 entering February and it finished 15-11. W&L will look to buck the trend of the February swoon as they once again entered the final full month of the season with record of 12-6.