W&L Men's Hoops Game Notes - Week 10
Game 19: 2/2/11 - W&L
(12-6, 5-5) at Randolph (13-5, 7-3); Lynchburg, Va., 7:00
pm
Game 20: 2/5/11 - W&L (12-6, 5-5) at No. 9
Randolph-Macon (17-3, 10-2); Ashland, Va., 2:00 pm
PDF version of notes here.
The Head General
Adam Hutchinson (Amherst, '93) is in his eighth season as the head
coach at Washington and Lee. He has led W&L to an 84-114 (.424)
record, including four-straight winning campaigns - the first time
in over 20 years that W&L has accomplished such a feat. He has
increased his win total from one year to the next each of the past
five seasons. The 2008 ODAC Coach of the Year, Hutchinson led his
2009 team to the ODAC Championship game for the first time since
1989. Hutchinson is currently the fourth-winningest coach in
W&L history and if he were to match last season's 17-win total,
he would move into a tie with Cy Young (89-61) for second all-time
in wins at W&L. In his 12 seasons of coaching, Hutchinson has
an overall record of 117-180 (.394).
Last time out • No. 7 Virginia Wesleyan
89, W&L 78 (1/29/11)
Seventh-ranked Virginia Wesleyan used a late 12-4 scoring run to
edge Washington and Lee, 89-78, on Saturday afternoon at the Warner
Center. Trailing 59-57 with 10:03 to play, W&L junior guard Jon Guest hit the front
end of a one-and-one, but failed to pull the Generals even,
misfiring on the second attempt. Following the miss, VWC (18-1,
9-1) scored 12 of the game's next 16 points to grab a 71-62 lead on
a three pointer from sophomore guard Tre' Ford with 5:54 left to
play. W&L inched back to within four points (78-74) following a
triple from sophomore forward Jeremy Adkins with 2:28
showing on the clock, but VWC first-year guard DJ Woodmore answered
with a three of his own to push the Marlin advantage back to seven
points (81-74) by the 2:10 mark. Ford then ended the contest
hitting on 6-of-6 from the free-throw line and a late steal and
layup by sophomore forward Chris Teasley sealed the contest. In the
first half, W&L held a slim 21-20 lead with 8:14 left play in
the opening 20 minutes following a layup from first-year guard Kevin Gill. However, a
jumper from junior forward Donald Vaughn sparked a 17-6 Marlins'
run over the next 4:45 as VWC assumed a 10-point lead (37-27)
with 3:29 remaining in the first stanza. Junior forward Jason Burns
scored seven points during the run. The Generals then used a modest
8-3 burst, including a dunk by sophomore forward J.D. Ey following a missed layup, to close to within
five points (40-35) at the break. For the game, Virginia Wesleyan
hit on 45.8 percent of its attempts from the field (27-59)
including 9-of-16 (.563) from beyond the arc. The Marlins also hit
on 26-of-32 (.813) attempts from the charity stripe. W&L shot
48.2 percent (27-56) from the field and held a 37-31 advantage on
the glass, but the Generals turned the ball over 16 times to just
eight miscues for the Marlins. Adkins led W&L with 15 points
and he tied a season-high with six rebounds. First-year forward Jonathan Rice and Gill
each tallied 11 points and Ey notched nine points and a game-high
10 rebounds.
Last Time against Randolph College •
Randolph 68, W&L 66 (12/4/10)
Randolph College sophomore guard Colton Hunt's jump shot from the
right corner with under five seconds remaining propelled the
WildCats to a 68-66 win over Washington and Lee at the Warner
Center. Following a Hunt layup, W&L found itself trailing
by four points, 64-60, with 2:06 to play. On the ensuing
possession, senior guard Jason Cimino answered with a
three-pointer to pull the Generals within one point (64-63) with
1:47 left and the Generals briefly pulled ahead (65-64) following a
WildCat turnover and a jump shot from sophomore forward Jeremy
Adkins at the 1:28 mark. With fifty-four seconds left to play,
Randolph junior guard Malcolm Nelson gave the lead back to the
WildCats, 66-65, on a jumper of his own. Cimino then drew a foul on
Randolph senior guard Caleb Pearson and split a pair of free throws
with 40 seconds showing on the clock, tying the game at 66-66 to
set up the game's dramatic final seconds. Hunt's jumper came
following a Randolph timeout with eight seconds remaining in the
game and four tics left on the shot clock. Hunt caught the ball in
the corner, put it on the floor once and let loose the game-winner
with the shot and game clocks winding down. Cimino missed a
desperation three pointer as time expired. The Generals led by as
many as 11 points midway through the first half (20-9), but the
WildCats limited W&L to just 2-of-13 shooting from the floor in
outscoring the Generals, 20-8, over an 8:21 stretch to assume a
29-28 lead with 1:55 to play in the opening period. However,
W&L received back-to-back layups from sophomore center Taylor Gilfillan to take
a 32-29 lead into the break. The second half featured 11 lead
changes and five ties, all in the final 11:28, as neither team led
by more than six points. The first tie came after W&L had taken
a 42-36 lead with 15:31 to play. Randolph then scored the game's
next six points to knot the game at 42-42 with 11:28 to play and
the Generals and WildCats went back and forth the rest of the way
to set up Hunt's heroics. As a team, W&L shot 44.1 percent from
the floor (26-59) and outrebounded the WildCats, 38-28, including
14-7 on the offensive glass. Randolph shot 46.2 percent from the
floor (24-52) and connected on 14-of-20 free-throw attempts,
compared to just 9-of-14 for W&L. Junior guard Jon Guest led
the Generals with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Adkins finished
with 11 points, first-year forward Jonathan Rice added nine points
and six boards and Gilfillan chipped in eight points, six boards
and three blocks. Sophomore forward J.D. Ey grabbed a game-high 11
rebounds, which tied a career-high. Pearson led four WildCats in
double figures with 15 points, while grabbing four boards. Hunt
added 14 points and five rebounds, first-year guard Mike Ehilegbu
chipped in 13 markers and sophomore forward Dylan Shiflett totaled
11 points.
Scouting Randolph
Randolph College enters the week with an overall record of 13-5
and a 7-3 mark in conference play. The WildCats recenlty saw a
four-game winning streak snapped with a 71-61 loss at
Hampden-Sydney. In that contest, sophomore guard Colton Hunt hit a
pair of free throws with 1:32 to play to pull Randolph to within
three points (62-59), but H-SC's Patrick Corrigan hit a
three-pointer with 1:03 to play and the Tigers hit on 6-of-6
charity tosses down the stretch to earn the win. Hunt led the
Wildcats with 19 points and six boards. Junior forward Derrick
Woods-Morrow added 10 points and four rebounds. On the season, Hunt
leads the way with 16.4 points per game, good for fifth in the
ODAC. He also leads the team with 2.3 assists and 2.7 steals per
game. Senior guard Pete Hamilton is averaging 9.1 points per game
and Woods-Morrow is adding 8.4 points per game and his 8.1 rebounds
per game are the third-best in the league. As a team, the WildCats
feature the league's second-stingiest defense, allowing just 58.9
points on average as teams shoot just 39.3 percent (393-1,001) from
the field against them. However, Randolph is the worst rebounding
team in the league, grabbing a league-low 33.7 rebounds on average,
as well as a league-low 7.7 offensive rebounds on average.
Last Time Against Randolph-Macon • R-MC
56, W&L 53 (2/8/10)
Washington and Lee rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit, but
never pulled even in falling, 56-53, to No. 18 Randolph-Macon at
the Warner Center. R-MC shot a blistering 60.9 percent (14-23),
including 50.0 percent (6-12) from beyond the arc, in the first
half and limited the Generals to just 32.3 percent (10-31) shooting
in the opening stanza as the Yellow Jackets took a 38-24 lead into
the break. Randolph-Macon led by 15 points (46-31) with 14:50
remaining before W&L began a 20-4 run to pull within one point
at 51-50 on a jumper by forward J.D. Ey with 4:35 to play. R-MC
extended its lead back to four points (54-50) on a three pointer
from guard Adam Desgain on the ensuing possession. W&L senior
forward Ben Goetsch then split a pair of free throws make the score
54-51 in favor of the Yellow Jackets with 2:50 left. Randolph-Macon
and the Generals traded turnovers and missed shots for the next two
minutes until W&L senior forward Zac White connected on a short
jumper and drew a foul from R-MC forward Kevin Voekel to draw
within one point (54-53) with 24 seconds to play. However, White
was unable to connect on the tying free throw and after the Yellow
Jackets connected on 2-of-3 free throws, forward Jeremy Adkins'
40-footer as time expired was just long. W&L limited the Yellow
Jackets to just 18 second-half points on 31.8 percent (7-22)
shooting. The Generals also won the rebounding battle (35-32), but
shot just 33.9 percent (21-62) for the game, while R-MC shot 46.7
percent (21-45). Adkins notched a game-high 15 points, while adding
five rebounds. Goetsch added 13 points and five boards, while White
chipped in 11 points and six rebounds. Guard Calvin Croskey led
Randolph-Macon with 12 points, while center Brandon Braxton added
11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Scouting Randolph-Macon
The Yellow Jackets enter the week as the ninth-ranked team in the
latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. R-MC is 17-3 overall and 10-2 in
the ODAC. Most recently, the Yellow Jackets saw a 13-game winning
streak halted with a 62-61 loss at Guilford. The Quakers' Josh
Pittman exploded for 30 points and Gabriel Lowder's jumper with 15
seconds remaining proved to be the game-winner after R-MC senior
forward Danny Jones had given the Yellow Jackets a 62-61 lead with
a pair of free throws and 44 seconds left to to play. Junior guard
Adam Desgain had a potential game-winning three hang on the rim
before falling out. On the season, Jones leads three Yellow Jackets
scoring at least 10.0 points per game with a team-high 14.3 markers
per contest. Senior center Brandon Braxton is averaging 12.3 points
and a team-high 5.0 rebounds, while senior guard Eric Pugh checks
in a 10.9 points and 3.3 assists on average. R-MC is the toughest
team to score against in the country, posting a Div. III-best 54.8
points allowed on average. The Yellow Jackets also boast the best
shooting percentage in the league (.486, 500-1029), the best
field-goal percentage defense (.383, 401-1048) and the best
three-point percentage (.410, 162-395). Jones leads the ODAC in
individual field-goal percentage at 63.3 percent (95-150) and
Desgain and Croskey rank 1-2 in three-point percentage at 45.3
(39-86) and 44.4 percent (40-90), respectively.
STRONG START = STRONG FINISH
Proving that getting off to a strong start is vital, Washington
and Lee has recorded a 55-10 (.846) record in its last 65 games
when it leads at intermission and has compiled an 89-33 record
(.730) over the last 11 years when leading at the break. Holding
true to that notion, W&L has already posted an 10-2 record this
season when leading at the break.
Giant Killers
From 1998-2008, Washington and Lee had not defeated a ranked
opponent in basketball. However, two years ago W&L knocked off
a pair of them (No. 18 Roanoke, 68-66; No. 17 Guilford, 82-76) and
last season, the Generals defeated another ranked foe, downing No.
9 Randolph-Macon, 65-57. Thus far in the 2010-11 season, the
Generals are 1-2 against ranked foes following their 93-92 win over
then -No. 10 Eastern Mennonite and a pair of losses to Virginia
Wesleyan. As the rankings currently stand, W&L will have at
least two more opportunities to defeat a ranked foe as the Generals
face No. 9 Ranolph-Macon and No. 18 Eastern Mennonite.
70 or Bust
W&L is averaging 72.7 points per game this season, good for
sixth in the ODAC. The 72.7 points per game is up from the
Generals' 67.1 average a year ago. W&L has already reached the
70-point plateau on 11 occasions (posting a 10-1 record in those
games) after scoring 70 points or more just 10 times (record of
8-2) all of last season.
Distribution Network
Last season, senior guard Jason CImino posted career-bests in
assists (96), assists per game (3.6) and assist/turnover ratio
(1.8). This season, Cimino has continuted his efficient running of
the offense nearly matching his assists pace from a season ago (3.2
apg.) while his assist/turnover ratio is currently 1.8 and the
second-best mark in the league. He recently set a new career-high
with 10 assists and he has notched at least four helpers four times
this season. For his career, Cimino has handed out four assists in
a game 26 times and W&L is 23-3 all-time when he does. For his
career, Cimino has 240 assists and is just 19 helpers away from
taking over fifth place all-time at W&L.
Balancing Act
The Generals' balance has been a catalyst to their success thus
far in 2010-11. W&L has already had nine different players
record at least 10 points in a game a total of 51 times. Last
season, W&L only had eight players record at least 10 points in
a single game and a General notched double-digits a total of 61
times - 37 of them coming from either Ben Goetsch or Zac White.
Sophomore forward forward Jeremy Adkins and junior guard Jon Guest
have each notched 11 double-digit scoring games and five different
players have done so at least five times already. All of last
season, W&L only had four different players record at least 10
points on five or more different occasions.
Friendly Confines
Playing Randolph-Macon should bring out the best in sophomore
forward Jeremy Adkins. Adkins made his first career start against
the Yellow Jackets in Ashland last season. He exploded for a
then-career-high 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Less than two weeks
later, Adkins set what was then a new career-high in points when he
dropped 15 against R-MC in Lexington. In his two career games
against the Yellow Jackets, Adkins is averaging 14.5 points on
12-for-24 shooting, including 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. He has
also grabbed 3.5 rebounds on average.
Friendly Confines II
If Adkins is looking forward to a return trip to Ashland, then
senior guard Jason Cimino should be relishing a return trip to
Randolph College. In his only other trip to Randolph, Cimino
notched 11 points, a then-career-high seven assists and five
rebounds in 64-46 W&L victory.
A 10 Spot
Junior guard Jon Guest is currently third on the team in scoring
with an average of 9.1 points per game. He has recorded at least 10
points on 11 occasions this year after scoring in double figures
just four times over his first two seasons. Additionally, he has
scored at least 10 points in six of W&L's last seven games,
including a career-high 16 in the Generals' 80-73 win over
Lynchburg. Over the span, he has seen his scoring average rise from
7.2 ppg to his current mark of 9.1 ppg.
Dog Days of Winter
While the "dog days" often refer to the summer months, the winter
months seem to have an effect on the Generals. Over the past five
seasons (including this year), W&L has posted an overall record
of 71-55 (.568). However, between the second week of January and
the second week of February leading up to the ODAC Tournament, the
Generals are just 25-24 (.510) over the past five years. Taking out
the month-long slump which seems to hit every year, W&L has a
record of 46-30 (.605).
Rarified Air
Senior guard Jason Cimino has nearly assured himself of something
that no other W&L player has accomplished since 1990. With one
more regular-season win, W&L will guarantee itself a winning
season for the fourth year in a row, making Cimino the first
W&L player to play on a team with a winning record all four
years since the 1990 senior class.
1990 Seniors
Jason Cimino
15-10
15-11
16-10
16-13
20-7
17-10
15-12
12-6 (thus far)
66-39 (.629) 60-40 (.600)
Picking up the Pace
J.D. Ey currently leads the Generals, and ranks among the league
leaders, with 7.2 reounds per game. Through the season's first
eight games, the sophomore forward was averaging 8.9 rebounds, but
over the next seven games he grabbed at least seven boards in a
game just once. Ey seems to have regained his touch around the
glass, having snared at least seven boards in each of the last
three games, including 10 in the Generals' 89-78 loss to No. 7
Virginia Wesleyan.
Whitaker on the Glass
The 14 rebounds snared by first-year forward Larry Whitaker in the
Generals' 80-73 win over Lynchburg marked the most boards grabbed
by a General in a single game since Femi Kusimo '08 grabbed 15 in a
64-60 loss at Guilford on Feb. 6, 2008. Whitaker, who is currently
11th in the ODAC in rebounding (5.3 rpg), has averaged 6.5 rebounds
per game over his last 10 games after posting 3.8 boards per game
over the season's first eight games.
--GENERALS--
