LEXINGTON, Va. – Host Washington and Lee University held off a herculean effort by Guilford College's Josh Pittman (Archdale, N.C./Trinity) to take a 71-67 Old Dominion Athletic Conference basketball decision Wednesday night.
Pittman scored 15 of his game- and career-high 34 points in the final six minutes to rally the Quakers (5-3, 1-1 ODAC) back from a 14-point deficit. His seventh and final three-pointer of the game capped a 17-3 Quakers' run and tied the score at 62-62 with 2:11 to play. Pittman scored 15 points during the four-minute burst on three three-pointer s and six free throws.
The comeback stalled, however, as the Generals (6-2, 2-1 ODAC) answered with seven straight points. A John Rice putback with 1:43 left broke the tie and gave Washington and Lee the lead for good. He rebounded a Tobi Akinsola miss at the other end and Jeremy Adkins buried a three-pointer on the ensuing possession for an insurmountable Generals' lead. After a Pittman miss, two Kyle Bond free throws opened a 69-62 margin with 37 seconds remaining.
Adkins paced the Generals with 17 points, 13 in the second half. Rice finished with 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench to lead a strong effort by the Washington and Lee reserves. The Generals' bench outscored their Guilford counterparts, 35-13. J.D. Ey added nine points and nine rebounds.
Pittman made seven-of-14 three-pointers and all nine free throws in the first 30-point game of his college career. He was the lone Quaker in double-figure scoring, however, as the Generals held Guilford to 32.8 percent field-goal shooting. T.C. Anderson had eight points and five steals for the Quakers. Akinsola scored just two points on a one-for-eight shooting night, but grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Quakers visit league-rival Randolph-Macon College Saturday (12/11) afternoon. The Yellow Jackets are ranked 12th in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
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