The University of Mary Washington men's basketball team dropped a 77-72 decision at Lynchburg College on Wednesday evening in nonconference action. The Eagles slip to 1-1 on the season.
The Hornets jumped ahead, scoring the first nine points of the game before leading, 15-2, with 16:04 remaining in the first half. The Eagles answered with an 11-0 run, including five points from junior T.J. Jones, to cut the deficit to 15-13 with 13:51 left, and a jumper from Jones with 11:01 left gave UMW its first lead, at 18-17.
UMW held the lead for the next five minutes, until a layup gave the Hornets a 28-26 advantage with 4:59 left. Lynchburg led by as many as nine points before a Haden Thompson three pointer with three seconds left tied the score to cap a 9-0 run to close the half.
In the second half, the Eagles quickly grew a five-point lead at 42-37 on a Jacob Williams three pointer, but the Hornets wouldn't allow the Eagles to pull away, continually reeling in a one- or two-possesion lead with big shots.
The Eagles led throughout the half, until the Hornets tied the score with 4:51 to go. A three-point play from Alex Graves gave the Hornets a three-point lead, but a three pointer from John Lutkenhaus gave the Eagles the advantage at 72-71 with 2:58 left.
After Lynchburg scored a layup with 2:21 to play, the Hornets made four free throws while keeping the Eagles scoreless to pick up the five-point win.
Mary Washington shot 34.2% from the floor (26-76), making 8-29 three point tries and 12-19 free throws. Lynchburg shot 38% (27-71), with 6-17 shooting on three pointers and 17-27 on free throws. The Hornets led in rebounds, 54-45, and the Eagles committed nine turnovers to 14 for LC.
The Eagles were led by Jones and guard Mark Madison, who each had 16 points, while Haden Thompson added 12. John Lutkenhaus had 10 rebounds to lead the Eagles, while Brent Mahoney and Asa Scott each had eight.
Lynchburg was led by Adam Graves' game-high 25 points. The Eagles will return to action on Saturday when they host Shenandoah University at 7:00 p.m. as part of the South Region Shootout and the Hyatt Place Tipoff Tournament weekend.