LEXINGTON, Va. – Senior John Loughlin and sophomore Bryce Breeden combined for 45 points to lead the way for the Washington and Lee men's basketball team in a 94-39 win over Mount Saint Mary (N.Y.) to open the W&L Holiday Tournament.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Generals (8-1) got off to just about a perfect start to the game, as they raced out to a 19-1 lead through eight minutes of play. Breeden had the early hot hand with 13 points, while Loughlin had the other six.
• After Rob Geremino got the first two MSMC field goals to drop at the 10:10 and 9:26 marks, the Generals went on a 16-2 run to balloon their lead to 35-7 with just under four minutes before the half. Loughlin hit two more triples during the run, plus another seven points from Breeden.
• W&L held a 41-12 lead at the half, with Breeden (22) and Loughlin (12) combining for 34 of the Blue and White's first-half output. The duo also combined to score W&L's first 32 points of the game.
• In a second half in which the Generals continued to overwhelm the Knights, they put together another run of 36-5 in the middle of the half. That left the Generals ahead 80-22, with 5:55 to play.

TOP PERFORMERS:

• Breeden set a new career high with 24 points on the day, making 10-of-14 field goals and 4-of-8 from outside. Loughlin matched his career high of 21 points, as he went a sizzling 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.
• Senior A.J. Thomas and sophomore Connor Amorosi tied for the team high with six rebounds, while senior Colin Ryan dished out eight assists. Junior Dakota Gordon, who was the third-highest scoring General at six points (2-3 3pt FG), tallied five assists in nine minutes off the bench.
• Geremino and Brody Schuh led the Knights' offense with six points each. Connor Gemmill and Liam Lynch both secured five rebounds.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The 39 points allowed by the Generals on Monday was the fewest they have allowed in a game since Jan. 18, 1998, when they held Randolph-Macon to the same total.
• W&L made 18 threes against the Knights, their most in a game since setting the program record of 22 on November 21, 2021.
• The Generals also combined for 30 assists in the game, which is the most since recording 30 in a 98-81 win over Emory & Henry on February 13, 2008. They also had another 30 assists in a 115-106 win at E&H three weeks prior.

TEAM STATS:

• The Generals made 52.2 percent (35-67) of their field goals, including 46.2 percent (18-39) of their three-point attempts. They also connected on 57.6 percent (19-33) from the floor in the second half and 55.6 percent (10-18) from outside in the final 20 minutes.
• The Knights were limited to 26.4 percent (14-53) shooting overall, with a mark of 16.7 percent (5-30) in the first half.
• W&L held a 45-32 advantage in total rebounds, with a 13-12 edge in offensive rebounds leading to an 18-8 scoring margin in second-chance points.
• The Generals held additional scoring advantages in points off turnovers (25-8), bench points (58-28), points in the paint (32-18) and fastbreak points (14-0).

UP NEXT:
The Generals will match up against Kenyon in Tuesday's Holiday Tournament championship game at 4:00 p.m. The Owls defeated Marywood, 93-67, in Monday's second game.