HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va.– Arkese Claiborne and Olise Onyeka each posted career-best totals and Eastern University Men's Basketball led for the final 32 minutes on the way to an 88-73 win over the Washington & Lee Generals in the opening game of the Charlie Cobb Classic hosted by Hampden-Sydney College. Claiborne scored 19 of his game-high 33 points in the first half, and Onyeka finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four blocks and a steal.

The Eagles (7-3) closed out the first half and grabbed control of theme with a 32-16 run over the final twelve minutes of the frame. Drew Rogers hit a pair of 3-pointers in the burst, and DaRon Sherman also had six. Eastern made 10-of-15 shots from the floor and and 8-of-9 from the foul line to go to the locker room up 48-34.

With Claiborne scoring at will early, the Generals (1-6) kept things close early with four made 3-pointers. As time passed, the Eagles found faster closeouts, and the Virginia side struggled to see long rang shots fall late. The Generals made only 2-of-12 from deep over the final twelve minutes. With the Eastern defense well-established inside, W & L made only 8-of-22 shots inside the arc in the half, and they did not attempt a free throw.

The Eagles shot 17-of-28 from the floor in the first half and held a 24-17 edge on the glass. Claiborne made eight-of-nine from the floor. With Claiborne making three from deep, the Eagles went 6-of-12 from behind the arc.

The Eastern lead grew to 18 early in the second half, but the Generals responded with a seven-point run, and the Eastern lead hovered around fifteen points the rest of the way. Onyeka made all five of his second-half free throws and three-of-four shots from the floor to help the Eagles hold onto the lead. Claiborne scored 14 after the break to hit the 30-point mark for just the second time in his career. He hit for 32 at York College when he was playing for Messiah. He added eight rebounds, three assists, and a couple steals to fill out his scoreline.

Onyeka and Claiborne took advantage of some extra space on the floor that came when the Generals collapsed with numbers around Zubair Lee inside. Lee finished the game with 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Eagles made 14-of-29 from the floor after the break, but had just one long-range effort go down. The Generals went 17-of-41 (41.5%) from the floor but took only four free throws in the game.

"This is a good win," Head Coach Dan Pruessner said after the game. "They are better than their record, but we were able to knock down some shots and keep them on the perimeter. Olise had a really efficient night on offense, and he and Zu were able to protect the rim without giving up foul shots."

Rogers finished with eight points and Connor Fleet had seven to pace the Eastern bench. John Laughlin led five Generals in double-figures with 16 points.

The Eagles will face the seventh-ranked Tigers at about four tomorrow afternoon. Before the game the hosts will raise a banner to commemorate their appearance in the 2024 National Championship game.