By Evan Gates | Guest Writer
Despite suffering its worst free throw percentage since the 2008-2009 season, the University of Lynchburg men’s basketball team finished the season with 14 wins and advanced to the conference semifinals of this year’s Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship.
As evidenced by the team’s four wins in 2008, free throws are a crucial element of success, offering multiple unobstructed shots following illegal contact.
Lynchburg made 344 of its 557 free throws during the 2024-2025 season; the team’s 61.8 free throw percentage was the worst in the ODAC, despite the Hornets taking the fourth-most attempts of any team in the conference.
The team’s free throw attempts and makes skyrocketed as conference play arrived later in the season. These improvements coincided with closer scorelines, as tight matchups often require last-minute fouls to prevent the clock from dwindling to zero.
Completing his 17th season, head coach Hilliary Scott noticed a correlation between the team’s presence close to the basket and free throw attempts.
“One of the things we stress is getting paint touches,” Scott said. “The byproduct of paint touches is getting to the line, shooting higher percentages around the basket, or opening up for threes.”
With the team utilizing two forwards in the paint, the Hornets excelled in getting to the free-throw line. The number of misses, however, could be a product of several other obstacles.
“We’ve had some injuries this year,” said Scott. “Jayson [Easton] would add something, Mason [Makovec] would’ve gotten to the line as well. Piercen [Young] had stretches where he was hurt this year.”
Easton led the team this year, shooting 78 percent from the free-throw line before suffering an injury in early December. For those who underperformed, as junior guard Piercen Young stated, it remains crucial to continue attacking.
“Even if you’re struggling, your numbers aren’t going to get better unless you shoot more of them,” Young said. “Getting there is better than thinking, ‘Oh, I can’t bring down my percentage.’”
Even with subpar shooting performances, the team experienced heightened success when starters made more free throws than average, as shown below.
Lynchburg only outperformed its opponents from the line in 3 of its 13 losses. An even more drastic difference, however, lies in the team’s percentage on the road during conference play.
The Hornets shot just 57 percent on the road during ODAC play, compared to 67 percent in their home games. Their best free throw shooting performance came against ODAC rivals Hampden-Sydney College, where they shot over 73 percent from the line.
The Hornets will only lose two players to graduation following this season and hope to remain competitive in the ODAC. As they look ahead to next season, free throw improvement is at the top of their list.
To see more from men’s basketball, visit Lynchburg Sports.
