LEXINGTON, Va. -- The Washington and Lee women's basketball team overcame a 28-21 halftime deficit and posted its first victory of the season on Saturday afternoon as it defeated Randolph-Macon in double-overtime, 76-71, at the Warner Center.

It was only W&L's fourth victory in 17 games against the Yellow Jackets.

The Generals (1-3, 1-1 ODAC) forced overtime when senior guard Sarah Schmidt (Topeka, Kan./Hayden) split a pair of free throws with 20 seconds to play in regulation. The Yellow Jackets had a chance to win, however, junior guard Lindsay Carroll (Salem, Va./Salem) missed a jumper with four seconds remaining.

In the first overtime period, W&L grabbed a 68-66 lead with 1:24 on the clock when senior forward Jessica Mentz (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) nailed a pair of free throws. Yellow Jacket senior forward Meredith Roberts (Vienna, Va./James Madison) missed a layup with 20 seconds to play, however, sophomore forward Sarah Crider (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) converted the put-back to send the game into its second overtime.

In the second overtime, W&L grabbed a 71-69 lead with 3:43 to play on a layup by Mentz and never relinquished the lead. The Generals iced the victory by making four free throws in the final minute. Randolph-Macon, who only dressed seven players due to injuries, played the final minute with only four players as three Yellow Jackets fouled out.

W&L was led by senior forward Jessica Mentz (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) who tallied her fourth consecutive double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Senior center Megan Babst (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) added 20 points and 13 boards, while freshman forward Emily Barker (Clifton, Va./Mount Vernon) scored a career-high 14 points and added four rebounds, three steals and two assists before fouling out. Schmidt also reached double figures in scoring with 12 points.

The Yellow Jackets were led by Crider who posted 21 points. Carroll added 18 points and 12 steals, while Roberts and senior guard Megan Mariani (Winters, Calif./Winters) tallied 12 points each.

W&L shot 23-of-60 (.383) from the field, but converted 30-of-41 (.732) free throws. The Generals committed 28 turnovers. Randolph-Macon (1-3, 1-1 ODAC) shot 26-of-67 (.388) from the field and 16-of-26 (.615) from the charity stripe.
 

--GENERALS--