BUENA VISTA, Va. – Washington and Lee used a 22-4 run over a 3:39 span of the first half en route to posting an 82-59 win over Southern Virginia on Wednesday evening at the Knight Sports Arena.

The win improved W&L to 3-0 for the first time in program history, while Southern Virginia fell to 0-2 overall.

SVU held a 19-14 lead with 10:50 remaining in the first half, but the Generals began the run at the 7:25 mark on a three-pointer by first-year guard Emily Perszyk (Greendale, Wis. / Greendale).  Perszyk nailed two more triples and added a layup for 11 total points during the run.  Sophomore guard Jackie Clifford (Tenafly, N.J. / Tenafly) added seven points of her own during the surge as the Generals stretched to a 36-23 lead with 3:46 left in the half.  The Knights then went on an 11-2 run that cut it to a 38-34 game at the break.

Southern Virginia hit the first bucket of the second half to cut it to a two-point game (38-36) at the 18:52 mark, but the Generals never trailed after the half, using an 11-2 run midway through the second stanza to stretch a six-point lead (55-49) to 15 points (66-51) with 6:05 remaining in posting the win.

W&L shot 63.0 percent (17-27) from the floor in the second half and finished the game hitting 30-of-62 (.484) shots from the field for the game.  Clifford led the Generals with a career-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor.  Perszyk tallied 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while junior forward Shelbi Hendricks (Louisville, Ky. / Kentucky Country Day) notched 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.  First-year Emma Redding (Allentown, Pa. / Central Catholic) chipped in 10 points, hitting all six of her free throw attempts.

Southern Virginia shot 47.3 percent (26-55) from the floor, but could not overcome 28 turnovers in the contest.  Junior center Melynda Boren totaled a game-high 24 points on 12-of-17 shooting and junior center Crystal Cleveland posted 11 points and six boards.

Washington and Lee returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Mary Washington for a 1:00 pm contest.

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