HARRISONBURG, Va. – Eastern Mennonite held Washington and Lee to just 29.0 percent (9-31) shooting from the field in the second half en route to posting a 71-54 victory over the Generals in ODAC women's basketball play on Tuesday night at Yoder Arena. 

The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Blue and White (7-6, 3-2). The two teams traded baskets for much of the first period, with neither team being able to claim a decisive lead. The Royals (9-4, 4-1) held a slim lead, 20-19, heading into the second.

The Generals took a 23-22 advantage at the 6:48 mark of the second period off of four points from first-year forward Stuart Ayer (Charlotte, N.C. / Myers Park). EMU responded with an 11-0 run over the next 1:09 to assume a 33-23 advantage with 5:24 remaining in the half. Junior guard Myneshia Walker scored five points during the spurt. W&L used a five-point surge, with three points coming from first-year guard Taylor Casey (Brentwood, Tenn. / Franklin Road Academy) at the end of the period to trim the deficit to six (35-29).

The Generals pulled within two (37-35) with 7:05 remaining in the third period. The Royals maintained their lead for the remainder of the period and used six straight points in the final 1:54 of the period to take a 52-42 advantage going into the final stanza. Eastern Mennonite continued to push its lead in the fourth period and held the Generals to just 4-of-17 (.235) shooting from the field to reach the final margin.

Washington and Lee finished the game 19-of-59 (.322) from the field and 7-of-21 (.333) from beyond the arc. Casey led the Generals with 15 points and added two assists and one steal. Junior forward Andrea Ferrero (Ridgefield, Conn. / Ridgefield) finished with nine points and five rebounds, while junior forward Ailyn Kelly (Clifton, Va. / Centreville) and Ayer each added seven. Ayer also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, and junior guard Emily Perszyk (Greendale, Wis. / Greendale) dished out six assists.

The Royals hit 9-of-19 (.474) from three-point range and had four players score in double-digits. Walker tallied a game-high 22 points, while first-year guard Lexi Deffenbaugh finished with 16 points going 4-of-6 from behind the arc. First-year guard Chloe Roach chipped in 11 points and senior center Jonae Guest added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Washington and Lee returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Lynchburg for a 2:00 pm contest.

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