NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Washington and Lee women's basketball team came up short, 83-71, against Simpson on the final day of the Music City Classic on Monday night.
 
With the loss, the Generals fall to 5-6 overall on the season, while the Storm improve to 9-3 overall.
 
Trailing by 11 points at the start of the fourth, Simpson opened with a three-pointer to move ahead by 14. The Generals responded with an 11-2 run, however, to get back to within five points at 70-65 with 5:20 to play. However, the Storm went on to outscore the Generals, 15-6, the rest of the way to yield the final result.
 
The Storm opened the game shooting 61.1 percent in the first quarter and, with the help of an early 14-4 run, held a 26-17 lead heading into the second period. In the second, both sides exchanged scores, until the Generals scored seven of the final nine points to pull back to within six points before the half.
 
After the Generals scored seven of the first 11 points of the third, Simpson scored nine straight points and went on to outscore W&L, 20-15, in the quarter to push its lead to 65-54.
 
Senior guard Taylor Casey (Brentwood, Tenn./Franklin Road Academy) led the W&L offense with a team-high 23 points, her fifth game of the season scoring at least 20 points. Senior forward Andy Smithey (Charlotte, N.C./Saint Mary's School) also had a strong game, notching an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, her third of the season.
 
For the Storm, four players scored in double figures, led by first-year guard Cassie Nash, who finished the contest with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting overall. Senior guard Claire Johnson contributed 14 points and senior forward Cassie Chubb tallied 12 points and pulled down 12 boards.
 
The Generals made 23-of-60 shots (.383) in the game, while the Storm connected on 28-of-63 attempts (.444) from the floor. The Generals made a season-high 20 free throw shots (25 attempts), marking the most in a game since sinking 21 in the ODAC Semifinals against Roanoke last season.
 
For the game, the Storm outscored the Generals, 22-13, in points off turnovers and also held advantages in second-chance points (18-11), points in the paint (34-28) and fast break points (10-6).
 
The Generals will return to the court on Thursday when they host Ferrum at 7:00 pm in their return to ODAC action.