ASHLAND, Va. – A cold drought spanning from the middle of the third quarter and into the fourth plagued the Washington and Lee women's basketball team, as the Generals saw their program-record 10-game winning streak come to an end, 71-56, on Saturday at Randolph-Macon.
 
The Generals fall to 15-7 overall with the loss and 12-3 against ODAC opponents, while the Yellow Jackets improve to 11-9 overall and 9-5 in conference.
 
Leading by a 35-26 margin entering the second half, W&L stayed well in front of the Yellow Jackets through the middle of the third quarter. However, R-MC ended the period on an 11-1 run to cut its deficit to one point heading into the fourth. The Yellow Jackets went on to score the first nine points of the fourth to cap an overall 20-1 run.
 
A W&L free throw ended the run, but the Yellow Jackets kept the attack on, scoring the next five points. Over the final four and a half minutes of the game, R-MC outscored W&L, 7-5, to yield the final margin.
 
After falling behind, 4-2, in the early going, W&L went on a 10-2 run to move ahead by six points. Strong defensive play in the first kept the Generals ahead, 16-12, through the opening frame. Balanced team play continued in the second, as the Generals scored the first five points, and led by as many as 12 points, after a three pointer from senior guard Taylor Casey (Brentwood, Tenn./Franklin Road Academy), as they went into halftime with a 35-26 lead.
 
Junior guard Erin Hughes (Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft School) scored a team-high 20 points to lead the W&L offense, shooting 8-of-14 from the field, and added seven rebounds and two steals. Senior forward Andy Smithey (Charlotte, N.C./Saint Mary's School) contributed 12 points on 5-of-10 overall shooting and assisted on two baskets.
 
Sophomore guard Megan Horn (Basking Ridge, N.J./The Pingry School) made program history in the game, finishing with nine rebounds and five assists. She now has 93 assists this season, making her the first player in program history to assist on 90 or more shots in each of her first two seasons (101 in 2018-19).
 
For the Yellow Jackets, senior center Kelly Williams turned in a 22-point, 18-rebound double-double, shooting 8-for-14 from the floor, and she also blocked two shots. Junior guard Becca Arrington scored 16 points, while senior forward Charlotte Woods, contributed seven points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals.
 
The Generals shot 35.0 percent (21-60) in the game, but were limited to just 23.3 percent (7-30) after halftime. R-MC finished the game at 36.4 percent (28-77), including 56.3 percent (9-16) in the fourth quarter. The Jackets also claimed a plus-13 margin in turnovers, forcing 23 and committing just 10.
 
For the game, R-MC held advantages in points off turnovers (29-6), points in the paint (46-26) and second-chance points (17-2), while W&L outscored the Yellow Jackets, 11-8, on the fastbreak.
 
The Generals will return home for their next game, a 7:00 pm tip-off on Tuesday night against Eastern Mennonite.