ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – First-year
Elka Prechel (Corvallis, Ore. / Corvallis) connected on seven three-point shots to power the Washington and Lee women's basketball team to a 68-58 win over York (Pa.) in the opening game of the Yonnie Kauffman Blue Jay Tournament at Elizabethtown College on Saturday.
With the score favoring the Spartans (3-7), 32-30, at the start of the third quarter, the Generals (7-2) opened the second half with a 14-2 run, powered by eight points and a pair of triples from Prechel. The score in the third period favored the Blue and White, 24-6, as W&L limited YCP to 3-of-14 shooting and never allowed consecutive scores.
The Generals then boosted their lead to 21 points through the first minute of the final quarter with a pair of buckets, including Prechel's sixth three of the game. Her seventh and final long ball of the day gave W&L its largest lead of the game (62-40) with eight minutes remaining. Despite being outscored, 18-6, over the final eight minutes, the Generals did not allow the Spartans to come closer than the final 10-point margin.
The first quarter was a balanced battle between both sides, which saw the Spartans pull ahead, 15-11, before the buzzer. The longest scoring run was 5-0, achieved once by both teams.
Prechel got her three-ball falling in the second quarter, sinking three from long range within the first five minutes. Those nine points from Prechel marked W&L's only points across the first half of the second frame, as York extended its lead to 27-20. Prechel's third three began a 13-5 W&L run to end the half, however, to get the Generals back to within two points.
Prechel's seven three-point makes are tied for the third most in a game in program history. It was just the fifth time that a player has made seven or more three's in a game, first since Taylor Casey '20 on February 27, 2020, and it was also one shy of tying the program's single-game record (Casey on 11/20/18 and 1/21/17). Prechel finished with a season-high 24 points and she made 7-of-12 shots from deep.
Junior
Hanna Malik (Raleigh, N.C. / Athens Drive) also had an efficient scoring performance, tallying 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting overall and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Malik added six rebounds and an assist. The Generals were led on the boards by first-year
Mary Schleusner (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Latin School), who grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds, while adding eight points and three blocks.
The Spartans were paced on offense by 16 points from Bradi Zumbrum and 13 points from Alyssa Hocker. Zumbrum added six rebounds and five assists, while Hocker made 6-of-8 shots from the field and pulled down five rebounds.
W&L shot 36.2 percent (21-58) from the field and 44.0 percent (11-25) from three-point range, for the second game this season with a three-point percentage at least that high and the third with at least 10 makes. The Blue and White limited the Spartans to 34.9 percent (22-63) shooting overall, including 29.2 percent (7-24) from deep. W&L also held a 14-5 advantage in second-chance points.
With their win, the Generals will play in the Yonnie Kauffman Tournament championship game on Sunday at 4:00 pm. They will face the winner of Saturday's Elizabethtown/Delaware Valley game.
