LEXINGTON, Va. – The Washington and Lee women's basketball team put forth a stifling defensive effort, coupled with efficient shooting, to down Lynchburg by a score of 91-71 on Saturday afternoon.
The Hornets (5-12, 4-7 ODAC) had the three-ball working early, as Macey Mullins hit two of the team's three triples within the first three minutes to grab a 9-4 lead. The Generals (13-5, 10-1 ODAC) then scored seven straight points, four from senior
Kathryn Vandiver (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Latin School) and a three from first-year
Elka Prechel (Corvallis, Ore. / Corvallis), and added a 9-0 spurt to end the period and take a 25-15 lead into the second quarter.
W&L gradually increased its lead throughout the second quarter, with a 7-for-17 shooting effort from the floor to 7-of-18 from the Hornets. The difference, however, was four made three's for the Blue and White to two, along with an 8-1 made free throw advantage as well.
After Lynchburg scored the first four points of the third, the Generals went on an 18-6 run for six minutes to take a 27-point lead with 2:04 left. Lynchburg countered by scoring the final nine points of the period, and cut their deficit to 18 points with six minutes left in the game. W&L, ending any hopes of a comeback, then scored 13 straight points to gain its largest lead of the game (87-56) with just over three minutes left.
The Hornets, playing until the final buzzer, ended the contest on a 15-4 run.
Prechel and Vandiver led the W&L offensive efforts on the day. Prechel scored 18 and connected on 6-of-10 three-point shots for her third game of the season with at least five triples. Vandiver posted a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double, and she also blocked a season-high four shots. Vandiver's 13 rebounds tied her career high, and her double-double was her first of the season.
First-year
Sofia Feigelson (Millbrook, N.Y. / Millbrook School) tallied 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, and gave the Hornets constant problems as an on-ball defender. Junior
Grace O'Connor (Hillsborough, N.J. / Hillsborough) notched the first double-double of her career with 11 points and 10 boards, plus six assists and a steal. First-year
Mary Schleusner (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Latin School) tied Vandiver for the game high with four blocks.
As a team, the Generals blocked 12 shots, which tied for the third most in a game in program history. The W&L women's basketball program now has four games all-time with 12 or more blocks in a game, all of which have come this season.
The Hornets were led offensively by Maddie Nimmo, who scored 16 points and added six rebounds and three steals. Mullins scored 11 points and Bree Spainhour pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, while scoring seven points.
W&L shot 48.6 percent (34-70) from the floor and limited Lynchburg to just 32.9 percent (24-73) overall. The Blue and White also held a sizeable 40-14 margin in points in the point, in addition to advantages in second-chance points (16-7), fastbreak points (12-9) and bench points (36-30).
The Generals will be back in action on Tuesday when they host ODAC-leading Randolph (16-2, 10-1 ODAC) at 7:00 pm.
