ROANOKE, Va. – Sophomore
Elka Prechel sank six three-point shots in the first half to help the 23rd-ranked Washington and Lee women's basketball team to a 70-38 win at Hollins on Sunday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (5-1, 2-0 ODAC) scored the first six points of the game, four from sophomore
Mary Schleusner, and slowly increased their lead through the opening frame. Hollins (3-3, 0-3 ODAC) only scored on back-to-back possessions once, which came late in the quarter, while W&L scored the final six points of the first on threes from sophomore
Katie Lawson and first-year
Brianna Shuttlewood.
Leading 21-9 at the start of the second quarter, Prechel's hand got hot and she helped the Generals surge early with a trio of triples to fuel a 15-2 run. In total, W&L outscored Hollins, 24-6, in the second to take a 45-15 lead into halftime.
Prechel followed the 15-2 team run in the second with another long-range make to give her 18 points at the break, all coming from outside. She shot 6-of-9 from three-point land in the opening 20 minutes.
W&L continued to pull away in the third quarter, using a 12-2 run to outscore the home side by a 17-9 count, while Hollins held the edge in the fourth quarter, 14-8, to close out the game.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Prechel finished the day with her 18 points, a team-high, while Schleusner tallied her sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds in just 18 minutes. First-year
Brianna Shuttlewood scored nine points on 3-of-5 shooting overall, while senior
Hanna Malik was the top facilitator at five assists.
Sarah Morales and Noelani Carter led the Green and Gold offense with eight points each, and Ariana Gutierrez tallied six points on 2-of-3 shooting.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Prechel's six three-point shots made on Sunday were just one off of her career high of seven, which she set on December 17 last season against York (Pa.). The six makes from three-point range are a season-high for any W&L player so far this season. Additionally, Prechel now has 93 made three-point field goals in her career, two away from tying Sarah Michaels '04 for 10th place in program history.
TEAM STATS:
W&L ended the game at 34.8 percent (24-69) shooting, but limited Hollins to 22.5 percent (16-71) from the field. The Blue and White also made nine three-point shots and 13 free throws to four triples and two foul shots from Hollins. The Generals also finished with sizeable advantages in points off turnovers (16-4), bench points (44-17) and fastbreak points (23-7).
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return home for their next game, a 7:00 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday night against Bridgewater.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
