LEXINGTON, Va. – A late 12-2 run from Bridgewater made things sweaty in Holekamp gym on Wednesday night, but the 21st-ranked Washington and Lee women's basketball team fought off the Eagles for a 65-62 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
With the score favoring the home side, 53-38, entering the fourth, the Eagles (4-3, 0-1 ODAC) shook their third-quarter shooting woes with five quick points on back-to-back possessions. Bridgewater only made a four-point dent in their initial 15-point fourth-quarter deficit by the 5:30 mark of the fourth, before Alexis Edmonds connected on a three to start the 12-2 Bridgewater run, which cut the W&L (6-1, 3-0 ODAC) lead to 63-62 with 10 seconds remaining.
The Generals inbounded to sophomore
Quinn McGuinness, followed by senior
Hanna Malik to get into the bonus, where Malik calmly hit both foul shots to get W&L back up by three points. The Blue and White defense then held strong on the final possession of the game, as Bridgewater was unable to get a shot off before the final buzzer.
A major difference in Wednesday night's game was an 18-4 third-quarter score that favored the Generals. The Eagles shot 2-of-12 in the frame, with buckets coming from Jaden Alsberry at 8:13 and Edmonds with 17 seconds before the fourth. At one point, the Generals scored 16 consecutive points, including eight from Malik, to lead by as many as 17 points.
The first two quarters were tightly contested, with neither side able to go on a lengthy scoring run. W&L held a 17-14 lead after one quarter behind 6-of-10 shooting, before the Eagles responded by hitting 9-of-12 shots in the second quarter to outscore the Generals, 20-18, and put the halftime score at 35-34 in favor of W&L.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Malik finished the game with 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the floor and 4-of-9 from long range. Sophomore
Mary Schleusner netted her seventh straight double-double, as she posted 21 points (7-13 FG) and a season-high 18 rebounds, to go along with five blocks. First-year
Brianna Shuttlewood chipped in eight points, first-year
Caroline Shimp collected eight rebounds and dished out a team-high four assists, while junior
Lauren Achter notched seven rebounds.
Despite only having Edmonds in double figures for points (10), the Eagles had five players tally eight points or more on the offensive end. Edmonds made 4-of-5 shots, Abby Freeman scored nine points and brought in six rebounds, while Alsberry, Jay Garcia and India Dailey all scored eight points. Alsberry also performed well on the defensive end with eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
With her four triples, Malik inched closer to the next spot up on the program's all-time three-point field goals list. Malik has connected on 188 in her career, and she needs seven more to tie Emily Perszyk '18 for third place.
The Generals' 6-1 overall record to open the season ties the best start to a season in program history. The 2014-15 team was also 6-1 through seven games, but lost in the eighth game of the season. The 3-0 start to the conference slate marks the third consecutive season that W&L is undefeated through three ODAC contests. The team won its first nine ODAC games last season and began 11-0 in conference play two seasons ago.
TEAM STATS:
Bridgewater outshot W&L 42.6 percent (26-61) to 31.9 percent (22-69), which was aided by a 10-of-15 performance in the fourth quarter. The Generals, however, connected on eight three-point shots in the game to just three for the Eagles (all in the fourth quarter), and outscored BC, 13-7, at the free throw line.
W&L held a 52-34 advantage in total rebounds, with 27 of their 52 boards coming on the offensive glass.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to action on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. when they host Lynchburg.
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.
