LEXINGTON, Va. – The 21st-ranked Washington and Lee women's basketball team routed Lynchburg, 96-69, on Saturday to cement their best start to a season in program history.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
W&L (7-1, 4-0 ODAC) came out firing to start the game, opening with 14 straight points as part of a 16-2 overall run. Sophomore
Mary Schleusner scored 11 during the run, and the Generals made all seven of their shots from the field. The Hornets (3-4, 0-3 ODAC) picked their offense up to finish the first on a 12-7 run, but W&L led, 23-14, entering the second.
The Generals' lead swelled to 23 points across the first five minutes of the second quarter, as they used a 20-6 run to lead 43-20. During that run, W&L made 8-of-11 shots, including 4-of-5 from long range, with senior
Hanna Malik leading the run with nine points.
As the game favored the Generals by 21 points (55-34) entering the third quarter, W&L went on yet another run of 13-2, which spanned over four minutes, to grab a 29-point (68-39) margin with 5:07 left. The Hornets responded with a 12-2 run coming out of the media timeout, but the Generals' lead proved to be insurmountable as the team buoyed its lead to the final mark of 27 with a 26-18 run over the final 11 minutes.
TOP PERFORMERS:
While her double-double streak came to an end, Schleusner led the Generals with 25 points on 12-of-16 shooting, in addition to eight rebounds, three assists and a career-high tying eight blocks. Malik also had a strong game with 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting overall, including 5-of-8 from deep. Junior
Cat Pettegrove tallied 12 points, seven rebounds, one block and one steal in just 11 minutes, while first-year
Caroline Shimp dished out a team-best six dimes.
Lynchburg's Bree Spainhour totaled 20 points on 6-of-16 shooting, while Sammi Sever scored nine points and came away with two steals. Sayre Brandstatter led all Hornets players with six assists.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Schleusner's eight-block performance marked just the sixth game in program history in which a W&L player has swatted eight shots. It was also just one short of tying Jessica Hunsinger's '07 single-game record of nine, which Hunsinger accomplished twice. Schleusner's other eight-block effort came on January 2 of last season, and she also has a seven-block game to her credit.
Sophomore
Elka Prechel made two three-point jumpers in the game to boost her career total to 96, which moved her into 10th place in program history for made three-point field goals. She surpassed Sarah Michaels' '04 career total of 95.
Malik's five made triples increased her career total to 193, which leaves her two away from tying Emily Perszyk '18 for third place in program history.
The team's 7-1 overall start to a season marks the best eight-game start in program history, breaking a tie with the 2014-15 team, which won 6-of-7 but lost in game No. 8.
TEAM STATS:
The Generals had another high mark on Saturday, as the team finished the game shooting 56.5 percent (39-69) from the floor, the fifth-highest single-game field goal percentage in program history. That mark was helped by a tally of 66.7 percent (22-33) in the first half, as the Hornets had no answer for the potent W&L offense.
Lynchburg finished the game shooting 36.5 percent (27-74), which included 20 percent (4-20) from outside the arc. W&L outscored the Hornets in the paint, 48-30, and on fastbreaks, 15-10, as well.
UP NEXT:
W&L will get on the road for their next contest, as the team travels to Harrisonburg on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against Eastern Mennonite.
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.
