LEXINGTON, Va. – The Washington and Lee women's basketball team tied the program record for made three-point shots (15) in a game to propel past Guilford on Saturday afternoon on Senior Day.
The third quarter saw 49 total points scored between the two teams, with Guilford (19-4, 12-4 ODAC) edging the Blue and White, 26-23. Trailing by 11 entering the third, the Quakers' longest scoring run was just five points, but they were able to come as close as six points (53-47) with 1:34 to play in the frame with some defensive stops as well.
Guilford inched closer to begin the final quarter, scoring the first four points, to get back within four, before 10 consecutive tallies from the Generals (17-6, 14-2 ODAC) gave W&L a 14-point cushion. First-year
Elka Prechel (Corvallis, Ore. / Corvallis), who made a pair of threes in the final 80 seconds of the third, sank two more triples during the 10-0 run. The Quakers kept fighting as they used an 8-0 spurt from 4:34 to 2:08 to make it an eight-point game, but W&L first-year
Sofia Feigelson (Millbrook, N.Y. / Millbrook School) connected on three-point shots with 1:43 and 1:15 left in the game to secure the win.
The Generals jumped out to a 21-11 lead through one quarter, with five made triples and none for the Quakers. Junior
Hanna Malik (Raleigh, N.C. / Athens Drive) led the way early with six points in the opening frame, which came on back-to-back three's at 4:34 and 3:45.
Malik kept it going in the second quarter with four more makes from long range and 12 total points. Two of her three-point shots came during an 8-0 run during the midpoint of the quarter and gave W&L a 32-15 advantage with 4:50 before the half. After a layup from junior
Grace O'Connor (Hillsborough, N.J. / Hillsborough) gave the Generals a 37-18 lead with 2:32 left, Guilford scored the final eight points of the half to cut its deficit to 11 and grab momentum heading into the break.
Malik and Prechel combined for 11 of the team's 15 made three-pointers, as well as 40 points combined. Malik led the way with 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, while Prechel tallied 17 points and made 5-of-9 from three-point range. Prechel now has 69 made threes this season, which moves her past Meg Ingram '12 and Allie Long '11 for the fifth-highest single-season total. The next highest totals on the list are held by Taylor Casey '20, who made 72 during the 2016-17 and 2019-20 seasons.
Feigelson logged 13 points, five rebounds and three steals, and she shot 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. First-year
Mary Schleusner (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Latin School) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points to go along with 11 rebounds and four blocks in her 10th double-double of the season. Senior
Kathryn Vandiver (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Latin School) finished with nine rebounds and three blocks to move into ninth place on the program's career blocks list (69). Vandiver also dished out a career-high six assists.
The Quakers were led by Lindsay Gauldin, who scored a game-high 30 points on 10-of-21 shooting overall. Gauldin also grabbed six rebounds, blocked three shots and came away with five steals. Anna Giannopoulou notched 12 points and eight rebounds and Carleigh Perry scored 11 points with three steals.
Three-point shooting was a major factor in the W&L win, as the Generals' 15 makes outpaced the Quakers' five for a 30-point advantage from deep. W&L also blocked 12 shots, tied for the third-highest total in program history. It is the fifth game in program history with at least 12 swats, all coming this season. The Blue and White continue to lead Division III in blocks per game (8.0) and total blocks (184) this season.
The Generals' next contest will come on Wednesday in a 7:00 pm road matchup at Hollins. W&L defeated Hollins, 94-36, in the teams' first meeting this season, and would clinch the top seed for the ODAC Tournament with another victory.
