LEXINGTON, Va. – The 11th-ranked Washington and Lee women's basketball shook a sluggish start, overcoming an early nine-point deficit to defeat Mary Washington, 85-74, to set the program record for longest winning streak (11).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Eagles (9-5) soared ahead by a 14-5 score across the first 6:34 of play, as the Generals (15-1) shot just 2-of-10 in the early going. Sophomore
Elka Prechel then got the team and the crowd going with a trio of triples in just a 1:40 span, singlehandedly powered a 9-2 run to get W&L back within two points.
The Generals took a 22-20 lead at the 7:21 mark of the second, after three free throws from senior
Hanna Malik, but UMW responded with eight straight points to regain a six-point lead. However, the Blue and White scored the next seven points and ended the second quarter on an overall 15-6 run to take a 37-34 lead into the break.
Both teams exchanged scores over the first four minutes of the third quarter, with the Generals clinging to a one-point lead, before Prechel nailed her fourth three of the game to start a 10-0 run and give the team an 11-point cushion. The Eagles made a three-point dent in that deficit before the start of the fourth, and they come as close as seven points down at the 6:29 mark of the fourth.
In the final six and a half minutes of the game, the Eagles made 9-of-14 shots from the field, but Malik scored 12 points in that time to keep the Generals ahead. Overall, the Generals outscored UMW, 23-21, over the final 6:29, made 2-of-3 shots from long range and connected on 15-of-22 free throws.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Malik led all players with 26 points in the game, which included a 12-of-15 performance at the free throw line. Sophomore
Mary Schleusner scored 22 points, pulled down a game-high 19 rebounds and blocked four shots. Prechel finished the game with 15 points on five made threes, while sophomore
Sarah Zimmerman made her presence felt on both ends of the floor, with nine points (5-5 FT), four steals and one block.
Sydney Sherman scored 23 points for the Eagles to go along with three blocks and two steals. Ashley Martin added 17 points and six rebounds, while Megan Baxter tallied 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 4-for-4 from long range.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals' win on Saturday marked their 11th consecutive victory to break the program's all-time winning streak record. W&L's streak of 11 straight wins is tied for the 14th longest active streak in Division III.
Prechel's five made three-point shots increased her career total to 115. She can tie Allie Long '11 for eighth place on the program's all-time list with five more.
Malik moved closer to joining the program's 1,000-point club with her 26 points on Saturday. Her career total sits at 988 points. Additionally, Malik's 12-of-15 performance at the free throw line was the most made foul shots in a game since Taylor Casey '20 (11/18) and
Erin Hughes '21 (1/12) each sank 13 in a game during the 2018-19 season. Malik's 15 attempts are the most since Hughes' effort of 13 made foul shots came on 15 attempts on January 12, 2019.
W&L's 85 points scored reached unfamiliar territory for the Mary Washington defense. It is the most points the Eagles have allowed since dropping a 98-43 decision to Christopher Newport on January 17, 2018. In fact, the Generals' 85 points scored on Saturday are the second-most allowed by the Eagles over the last 15 seasons.
TEAM STATS:
The Generals made 41.1 percent (23-56) of their shots in the game, including 47.8 percent (11-23) from long range, tied for the most made three-point shots in a game for W&L this season. UMW finished the game at 36.0 percent (27-75), but the Eagles struggled in the second and third quarters, going a combined 8-of-36 (.222) from the floor.
Other team statistics that favored the Blue and White were fastbreak points (11-5) and bench points (16-9), while the Eagles held positive margins in points off turnovers (20-9), second-chance points (19-11) and points in the paint (38-22).
UP NEXT:
The Generals will get back into ODAC play for the rest of the regular season, and they return to action on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. at home against Shenandoah.
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.
