ASHLAND, Va. – Senior
Hanna Malik became the 15th player in Washington and Lee women's basketball history to cross the 1,000-point plateau for a career, as the ninth-ranked Generals got back in the win column with a 51-42 victory at Randolph-Macon on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Both sides struggled to score in the first half, as the halftime tally favored the Yellow Jackets (12-5, 9-2 ODAC) by a slim 20-18 edge. The Generals (16-2, 10-1 ODAC), however, limited the home side to just nine points in the second, and bettered that mark by holding RMC to four points in the third, while scoring 15 to take a 33-24 lead. Sophomore
Mary Schleusner had five points in the third to lead all scorers, while the Yellow Jackets made just 2-of-11 shots and turned the ball over four times.
The W&L lead stretched to a 15-point advantage after an 8-2 run over the first five minutes of the final quarter. In what was both teams' most productive offensive period, the Yellow Jackets were unable to gain much ground over the final five minutes. A final 16-10 run by RMC allowed the Jackets to come only as close as eight points, as the Generals walked away with the win.
After RMC opened the scoring in the game, Malik led an 8-0 W&L run with five points, cutting her 1,000-point chase down to two. The Yellow Jackets responded by scoring the next 14 points on a run into the second quarter to take a 16-8 lead, but the Blue and White closed out the half with a 10-4 stretch over the final 7:11. Malik went to the line with 53 seconds left before halftime, and she sank both free throws to get to exactly 1,000 points.
TOP PERFORMERS:
A trio of Generals tied for the game-high of 11 points, with Malik, Schleusner and sophomore
Quinn McGuinness all getting there. Malik narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds, while Schleusner tied her own program record with 23 rebounds, with three blocks added. McGuinness's 11 points came on 3-of-9 shooting, to go along with five boards and two steals.
Marisa Ziegler led the Yellow Jackets with 11 points and two rebounds, while Jane Elkins tallied a 10-point, 19-rebound double-double.
The Generals' defense, as a whole, was locked in all game, as the unit held Ziegler to 4-of-30 shooting from the field and Randolph-Macon to just 22.1 percent (17-77) shooting overall.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Malik joins 12 other women's basketball players to reach 1,000 points in the history of the program, and she is the first to cross that threshold since
Erin Hughes '21 did so during the shortened 2020-21 season. Malik will look to ascend up the list, and she can move into 12th place with nine more points.
Schleusner's 23 rebounds marks a season high and ties the program record which she set on January 11 of last season. Schleusner entered the day ranking second in Division III with a rebounding average of 14.2. Her 23 boards boosted that tally to 14.7.
TEAM STATS:
Both teams were held under 30 percent shooting overall, but the Generals held a 14-point advantage at the free throw line, making 19-of-29 to just 5-of-6 for RMC. W&L also outrebounded the Jackets, 62-44, tied for their second-most rebounds in a game this season, while adding positive margins in bench points (13-9) and points in the paint (24-22).
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return home for their next game in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against Randolph on Wednesday evening.
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.
