LYNCHBURG, Va. – Sophomore
Mary Schleusner posted a huge stat line of 36 points and 16 rebounds to lead the 13th-ranked Washington and Lee women's basketball team to a comeback road win over Lynchburg, 75-62, on Wednesday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
A seven-point Lynchburg (11-9, 6-7 ODAC) halftime lead stretched to 10 points through the first two minutes, after a Sammi Sever three and a jumper from Bree Spainhour came on both ends of a Schleusner layup. After a three from senior
Hanna Malik and another layup from Schleusner were answered by two Lynchburg buckets, the Generals (19-2, 13-1 ODAC) put the pedal to the metal with two consecutive 8-0 runs sandwiched around a Taylor Brown layup to flip the game into their favor, 48-43, with two minutes left in the third.
The Hornets ended that run with three straight free throws, but W&L continued its hot play by scoring the next 11 points to take a 59-46 lead with seven minutes left in the game. Sophomores
Quinn McGuinness and
Sarah Zimmerman powered the run with seven points and four points, respectively.
That 13-point margin proved to be the final difference as, despite Lynchburg scoring 16 points over the final 6:19, the Generals always had an answer to prevent a late come back, scoring 16 points of their own.
The game favored the Generals, 16-15, through an evenly-matched first quarter, but Lynchburg outscored the Blue and White, 17-9, in the second quarter for a 32-25 halftime lead. Both teams shot 33.3 percent in the second quarter, but two of the Hornets six made field goals in the period came from beyond the arc, while all four of W&L's field goals were from inside.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Schleusner's 36 points came on 15-of-21 shooting from the field and a 6-of-8 effort at the free throw line, while 11 of her 16 boards were defensive. She also dished out two assists, blocked three shots and came away with five steals to lead the way on both ends of the floor. Zimmerman followed on offense with 11 points (5-6 FG), plus five rebounds and two blocks, while Malik tallied 10 points and seven rebounds.
Spainhour led the Hornets' efforts on the night with 20 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, followed by a 13-point performance from Sever. Sayre Brandstatter rounded out the trio of Hornets in double figures with 11 points, and she added eight rebounds.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Schleusner's 16 rebounds moved her past Felice Herman '11 (641) for ninth place on the program's career rebounds list, and it tied her with Chrissy Burghardt '99 for eighth place with 653. Schleusner's three blocks also helped her move past Emma Redding '18 (155) for third place in program history for blocked shots. She needs 38 more to pass Megan Babst '02 for second.
With their win, the Generals are now 19-2 overall on the season, which ties the 2018-19 and 2010-11 teams for the third-most wins in a season in program history. W&L has two 20-win seasons in program history, with each having come in the two campaigns prior to 2023-24.
TEAM STATS:
The Generals finished the game shooting 47 percent (31-66) from the field, which included a mark of 59.3 percent (16-27) from the start of their 16-2 run in the third quarter until the end of the game. That hot shooting pace helped them outscore Lynchburg, 50-30 in the second half. The Hornets shot 29.7 percent (22-74) on the night, as the W&L defense limited them to no better than 32 percent in any quarter.
W&L held the slight 47-44 edge in rebounding margin, but Lynchburg's 20-13 advantage on the offensive glass led to a 16-9 lead in second-chance points. The Blue and White held positive totals in points off turnovers (17-13), bench points (18-15), points in the paint (52-30) and fastbreak points (17-8).
UP NEXT:
The Generals are off this weekend and will return to action next Wednesday, February 7, with a home, 5:00 p.m. start against Averett.
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.
