LEXINGTON, Va. – Sophomore
Mary Schleusner broke the Washington and Lee women's basketball program record for rebounds in a game and points in a season, as the 11th-ranked Generals downed Randolph-Macon, 75-58, in the team's Senior Day game on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (21-2, 15-1 ODAC) opened the game on a 10-2 run, and they outscored the Yellow Jackets (15-8, 11-5 ODAC), 23-11, in the first quarter. Schleusner led the way with eight early points, followed by six from sophomore
Quinn McGuinness, as the team shot 8-of-15 to just 5-of-20 for RMC.
After W&L extended its lead to 18 points over the first four minutes of the second, the Jackets used a 9-4 run to try getting things going. However, a layup from senior
Hanna Malik, a triple from sophomore
Elka Prechel and two buckets from Schleusner helped the Generals end the first half on a 9-0 run for a 45-23 halftime lead.
The Yellow Jackets, again, tried to muster up a comeback attempt to start the third quarter, as they opened the frame with an 11-4 run on 4-of-5 shooting, but the W&L offense proved too much for the visitors from Ashland, as a 16-6 W&L run ended the period to balloon their lead to 25 through three quarters. The Jackets saw their longest scoring run of eight points come in the fourth, but they were limited to just eight additional points over the final six minutes.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Schleusner scored 26 points, which came on 12-of-19 shooting from the field, while her 25 rebounds were split 20 on the defensive end and five on the offensive glass. Schleusner dominated in the first half with an 18-point, 16-rebound double-double at the half.
Malik followed in the scoring category for the Blue and White, as she finished the day with 14 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Seven other Generals put points on the board in the game, with four of those seven tallying at least six points, led by seven from senior
Emma Robertson.
Sam Smith led the RMC offense with 20 points, plus eight rebounds and eight assists. Jane Elkins followed with 13 points (all in the second half), six rebounds, three blocks and two steals, while Marisa Ziegler rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Jackets with 11 points. Ziegler matched Elkins' three blocks and two steals on the defensive end.
NOTEWORTH POINTS:
Schleusner not only broke the program's single-game rebounding record on Saturday, her 26 points helped her break the program's single-season scoring record. Schleusner now has 521 points this season, which puts her above Jessica Mentz's '02 22-year-old record of 519 points.
Schleusner's 25 rebounds break's her own program record of 23, which she accomplished twice, including once each of her first two seasons. It marked the seventh 20-rebound game of her career. Additionally, Schleusner's 25 boards put her total rebound count for the season at 343, which is just two away from breaking the single-season record that she set last season. Her season rebounding average jumped to 14.9 after Saturday's performance, which is second in Division III.
Malik made a trio of triples on Saturday, which moved her into a tie with Taylor Casey '20 for second place on the program's three-point field goals list (231). The record of 260 is held by Meg Ingram '12.
The team's win on Saturday is the 21st of the season, which breaks a tie with the 2021-22 team for the second-most wins in a season in program history. Last year's team holds the record with 22 wins.
TEAM STATS:
W&L shot 42.2 percent (27-64) from the field and held the Yellow Jackets to 31.6 percent (24-76), while also outscoring the visitors, 15-6, at the free throw line. Other statistical numbers that favored the Blue and White included points off turnovers (11-7), bench points (16-5) and fastbreak points (16-9).
UP NEXT:
The Generals will be on the road for their two remaining regular season contests, with the next coming on Wednesday at Randolph at 7:00 p.m.
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.
