SALEM, Va. – Sophomore
Mary Schleusner hit a dramatic game-tying three-point field goal as time expired in regulation, before the 11th-ranked and top-seeded Washington and Lee women's basketball team went to emerge as the 2024 ODAC champions, 89-80, over Shenandoah on Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Shenandoah's (21-7) Maddie Kimble went to the free throw line with 11 seconds left, and sank both attempts to give the Hornets a 74-70 lead. On the other end, Schleusner missed a shot, but sophomore
Sarah Zimmerman was there for the offensive board and putback. W&L (26-2) fouled Terese Greene on the ensuing inbound, but Greene went 1-of-2 at the line to leave the door open for a W&L game-tying shot attempt.
The Generals called timeout to advance the ball, and the inbound pass came to Schleusner, who rose up but missed the tying shot. The loose ball went out of bounds after a Shenandoah player couldn't corral it, and it left 0.7 seconds for one final shot. The final play came back in for Schleusner, who connected on the tying three, to send the W&L crowd into a frenzy and the game into overtime.
In the extra period, the Generals kept their momentum going with an 11-1 run on 4-of-4 shooting, with Schleusner and senior
Hanna Malik combining for all 11 points. Over the remaining 2:10, only seven points total were scored (four by the Hornets), and the Generals were able to run the clock out on offense to clinch their second consecutive ODAC title.
The game was tied at 61 points per side with 6:35 left in the fourth quarter before the Generals looked to put the game away in regulation with eight consecutive points. However, the Hornets stayed alive with a 13-1 run, ending with Kimble's two free throws, to pull back ahead, 74-70.
W&L opened the second half with a 43-31 lead, but the Hornets came out the halftime locker room buzzing. They went on an 18-7 run, with six points from Greene and five from Kimble, to get back to down 50-49, and the two teams kept it close until the 61-61 score in the fourth.
The Hornets opened the game with a 16-10 lead, making 6-of-11 shots out of the gate compared to W&L's 4-of-14. The Generals then went on a 16-4 run into the second quarter to move ahead, 26-20, before another 12-0 run later in the frame helped them build up their 43-31 halftime lead.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Schleusner turned in the best game of her collegiate career, and one of the best performances the Old Dominion Athletic Conference has ever seen from a women's basketball player. She finished with 36 points and a program record 29 rebounds, to go along with seven blocks and two steals. Her 29 blocks also established a new ODAC record and conference tournament single-game record.
Malik finished the game with 28 points on a 9-of-13 shooting performance, which included 5-of-9 from outside. Malik scored a game-high 20 points in the first half, and totaled seven rebounds and two assists across 41 minutes on the floor. Zimmerman added nine points on 4-of-5 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal, a sophomore
Quinn McGuinness added eight points.
Greene scored a Shenandoah-high 30 points, while Kimble tallied 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. Gabby Krystofiak scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds, Shawnise Campbell had eight points and nine boards and Emily Williams ended the day with six points and eight rebounds.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Schleusner's 36 points and 29 rebounds increased her tournament totals to 80 and 71, respectively, both of which established new single-tournament records. Her 29 boards surpassed the overall ODAC record of 28 (Katie Anderson, RMC), and her 36 points and 15 made field goals both broke the ODAC Tournament single-game records.
Additionally, Schleusner's 29 rebounds on Sunday marked the most in a game across all of Division III women's basketball, and it is the second-highest total in all of NCAA women's basketball this season (Lauryn Taylor, 43, Francis Marion, Division II).
For her career, Schleusner passed
Erin Hughes '21 (1,027) and Jackie Clifford '17 (1,039) for 14th place on the program's all-time scoring list. Schleusner has scored 1,053 points in 57 games (18.5/game), and can move up another spot on the scoring list with another 28 points. She is also 25 rebounds away from passing Katy Wilson '13 for the fifth-most career rebounds.
With five made three-point shots, Malik broke teammate
Elka Prechel's single-season record for threes in a season (79). Now with 80 this season, Malik needs 10 more to break Meg Ingram's '12 record for career three-point field goals (260). Malik can also move into the program's all-time Top 10 in scoring with six more points, which would surpass Ansley Miller's '00 career total of 1,165.
The Generals' win on Sunday was their 11th straight, which matches the program record that they set earlier this season, going 11-0 from November 26 to January 13. They are 22-1 in their last 23 games.
Following the game, McGuinness and Malik were named to the All-ODAC Tournament Team, along with Schleusner who was named the Most Outstanding Player for the second straight season.
As a team, the Generals broke the program's single-season record for total points, set last year at 2,160. They have scored 2,183 in 28 games this season (78.0 per game), which would also be a program record.
TEAM STATS:
W&L shot 45.2 percent (33-73) in the game, and 52.9 percent (27-51) after the first quarter, compared to Shenandoah's 37.5 percent (30-80) for the game. The Generals won the rebounding battle at 55-37, while the Hornets had positive margins in points off turnovers (32-13), second-chance points (14-13), points in the paint (36-34) and fastbreak points (12-7).
UP NEXT:
With their win on Sunday, the Generals have claimed the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship. The team will find out who and where they play during the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball selection show on Monday, February 26, at 2:30 p.m. at ncaa.com.
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.
