PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sophomore
Mary Schleusner continued her torrid play on Friday night, leading the ninth-ranked Washington and Lee women's basketball team to a 61-55 win over No. 3 Rhode Island College in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 with 34 points and 33 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Schleusner got the offense going for the Generals (29-2) with the first two buckets of the game, while the defense held the Anchorwomen (29-1) off the board until a Jeniyah Jones layup at the 5:51 mark. That score spurred the hosts to a 7-6 lead, but Schleusner capped the scoring in the opening frame with six points, to give her team a 12-9 lead entering the second.
Sophomore
Sarah Zimmerman and Schleusner teamed up for six of the second quarter's first nine points, as the W&L lead grew to 18-12 by the 7:48 mark. RIC then found its stroke on the offensive end with a 10-4 run, in which they made 4-of-6 shots, to tie things up at 22. Both teams then traded one basket apiece, before Schleusner hit on a turnaround jumper and senior
Hanna Malik buried a triple with 56 seconds left for a 29-24 halftime advantage.
Both defenses stood strong out of the gate to start the third quarter, as RIC pulled back to within three points at the 6:35 mark. The Generals, however, held the Anchorwomen to just 2-of-9 shooting the rest of the period, while sinking 5-of-8 shots of their own to build their lead through three quarters to 45-33.
That 12-point lead was W&L's largest of the game, as RIC gradually chipped away at its deficit, until a triple banked in by Izabelle Booth with 28 seconds made it a three-point game. For the remainder of the night, the Generals' defense got the stops it needed, and they made 5-of-8 free throws on the opposite end to secure the program's first all-time appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Schleusner's 34 points came on an efficient 14-of-20 shooting from the floor, while 30 of her 33 total rebounds on the night were defensive. Schleusner also made 1-of-2 shots from beyond the arc and added five blocks and three steals. Zimmerman followed with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting, plus a 7-of-10 effort at the free throw line. Malik dropped in 10 points and sophomore
Quinn McGuinness dished out a team-high three assists.
Angelina Nardolillo scored an RIC-high 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while Sophia Guerrier and Olivia Middleton both notched 10 points. Jones pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass, and she also had five steals.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Schleusner not only posted the first 30-point, 30-rebound game in program history, her 33 rebounds set new program, ODAC and NCAA Division III Tournament records for a single game. She also broke Jessica Hunsinger's '07 single-season record for blocks in a season (99). Schleusner will go into Saturday's contest with 102 swats, and she can vault into second place on the career blocks list with two more (Megan Babst '02, 193).
In the national picture, Schleusner further solified her lead in Division III in rebounds per game, boosting her average for the season to 17.2, while her 33 boards are the most in a game by a Division III women's basketball player. Schleusner each of the Top 3 rebound games in Division III this season.
Malik found the bottom of the net on two three-point shots, which leaves her just three makes from deep away from passing Meg Ingram '12 for the program career record.
While they were held 16 points below their season average, the W&L offense proved to be too explosive for the RIC defense. It marked just the second game this season that the Anchorwomen allowed 60 points, which came in a 66-65 win over Williams on November 19.
TEAM STATS:
The Generals outscored the Anchorwomen in each of the first three quarters and made 43.8 percent (21-48) total shots from the field. RIC was held to 27.9 percent (24-86) from the floor, and struggled mightily from outside (3-23, 0.130) and at the free throw line (4-16, 0.250). W&L edged the hosts in the battle on the boards, 54-50, but the Anchorwomen managed 25 offensive rebounds to nine for the Blue and White.
Rhode Island held additional statistical advantages in points off turnovers (20-6), second-chance points (10-7), bench points (16-3) and points in the paint (34-26).
UP NEXT:
The Generals will face-off against No. 6 Wartburg on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Providence in the national quarterfinals. The Knights earned their spot in Saturday's game with a thrilling 54-53 win over Bates in Friday's first game.
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.
