PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The ninth-ranked Washington and Lee women's basketball team mounted a fierce second-half comeback, but sixth-ranked Wartburg walked away with a 68-58 win on Saturday night in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Down by 12 points at the start of the third quarter, sophomore
Quinn McGuinness got the W&L (29-3) offense going with a three. Wartburg held strong for the next four minutes, but the Generals' offense starting cooking with a 9-2 run to end the third, which was part of an overall 16-5 run that ended on a McGuinness three-point play.
W&L's 16-5 run brought the game back to a 48-47 Wartburg lead with 5:09 left in regulation, and it saw the Generals hit 5-of-12 shots from the floor to just 2-of-15 from the Knights. Sophomore
Elka Prechel was a driving force on the run, with six points on two made three-point shots.
That one-point difference proved to be the closest the Generals came to pulling off the comeback, as the Knights outscored the Blue and White 20-11 over the final five minutes to advance in the tournament.
Wartburg dented the scoreboard first at the 8:23 mark of the first on a Jaedon Murphy layup, but W&L senior
Hanna Malik sank a triple to spur a run of seven consecutive W&L points for a 7-2 lead. Murphy then connected on a three to help the Knights end the period on an 11-3 run and take a 13-10 lead into the second.
Both sides traded scores at the start of the second, but Wartburg went on the game's first sizeable run with 11 straight points on the front end of an 18-4 run. The Knights made 6-of-9 shots during that span to build their largest lead of the game (37-21), before the Generals scored the final four points of the half.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Sophomore
Mary Schleusner compiled 22 points, 18 rebounds, three blocks and four steals to close out her sophomore year. She made 6-of-14 shots from the field, including both attempts from outside the arc. Malik followed with 15 points and two assists, while McGuinness scored 11 points and came away with four rebounds.
Murphy led the charge for the Knights with 23 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and three steals, and Macy Harris dropped 17 points to contribute on the offensive end. Sara Faber tallied 13 points, while Britney Young added six points, seven rebounds and a team-high four assists.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The 2023-24 season will go down as the best season to date for the W&L women's basketball program. After winning their second consecutive ODAC title (third overall), the team finished with program records for wins (29) and winning percentage (.906), both of which shattered the top marks of 22 wins and a 0.759 winning percentage a season ago. The Generals' run through this year's NCAA Tournament also marked the first three NCAA Tournament wins in program history.
Malik finishes her W&L career as one of the best shooters to ever don the Blue and White. She ends at 36.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc, besting the previous all-time best of 36.2 percent held by Taylor Casey '20. Malik is also the new program all-time record holder in free throw percentage (.879) and she finished just one made three-point field goal away from tying Meg Ingram's '12 program record (260). For points, Malik tallied 1,209 in 96 career games, the 10th highest total in program history and the 10th-best average in program history (12.6).
Lastly, Schleusner turned in one of the finest individual, statistical seasons in program history. She set numerous single-season records, including most points (765), rebounds (551), blocks (105) and per game averages for points (23.9) and rebounds (17.2).
TEAM STATS:
The Knights finished the game shooting 37.3 percent (22-59) from the floor, but the W&L defense held them to 31.0 percent (9-29) in the second half, as well as 18.2 percent (2-11) from deep in the second half.
W&L capitalized on turnovers with a 16-7 advantage in points off turnovers, and the Generals also held a 14-2 positive margin in second-chance points. Wartburg edged the Blue and White in points in the paint (24-22) and fastbreak points (10-7).
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.
