FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The 14th-ranked Washington and Lee women's basketball team locked the University of Mary Washington down all game and pulled away for good in the second half for a 66-44 win on Thursday over its in-state rivals.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (9-2) jumped out to a 12-0 lead through the first four minutes of play, behind eight points from junior
Quinn McGuinness. During the run, McGuinness nailed a pair of three-point shots before finishing the run with a steal and a coast-to-coast layup.
W&L then finished the first on a 9-2 run, going 4-for-4 from the field to take a 26-10 lead through one period. Junior
Sarah Zimmerman finished two layups in that stretch, while sophomore
Brianna Shuttlewood knocked down a triple at the buzzer.
The Eagles (6-10) worked their way back into the game in the second quarter, as they scored the final 14 points across the last 6:55 of the half. A good layup from W&L sophomore
Zou Raine fell at the 7:36 mark for the team's final field goal, and she went to the line and sank the free throw after drawing contact.
While the Blue and White did not completely shake their shooting struggles in the third quarter, the Generals did enough on both ends of the floor to outscore the Eagles 16-7 and extend their lead to 14 points heading into the fourth. UMW shot 3-of-15 from the field in the third quarter and were limited to the same effort in the fourth behind strong defending from the Generals. Overall, W&L outscored the Eagles, 35-18, in the second half to close out the win.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Junior
Mary Schleusner led the W&L offense with 14 points, and she paced the defensive leaders with six blocks and three steals. Schleusner added 18 rebounds in the game and made 8-of-12 foul shots. Zimmerman finished at 12 points behind a 6-for-6 game at the foul line, and she was also right there with Schleusner on defense with five blocks and two steals of her own.
Raine tallied 11 points and three rebounds, with McGuinness finishing at eight points.
Juliona Mabie reached a UMW-high 14 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Jenna Steadman was the only other Eagle in double figures (12). Dylan Wood led the team with six rebounds, and Megan Baxter dished out a team-best three assists.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals had a shot at breaking the program record for blocks in a game (14) with nine at the half and 13 through three quarters. The team finished at 13, however, to tie for the second most in a game and the most since swatting 13 shots against Averett on February 7 of last season.
W&L held UMW to 23.7 percent shooting from the field, a season-best by the Generals' defense. It was the lowest opponent field goal shooting game since holding Randolph-Macon to 22.1 percent on January 20 of last season.
Schleusner's 14 points put her 19 points away from passing Becca Bolton '12 for the fourth-most points scored in program history.
TEAM STATS:
Despite finishing the game shooting 33.3 percent from the field, the Generals held the Eagles to 14 field goals on 59 attempts, and did not allow the Eagles to make more than four field goal attempts in a single quarter. This also included a 1-for-12 (.083) performance by UMW from outside. The Eagles connected on 15-of-18 free throws to 15-of-24 from W&L.
The Generals outrebounded the Eagles, 52-41, including 20-14 on the offensive glass, which led to a 17-9 W&L advantage in second-chance points. The Blue and White also held positive margins in points off turnovers (16-7) and points in the paint (14-4).
UP NEXT:
The Generals will be in ODAC play for the remainder of the regular season, starting with Virginia Wesleyan at home on Sunday at 1:00 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.
