LEXINGTON, Va. – The 13th-ranked Washington and Lee women's basketball team fell by a final score of 86-83 in double overtime against Randolph-Macon on Saturday afternoon in a clash between two of three best sides in the ODAC.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
With the Generals (17-3, 9-2 ODAC) leading by a 58-49 score with 9:37 left in regulation, RMC's (18-1, 11-0 ODAC) Sam Smith led a 16-6 run, scoring seven herself, to put the Yellow Jackets ahead by a point with 3:07 remaining. The lead then changed twice, before junior
Mary Schleusner got a layup to fall with 1:23 left, plus a free throw 48 seconds later, for a two-point lead. Juliana Park then tied the score with 18 seconds left, with the Generals unable to get a shot off on the final possession of regulation.
The Generals seized a four-point lead in the first overtime on a floater from sophomore
Brianna Shuttlewood and a layup from junior
Sarah Zimmerman. However, the Jackets countered with a 10-5 run to take a one-point lead with 68 seconds left, before a
Lauren Achter layup and McKenzie Matheny free throw left the game tied with 36 seconds left. Both teams had a chance at winning the game in the final 36 seconds, but both missed shots to go to a second OT.
The Yellow Jackets proceeded to hold the Generals without a field goal in the final five minutes of play, while going 2-for-4 themselves to pull away for good. W&L found itself in a position to tie the game on the final possession, but a three-point shot at the buzzer from junior
Quinn McGuinness came up short.
The game saw both sides evenly matched across the opening six minutes (9-9), but W&L claimed the first run of the day, 8-0, to take a 17-9 lead. RMC answered with an 18-7 spurt well into the second quarter to flip the lead in their favor by three points, while the Generals scored the final six points of the half to take a 30-27 lead into the locker room. Schleusner had the hot hand in the third quarter for W&L, as she scored 13 of the team's 26 points to lead her side into the fourth quarter up seven.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Schleusner led the Generals with 29 points on the day, followed by a career-high 23 points from McGuinness. Schleusner added 20 rebounds and five blocks to her line, with McGuinness's 23 points coming on 6-of-15 (3-6 3pt FG) shooting, 8-of-10 at the foul line, four rebounds and two assists. Zimmerman rounded out W&L's double-digit scorers with 14 points to go along with seven rebounds.
The Yellow Jackets got double-digit points from five players, with a high of 20 coming from Matheny, who also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots. Catherine Kagey provided a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double, with 17 more points coming from Park. Smith tallied 13 points, four rebounds and two steals, with Bella Bruce contributing 10 points.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Schleusner's 29 points propelled her past Meg Ingram '12 (1,556) for second place on the program's all-time points list. Only Jessica Mentz '02 (1,742) stands between Schleusner and the all-time scoring record. Schleusner is 179 points away from breaking Mentz's mark.
Junior
Elka Prechel made one three in the game, meaning she is now just one away from joining Ingram,
Hanna Malik '24 and Taylor Casey '20 as the only players to reach 200 made triples in program history.
TEAM STATS:
Three-point shooting kept the Yellow Jackets in contention throughout the day, as they made 8-of-21 to 4-of-17 for the Generals. Overall, RMC (.390) edged the Blue and White (.387) in field goal shooting, with W&L making 21 free throws to 18 for the Jackets.
RMC held a 53-50 advantage in total rebounds, plus positive scoring margins in points off turnovers (13-4) and bench points (24-10). The Generals outscored their opponents on second-chance opportunities (19-16), in the paint (46-40) and on the fastbreak (8-4).
UP NEXT:
The Generals will be on the road for their next game, as they travel to the Hill City to take on Randolph at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday night.
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.
