LEXINGTON, Va. – The Old Dominion Athletic Conference announced the seedings for the upcoming Women's Basketball Championship and Washington and Lee earned the No. 3 seed.
The Generals finished the regular season with an overall record of 22-3, which included a 14-2 mark in the ODAC. W&L's 22 wins this season are tied with the 2022-23 team for the second-most wins in a season in program history. Additionally, the Generals' 14-2 record in conference marks the fourth straight full season with two or fewer losses in ODAC play.
Randolph-Macon topped the eight-team tournament field, with Bridgewater slotted No. 2 and Shenandoah rounding out the Top-4 teams and those who will host quarterfinal games. Roanoke claimed the No. 5 seed, with Guilford, Ferrum and Randolph completing this year's tournament participants.
As the No. 6 seed, Guilford (15-10, 9-7 ODAC) will travel to W&L for a quarterfinal game on Tuesday in a rematch of a January 25 meeting in Lexington that favored the Blue and White, 69-53. In total, the Generals went 7-2 against the seven other tournament teams during the regular season.
The Generals enter conference tournament play with the highest-scoring offense in the league at 73.0 points per game. The Generals have dominated on the boards this season, as they average 51.0 total rebounds per game, which is 7.4 per game higher than the next closest ODAC team. Their rebounding average ranks third in the nation, and they have the fourth-best rebounding margin per game (13.0).
W&L is led into postseason play by the continued strong efforts of junior
Mary Schleusner. Schleusner, the two-time reigning conference defensive player of the year, is second in the ODAC in scoring average (21.3) but first in total points scored (532), while leading all of Division III in rebounding average (19.1) and second in double-doubles (23). Schleusner enters the tournament looking to make more history, as she needs 33 points to become the program's all-time leading scorer and 23 rebounds to top the ODAC all-time total rebounds list.
The Generals' offense is run by junior guard
Quinn McGuinness who comes in second on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game, while leading W&L with 70 total assists at a rate of 2.8 per game. McGuinness also ranks second on W&L with 33 steals and 25 made three-point shots, while leading the Generals in three-point percentage (.333). Junior
Sarah Zimmerman follows McGuinness in scoring (9.3) and rebounding (3.9) per game, while also being one of W&L's top defenders. Zimmerman is second to Schleusner in both steals and blocks with 20 each.
Other top contributors include junior sharpshooter
Elka Prechel and sophomores
Zou Raine,
Riley Bryant and
Brianna Shuttlewood. Prechel is fourth on the team in scoring (7.5) but leads in threes made with 55, second most in the ODAC. Raine is scoring 6.2 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting from the field, with Bryant adding 5.6 points per contest and being the team's second-leading rebounder at 5.2 per game. Shuttlewood marks another outside scoring threat and distributor, as she has the third-most made threes (21) on the team and the third-most assists (35).
If the Generals advance to the semifinals in the ODAC Tournament, they will take on the winner of the quarterfinal between No. 2 Bridgewater and No. 7 Ferrum on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center. Both the semifinal and championship rounds of the tournament will be held at the Salem Civic Center, with the championship to be played on Saturday at 8:00 p.m.
The Generals and Quakers will have their opening tip-off on Tuesday in Lexington at 5:00 p.m. Live stats and live video will be provided, and tickets can be purchased
here for anyone attending. College students with ID and anyone 18 years or under will be admitted for free.
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.
