LEXINGTON, Va. – Junior
Mary Schleusner highlighted the No. 17 Washington and Lee women's basketball team's 87-54 ODAC quarterfinal win over Guilford on Tuesday evening by setting the ODAC career rebounding record.
RECORD BREAKER:
Schleusner entered the game needing 23 rebounds to break Randolph-Macon's Kelly Williams' record of 1,395 total rebounds for the all-time ODAC lead. Schleusner ended the night at 25 boards to break Williams' mark, doing so in just her 87th game (16.1/game).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After Guilford (15-11) dented the scoreboard with the first four points of the game, Schleusner led W&L (23-3) on a 14-2 run over the next 6:44 of play with eight points of her own. Trailing by six, the Quakers managed to keep the game within eight points over the next 9:02 of action, getting a team-high 10 points from Courtney McMillan and shooting 50 percent (9-18) as a team.
With Guilford behind by a score of 33-27 with 2:05 left before halftime, the Generals ended the half on a 7-2 run, capped off by a
Megan Zimmerman triple, before posting a 19-4 run in the third quarter to begin racing away with the win. During the third-quarter run, W&L made 8-of-10 shots from the field with five players scoring, while limiting the Quakers to just 2-of-14 from the floor.
The Generals entered the fourth quarter with a 20-point lead and continued their onslaught well into the frame. Another Zimmerman three with 2:56 left in the game capped off a 21-8 scoring spurt to start the final period, before both teams scored five points the rest of the way to yield the final total.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Schleusner posted her fifth 25-point, 25-rebound game of the season and third in the last four after finishing the night with 28 points on 13-of-23 shooting to go with her 25 boards. She also found her teammates for four assists, blocked two shots and had one steal. Zimmerman tallied a season-high 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting (2-3 3pt FG), while adding four rebounds and three assists. Junior
Quinn McGuinness followed with nine points and junior
Sarah Zimmerman contributed six points, five rebounds and five assists.
McMillan was the lone Guilford player to reach double-digit points on the night, as she scored 20 on 9-of-18 shooting. Zoe Bayer was the second-highest scoring player with seven points, while leading the team with seven rebounds.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Now the all-time ODAC rebounding record holder, Schleusner will look to pad her lead in ODAC annals, as well as move up the NCAA Division III women's basketball rebounding list. She is two rebounds away from becoming the 12th player in Division III history to reach 1,400 rebounds, and she can move all the way up to eighth place with 22 more. The last player to reach 1,400 career rebounds was Courtney Goyak (Lancaster Bible, 2017-19).
Two more blocks on her line moved Schleusner into a tie for the most blocks in program history with Jessica Hunsinger '07 (267). Schleusner is also five points away from passing Jessica Mentz '02 (1,742) for the most points scored in program history.
The Generals clinched their 23rd win of the season on Tuesday night to move into sole possession of the second-most wins in a season in program history. Only last season's team has ever won more (29).
TEAM STATS:
The Generals shot 45.8 percent (33-72) from the floor in the game, including 56.3 percent (18-32) after halftime, to finish the game on a high note. They also performed strongly defensively, holding the Quakers to 30.6 percent (22-72) field goal shooting and 0-for-13 from long range, the second time this season the Generals have held an opponent scoreless from outside.
W&L edged Guilford in total rebounds (50-42) and offensive rebounds (15-14), while holding positive scoring margins in bench points (33-13), points in the paint (52-40) and fastbreak points (29-8). The Quakers held a slight 12-10 advantage in points off turnovers, and both teams scored 15 second-chance points.
UP NEXT:
The Generals advance to the ODAC Championship semifinal round, which will take place on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center against seventh-seeded Ferrum.
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.
