BEREA, Ohio – Despite a late rally and getting as close as two points down, a 25-2 run by No. 7 Baldwin Wallace from the second to third quarter proved to be the difference, as the No. 19 Washington and Lee women's basketball team saw its 2024-25 season come to an end, 75-71, on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After a strong start to the game had the Generals (25-5) ahead 34-22 at the 4:36 mark of the second, the Yellow Jackets (28-1) began to chip away at the lead, first by scoring the final seven points of the half on 3-of-3 shooting to go into halftime trailing by five points.
An Alyssa Miller layup at 9:44 of the third preceded a
Mary Schleusner bucket 38 seconds later, before Baldwin Wallace took off for 16 straight points to complete their 25-2 run. Overall, the Yellow Jackets made 11-of-15 shots and got at least five points from four different players on the run, to take a 47-36 lead with 4:49 left in the third.
Both teams were evenly matched over the next 6:47, scoring 16 points each, before the Generals got back-to-back triples from juniors
Elka Prechel and
Quinn McGuinness to quickly trim their deficit from 11 points to five. Schleusner then scored the next seven W&L points, with four from the Yellow Jackets, to get the Generals back within a possession (67-65) with 2:32 left in regulation.
On the next BW possession, Caely Ressler sank a three to cushion the lead back to five, before Schleusner and junior
Sarah Zimmerman made a layup each around two good free throws from BW's Emily Irwin. Irwin then went back to the line and made two more foul shots, followed by a W&L turnover and one final free throw from Ressler. In a six-point game, Prechel was fouled shooting a three with 1.8 seconds remaining, as she closed the game's scoring going 2-of-3 at the line.
The Generals got off to a picturesque start to the game, making six of their first nine shot attempts, including 3-for-3 from long range, to race out to a 17-6 lead through 6:13. A pair of Irwin threes for the Yellow Jackets followed, but W&L continued to build its lead over the next 7:33 behind six points from junior
Icy Keneah, five from Schleusner and holding Baldwin Wallace to 4-of-12 shooting ahead of the Yellow Jackets' run.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Schleusner led all scorers with 30 points and 17 rebounds, in what was her sixth 30-point game of the season. She also pulled down at least 15 rebounds in each of her 30-point performances. Schleusner blocked four shots and tied McGuinness with the most assists on the team (3). Keneah followed Schleusner in scoring with 10 points, while Zimmerman, McGuinness and Prechel all scored eight.
Irwin scored a Baldwin Wallace-high 20 points on 5-of-12 shooting and 3-for-5 from outside. Bella Vaillant had 13 points and 17 rebounds, with Laura McCoy at 12 points and Ressler and Ava Wilkerson each with 11 points. Irwin also led the team with three assists, plus five other players with multiple dimes.
TEAM STATS:
The Yellow Jackets made 43.5 percent (27-62) of their shots, which was helped by 11-of-16 in the third quarter. They also made 10-of-20 three-point shots and 11-of-16 free throws. W&L matched BW's 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc on 7-of-14, while finishing the game making 36.1 percent (26-72) overall to go along with 12-of-14 good free throws.
The Generals held positive scoring advantages in points off turnovers (15-13), second-chance points (8-5), points in the paint (38-34) and fastbreak points (11-3), while the Yellow Jackets had the edge in bench points (28-13).
END-OF-SEASON NOTES:
The Generals conclude their 2024-25 season with an overall record of 25-5, which marks the second-most wins in a season in program history, second-fewest losses and second-best win percentage. They also ended the season with the second-most points scored in a season in program history (2,178) and the fourth-best scoring average (72.6).
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.
