LEXINGTON, Va. - The top-seeded and fourth-ranked Washington and Lee University women's basketball team used a strong fourth quarter to fend off eighth-seeded Roanoke College, 73-55, in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Quarterfinals on Wednesday night inside Holekamp Gym.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a scoring drought of nearly two and a half minutes, a steal from Zou Raine set up a Mary Schleusner basket to open the scoring in the first. The Maroons (12-14) followed that with a 10-4 run to take a three-point lead, thanks to a triple from Moriah Tate. Sam Collins matched Tate with a three-pointer of her own to level the score before the Generals (26-0) ended the first quarter with a 7-5 run to take a 16-14 lead into the second.
- The Maroons answered on back-to-back possessions to level the score as Ashley Fowler matched Elka Prechel's triple to tie the game at 19. The Generals rattled off five unanswered points as Quinn McGuinness and Sarah Zimmerman each recorded layups while S. Zimmerman tacked on a free throw to take a 24-19 lead. Roanoke responded by taking a 33-28 lead following a 14-4 run, highlighted by four three-pointers, before Riley Bryant ended the half with a triple to send Roanoke into the break with a two-point lead.
- The Blue and White opened the third with an 8-0 run to take a 39-33 lead as McGuinness and S. Zimmerman each scored four points. Roanoke shaved down W&L's lead throughout the remainder of the third as they outscored the Generals 11-7 in the final five minutes to make it a two-point game heading into the final quarter of play.
- W&L's offense caught fire early in the fourth as they went on a 17-2 run to jump out to a 15-point lead. Schleusner scored eight of the points during the stretch, with Megan Zimmerman knocking down the lone triple and Bryant adding a bucket. The Maroons cut the lead to 12 with a 6-2 run of their own, but the Blue and White held off a late rally with a 9-3 run to secure the 73-55 win.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Mary Schleusner led all scorers with 18 points while grabbing a game-high 21 rebounds to go along with four steals and one block. Quinn McGuinness reached double figures, scoring 16 points while dishing out four assists and registering six steals. Sarah Zimmerman added 12 points while grabbing six boards and recording three assists, three blocks, and one steal.
- Ashley Fowler led the Maroons with 16 points, connecting on four of her nine shots from beyond the arc. Paige Breuer added 15 points while shooting 3-of-5 from deep. She added two assists and two steals as well. Mariah Cain led Roanoke with six rebounds, while Nadia Snesarev dished out a team-high three assists.
TEAM STATS
- The Generals moved to 26-0 on the season while advancing to the ODAC Semifinals for the sixth-straight season. The win also marked their 15th straight inside Holekamp Gym, the second-longest streak in program history.
- The Blue and White shot 38.5 percent (30-of-78) from the field while shooting 60.0 percent (12-of-20) in the fourth quarter. W&L was 6-of-23 (26.1%) from beyond the arc while shooting 77.8 percent (7-of-9) at the free-throw line.
- W&L owned the glass this evening as they out-rebounded Roanoke by 20 (50-30). They also won the turnover battle by 13, committing just nine turnovers compared to the Maroons' 22. The Generals scored 22 points off Roanoke's turnovers, while the bench provided 24 points.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS
- Schleusner is nearing the ODAC career scoring record, only needing 25 points to surpass Megan Silva of Randolph-Macon '06 with 2,371. She also broke the program record for career steals, surpassing Bethany Dannelly '05 with 199 steals.
- Quinn McGuinness moved up to No. 7 all-time in career assists with her four assists this evening. She moved past Schlesuner with 272 assists during her four seasons with the Blue and White.
UP NEXT
- The fourth-ranked Generals will head to Salem, Va. for the ODAC Semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 28. They will square off with Shenandoah at 2 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center. You can catch the game on FloCollege or via the live stats. Tickets for Saturday's semifinals can be purchased here.
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.
