SALEM, Va. - The top-seeded and fourth-ranked Washington and Lee University women's basketball team advanced to their fourth-straight Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship as they defeated fourth-seeded Shenandoah University on Saturday afternoon at the Salem Civic Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Addisyn Banks opened the scoring for Shenandoah (20-7) with an early triple before the Generals (27-0) rattled off nine unanswered points to take a six-point lead. Sarah Zimmerman and Mary Schleusner scored four points each during the run, while Zou Raine tacked on a free throw. Both teams traded points late in the quarter, with Banks cutting the lead to three with a pair of buckets before Bri Shuttlewood knocked down a triple to bring the lead to 16-10. Taylor Moran hit a late jumper to make it a four-point ballgame heading into the second.
- The Hornets cut the Generals' lead to two points in the second frame with a 5-3 run. However, the Blue and White surged with a 16-1 run to reclaim a 17-point lead thanks to buckets from Caroline Shimp, Schleusner, Riley Bryant, and Icy Keneah. Banks scored a layup with 30 seconds to go, sending the Generals into the break with a 37-22 lead.
- W&L took a 19-point lead early in the third as steals from S. Zimmerman and Quinn McGuinness set up two straight baskets for Mary Schleusner on consecutive possessions. Shenandoah cut the deficit to ten after going on a 10-2 run before the Blue and White scored seven unanswered points to take a 50-33 lead. The scoring run was highlighted by a three-pointer from Megan Zimmerman. Emily Williams and Jessica Littlejohn each knocked down free throws to end the frame, giving the Generals a 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
- Washington and Lee opened the final quarter of play with an 8-2 run, which featured six points from Schleusner and two from S. Zimmerman to give the Generals an 18-point lead. Shuttlewood buried a triple to cut short a 4-1 scoring run from the Hornets with four minutes to go. Reagan Smith knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a 14-point game before Emily Straughn grabbed a defensive rebound to secure the 66-52 win over the Hornets.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Mary Schleusner led all scorers with 29 points while adding 15 rebounds for her 25th double-double of the season. She also added five steals, two blocks, and one assist in the win. Sarah Zimmerman also reached double figures in the victory, scoring 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and two assists. Quinn McGuinness led the team with three assists while adding a pair of steals.
- Addisyn Banks led the Hornets with 16 points while adding nine boards, three assists, and one block. Skai Bayless also posted double-digit points, adding ten points while grabbing three boards and recording two steals.
TEAM STATS
- The Generals moved to 27-0 on the season while moving on to their fourth-straight ODAC Championship. The win also marked the fifth-straight win over the Hornets, dating back to their ODAC Championship win during the 2023-24 season.
- The Blue and White shot 37.9 percent (25-of-66) including a game-high 52.9 percent (9-of-17) in the second quarter. W&L connected on three shots beyond the arc while shooting 72.2 percent (13-of-18) at the free throw line.
- W&L narrowly won the rebounding battle, grabbing 40 boards compared to Shenandoah's 38. The Generals also won the turnover battle by seven, committing only nine turnovers compared to the Hornets' 16. The Blue and White added 38 points in the paint while scoring 18 points off of SU's turnovers. They added 18 points on the fast break while the bench provided 23.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS
- Schleusner is now the all-time leading scorer in ODAC history, surpassing Megan Silva of Randolph-Macon '06 with 2,376 points. She moved up to 8th all-time in Division III history in points as well. Schleusner also became the first player in program history to record 200 blocks during a career, sitting at 204.
- McGuinness moved up to No. 3 all-time in career games played as she suited up for her 114th career game this evening. McGuinness aslo tied Becca Bolton '12 with 275 career assists which ranks sixth in program history.
UP NEXT
- The fourth-ranked Generals will square off against second-seeded Randolph-Macon College for the ODAC Championship tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center.
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.
