Denison Den 28-2,14-1 NCAC

Wash. & Lee WLU 31-1,16-0 ODAC

Denison Den

28-2,14-1 NCAC

Final

Mar. 14, 2026

Wash. & Lee WLU

31-1,16-0 ODAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Denison Den	24	14	12	27	77
Wash. & Lee WLU	16	12	22	14	64

Summary
Box Score

Keith Lucas/Sideline Media

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 3/15/2026 1:22:00 AM

No. 3 Women’s Basketball Falls to No. 8 Denison in the NCAA Quarterfinals

LEXINGTON, Va. - In a game that featured six lead changes and eight ties, the third-ranked Washington and Lee University women's basketball teams battled for 40 minutes inside a packed Holekamp Gym on Saturday night but ultimately fell to No. 8 Denison University, 77-64, in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams traded buckets to start the game before Adelyn Moore and Ada Taute buried back-to-back triples to take a 10-6 lead. The Generals (31-1) responded quickly as Mary Schleusner tallied four points before Sam Collins knocked down a three-pointer to give the Blue and White their first lead of the game. However, the Big Red (28-2) ended the first frame on a 14-5 run thanks to nine unanswered points in the final two minutes to head into the second quarter with an eight-point lead.
The Generals and Big Red played a fairly even second quarter with both teams trading baskets before Molly Dorighi knocked down a foul shot and Brooke Toigo added a jumper to give Denison a 37-27 lead. Each team knocked down a free throw at the end of the quarter to send the Big Red into the break with a ten-point lead, the largest deficit W&L has faced this season heading into halftime.
Mary Schleusner kicked off the scoring with a jumper before Dorighi made it a 12-point game after registering a layup and making a pair of shots from the free-throw line. The Generals trimmed that lead down over the next three minutes, rattling off 10 unanswered points thanks to six points from Schleusner, including two fast-break layups off steals, and buckets from Riley Bryant and Collins. Toigo and Dorighi both went 1-of-2 at the foul line in consecutive trips to make it a four-point game which was followed by an 8-2 W&L run to take a 48-46 lead, their first lead since 3:36 in the 1st quarter, with 1:34 remaining in the third. Quinn McGuinness added four points while Schleusner and Icy Keneah each added a layup during the scoring stretch. Abby Cooch ended the third with a layup to deadlock the score at 50 heading into the final quarter of play.
Denison kicked off the fourth with an 8-2 run to claim a six-point lead. McGuinness and Schleusner combined for a 4-0 run to trim the lead to two, but back-to-back three-pointers from Dorighi and Taute opened up the lead for the Big Red with four minutes to play. Collins responded with a triple of her own, but Denison capped off the fourth with a 13-5 run to secure a 77-64 upset win and punch its ticket to the National Semifinals for the first time in program history.

TOP PERFORMERS

Mary Schleusner led all scorers with 27 points while grabbing 29 rebounds, adding three blocks and three steals. Quinn McGuinness added 11 points while dishing out a pair of assists with two steals. Sam Collins also reached double figures for the Blue and White, scoring 10 points off the bench as she knocked down a pair of triples. Sarah Zimmerman added eight points while adding two assists, five rebounds, two steals and one block.
The Big Red had four players in double figures this evening with Ada Taute leading the way with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor while going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Molly Dorghi added 19, with 14 coming from the foul line, while registering two steals, a block, and an assist. Abby Cooch scored 12 points with a pair of clutch baskets down the stretch while dishing out a team-high three assists. Brooke Toigo provided 10 points off the bench with a pair of three-pointers to go along with two assists, one steal, and one block. Anelly Mad-toingué registered a game-high six blocks while grabbing 15 boards.

TEAM STATS

The Blue and White shot a season-low 28.0 percent (23-of-82) from the floor while knocking down four three-pointers. They shot 82.4% from the free-throw line, making 14 of their 17 foul shots.
W&L narrowly won the rebounding battle, grabbing 53 compared to Denison's 49. They also lost the turnover battle by a thin margin, committing 19 compared to the Big Red's 17.
The Generals scored 30 points in the paint while adding 13 off Denison's turnovers and 14 on fast breaks. The bench provided 21 points while they scored 24 second-chance points.

END OF SEASON NOTES

The Generals cap off the most successful season in program history with a 31-1 overall record, advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons while hoisting their fourth Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) crown in program history. W&L set new standards for the program, breaking the program record for wins (31), winning streak (31), and winning percentage (.969) while posting the second-longest winning streak inside Holekamp Gym with 18 consecutive victories on their home floor.
Mary Schleusner finished off her incredible career with the Blue and White as the program leader in career points (2,483), points per game (20.4), rebounds (1,992), rebounds per game (16.3), steals (215), and blocks (348) while playing in the second-most games with 122. She ends her career as the Division III all-time leading rebounder and the career leader in double-doubles with 97. She ranks seventh all-time in Division III history in career points and rebounding average while sitting second all-time among Divisions I, II, and III in career rebounds and third in career double-doubles.
Elka Prechel played in her 123rd career game this evening, the most in program history, while ending her career ranked third in career three-pointers made with 246. Quinn McGuinness finished her career ranked third in games played (119), fifth in career assists (289), and 10th in free throws made (237). Sarah Zimmerman donned the Blue and White for the 100th time this evening and caps off her career with the fifth-most blocks in program history with 119.