LEXINGTON, Va. - The third-ranked Washington and Lee University women's basketball team opens up the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday night as they take on St. Mary's College of Maryland at 8 p.m.
W&L & SMCM - HOW THEY GOT HERE
The Generals (28-0) are making their fifth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and hosting the opening weekend for the second time in three seasons after earning the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) automatic bid. They earned the league's AQ after defeating Randolph-Macon, 67-56, to secure their third conference crown in the last four seasons and fourth overall. The Generals own the longest winning streak in program history at 28 games while holding the second-most wins in program history behind the 2023-24 squad, which posted 29 wins on its way to an appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
The Seahawks are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1999 and the third in program history. They hoisted their first United East title in program history after defeating Penn State-Abington 73-47 on Sunday. St. Mary's (Md.) enters the NCAA Tournament with a 24-5 overall record and arrives in Lexington riding a 16-game winning streak.
GENERALS BY THE NUMBERS:
The Generals are led into the opening weekend by three-time ODAC Player of the Year and four-time ODAC Defensive Player of the Year, senior
Mary Schleusner. She paces the Blue and White with 21.5 points and 17.0 rebounds per game while knocking down 50 percent of her field goal attempts. Schleusner leads Division III in double-doubles with 26 while ranking second in field goals (231) and defensive rebounds per game (11.4). She also ranks third in total rebounds (458) and points (581), fourth in rebounds per game (17.0), and eighth in offensive rebounds per game (5.6). This season, Schleusner has broken the NCAA Division III record for career double-doubles and rebounds while becoming the ODAC's all-time leading scorer and career record holder for blocks.
Seniors Quinn McGuinness and Sarah Zimmerman follow in scoring at 10.0 and 9.6 points per game, respectively. McGuinness adds a team-high 86 assists and 42 steals while being one of the squad's top three-point threats at 39.2 percent (29-of-74). S. Zimmerman is a threat on both ends of the floor, knocking down 47.0 percent of her field goals (71-of-151) with 43 assists, the third-most on the team, while registering 28 steals and 31 blocks.
Junior Riley Bryant (6.4) and first-year Sam Collins (6.0) follow the trio as scoring contributors for the Blue and White. Bryant is shooting 45.8 percent (66-of-144) from the floor while averaging 5.4 rebounds per game, the second-most on the team, with 19 blocks. Collins has connected on 28 triples, one behind McGuinness this season, with a 30.4 percent clip from beyond the arc.
The Generals are averaging 74.1 points per game while limiting their opponents to an average of 52.9 per contest. The Blue and White have the 15th-best field goal defense (.328) in Division III this season while ranking fifth in rebounding margin (13.0), 10th in rebounds per game (47.75), and 11th in blocks per game (5.0). Offensively, the Generals rank 22nd in the nation in scoring offense (74.1 ppg) with 2,075 points, the ninth-most in Division III, while ranking 13th in scoring margin (21.2).
SEAHAWKS BY THE NUMBERS:
The Seahawks boast a trio of players averaging double-digit points this season, including Olivia Liszt, the United East Player of the Year, who leads the team with 14.5 points per game on 47.7 percent (146-of-306) shooting from the field. She's also added 55 steals this season with 45 assists. Keira Mason has posted 13.1 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting to go along with a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game and 24 blocks. Tramaire Mobray rounds out the trio with 10.0 points per game on 48.2 percent shooting while leading the team with 98 assists and 69 steals.
Sam Blaylock is the top threat for St. Mary's from deep, as she has knocked down a team-high 62 triples in 168 attempts for a 36.9 percent clip while averaging 9.3 points per game, the fourth-most on the team.
St. Mary's is averaging 74.8 points per game, the 17th-most in Division III, while ranking second in the nation in bench points (37.1 ppg) and sixth in total points (2.094). They also rank 10th in scoring margin at plus 21.9 and third in turnover margin (11.96). Defensively, they limit teams to 52.9 points per game while ranking fourth in turnovers forced per game (28.7) and sixth in steals per game (16.2).
GETTYSBURG & CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT QUICK HITTERS:
This season, the 14th-ranked Captains have been led by Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year Madison McKenzie with 12.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Christopher Newport has also been led by seniors McKenna Snively and Hailey Kellogg this season. Snively is pouring in a career-high 9.9 points per game, while Kellogg has dished a career-high 97 assists. Sydney Worsham has provided 10.2 points per game off the bench, adding 2.7 rebounds per game with 25 steals and 11 assists. Jessica Dornak, Elizabeth Creed, and Noelle Cabiness all have 20 or more blocks this season, with Dornak leading the squad with 25.
The Captains are averaging 75.3 points per game this season, the 13th-best scoring offense in Division III, while allowing 57.3 per game with a plus-5.6 rebounding
margin. CNU heads into the tournament with a 23-4 overall record while riding an eight-game winning streak into the opening weekend. They rank seventh in Division III in offensive rebounds per game (18.2) while ranking eighth in turnover margin (9.89) and turnovers forced per game (26.9), and ninth in steals per game (15.3).
Gettysburg is one of the top defensive teams in the nation, ranking ninth nationally in field-goal percentage defense (.323) while holding opponents to just 55.0 points per game. The Bullets are led by Kimberly Hopkins with 9.0 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game. Olivia Jones follows Hopkins with 8.2 points per game, while six other members of the team average at least 5.0 points per game. Skylar Reale leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game, registering a team-high 43 steals with 13 blocks. Briana Robles has dished out a team-high 51 assists this season with 30 steals, averaging 5.1 points per game.
Gettysburg is heading into Friday's matchup with a 21-6 overall record and seven consecutive wins, including a win over then-No. 3 Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference Championship game. The Bullets are averaging 66.4 points per game this season while ranking 19th in free-throw percentage at 74.8 percent.
Friday's meeting in the NCAA First Round will be the fifth all-time between the Bullets and Captains and the second time in the NCAA Tournament. The Captains have walked away victorious in all four previous matchups, including an 82-78 win in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Fans without a University ID are encouraged to secure tickets in advance through HomeTown Ticketing.
Children under the age of 3: Free | Children (ages 3–12), Students (with a student ID), Seniors (65+): $10 | Adults: $15
Special W&L Complimentary Admission Information
The first 300 W&L undergraduate and law students will receive complimentary admission, courtesy of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students and the Office of Student Affairs.*
Current W&L faculty and staff are also eligible for complimentary admission, sponsored by the University. A valid W&L ID must be presented at the ticket table.*
The Office of Alumni Engagement will cover admission for alumni throughout the weekend. Alumni may gain entry by sharing their class year at the ticket table (guests are responsible for purchasing their own tickets). Alumni Engagement will also distribute pom-poms and rally rags inside Holekamp Gym prior to Friday's game. Should the Generals advance, alumni admission will again be covered for Saturday's second-round contest.
*Complimentary admission applies to the W&L ID cardholder (one ticket per valid ID) and alumni only. The University and Alumni Engagement will not cover admission for family members or guests. Guest tickets must be purchased separately through HomeTown Ticketing.
W&L Women's Basketball T-Shirt Giveaway
Fans, families and friends are invited to pick up a free commemorative T-shirt at the University Store registers on Friday from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., while supplies last. The University encourages all members of the W&L community attending Friday's game to wear the shirt in support of the Generals.
If W&L advances to Saturday night's contest and supplies remain, T-shirts will also be available on Saturday during regular University Store hours from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
The Bullets and Captains will kick off the weekend on Friday at 5:30 p.m. followed by the third-ranked Generals and Seahawks at 8 p.m. The two winning teams will then meet on Saturday night at 8 p.m., with the winner punching their ticket to the Round of 16 next weekend.
Live stats and live streams will be provided for all three games throughout the weekend at the following links: Live Stats |
Live Video (Gettysburg vs. CNU) |
Live Video (W&L vs. SMCM)
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.
