Pair of Bearcats Score in Double Figures in Loss Against Washington and Lee

SALEM, Ore. – Senior Elyse Waldal and first-year Gio Horner combined to score 28 points on 10-for-24 shooting from the field, as Willamette University's women's basketball team fell to No. 14-ranked Washington and Lee University, 74-60, Tuesday evening inside Cone Field House.

With tonight's result, Willamette falls to 3-5 on the season. Meanwhile, the nationally-ranked Generals conclude their two-game Oregon road trip with a perfect record improving to 7-1 overall this year.

For the second night in a row, Waldal led all Bearcat scorers with a team-best 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field that included 3-of-7 from beyond the three-point line. Horner, who tallied her eighth double-digit scoring output of the season that includes five straight games with 10-or-more points, added 10 points and was the only other Willamette player in double figures. Peyton Gardner and Alexis Dockter added eight points each, while Emma Floyd pitched in with six points off the Bearcats' bench. On the boards, Daisy Boling-Schmidt grabbed a team-leading nine rebounds for Willamette with Gardner handing out a game-high eight assists for the home team.

The game began with Washington and Lee scoring the first six points over the opening two minutes and 14 seconds before Boling-Schmidt got Willamette on the board with a lay-in at the 7:46 mark of the first quarter. The visiting Generals pushed their lead to 11 points (13-2) on back-to-back baskets from Quinn McGuinness that included a second-chance lay-in followed by a three-pointer with 6:24 on the clock. Over the next nearly six minutes, Willamette used a 13-5 run to get within three points (18-15) on a Floyd three-pointer with 38 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. Unfortunately, the ranked Generals would score the final points of the first quarter to secure a 20-15 lead after the game's first 10 minutes.

Over the opening five-plus minutes of the second quarter, neither team would pull ahead by more than 10 points with Washington and Lee securing a 29-19 lead at the 5:05 mark on a Elka Prechel three-pointer. A jump shot by Waldal would get Willamette within five points (29-24) with just over four minutes on the clock before Washington and Lee closed out the first half on a 9-5 run to secure a 38-29 advantage at halftime.

The third quarter began with Willamette pulling within five points (40-35) thanks to an opening run that included six straight points by Waldal on back-to-back three-pointers, including the final one at the 7:31 mark forcing the visiting Generals to call a 30-second timeout. Just over one minute later, Boling-Schmidt got the host Bearcats back within five points (42-37) on a lay-in with 6:12 left in the quarter. Unfortunately that would be as close as Willamette would get thanks to a 15-0 by Washington and Lee over the next four minutes, as the nationally-ranked Generals pushed their lead to 20 points (57-37) on another Prechel three-pointer with 2:23 left in the third quarter. Washington and Lee closed out the third frame on a 19-1 run resulting in a 61-38 lead after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, Willamette got was within 19 points (67-48) on back-to-back-to-back free throws by Waldal with 5:16 left in the game. Over the final five-plus minutes of the game, the host Bearcats put together a 12-7 run for the final margin of 14 points (74-60) that concluded with a Maya Sanders lay-in to beat the buzzer.

Washington and Lee was led by reigning Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Defensive Player of the Week Mary Schleuser with a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds, while Prechel, who returned to her home state of Oregon this week, added 18 points on six made three-pointers. McGuinness and Riley Bryant aided the Generals' offense with nine points each, while Zou Raine handed out a team-leading six assists for Washington and Lee.

As a team, Willamette combined to shoot 23-for-63 (36.5%) from the field, 9-of-26 (34.6%) from three-point range, and 5-of-6 (83.3%) at the free throw line. On the other hand, Washington and Lee was a combined 29-for-65 (44.6%) from the field, 9-for-24 (37.5%) from long distance, and 7-of-8 (87.5%) at the charity stripe.

Willamette will leave the mainland to close out the calendar year, as the Bearcats travel across the Pacific Ocean to the island of Oahu for two games as part of the Hoops in Hawai'i Classic in Honolulu starting on Saturday, December 21, against Centre College (Ky.). Tip off is scheduled for 3:15 PM (PST) inside the Shark Tank on the campus of Hawai'i Pacific University.