SALEM, Va. – The Washington and Lee women's basketball team shot just 28.4 percent (19-67) from the floor in falling to Roanoke by a score of 72-55 in the Bast Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Generals (5-15, 3-9) hung within two possessions of the lead until an 18-4 run stretched a six-point lead (20-14) out to 18 points (38-20) with just 1:40 left in the first half. W&L hit just 1-of-11 shots from the floor over a stretch of 7:09 as the Maroons (10-10, 6-6) seized control of the contest behind seven points from senior guard Laurel Hankins.
W&L shot just 9-of-34 (.265) from the floor and was 2-of-11 (.182) from three in the first half en route to a 38-24 deficit at the break.
Roanoke then opened the second half with a 13-4 surge behind six points from senior guard Paxton Gwin to open a 51-28 lead with 13:39 left in the game. The Generals cut it to a 13-point game (57-44) with 8:29 left following a 10-2 run that featured five points from first-year guard Cam Tyler (Stevensville, Mich. / Lakeshore), but Roanoke went on an immediate 8-0 run and W&L never challenged from that point forward.
The Generals committed just 12 turnovers in the contest, but simply could not overcome their frigid shooting. Sophomore forwards Shelbi Hendricks (Louisville, Ky. / Kentucky Country Day) and Katie Wildes (Massapequa Park, N.Y. / Our Lady of Mercy Academy), and Tyler tied for the team lead with nine points each. Junior guard Annie Gauf (Vienna, Va. / James Madison) added eight points and tied a career high with nine rebounds. However, she hit just 3-of-18 shots from the field.
Gwin paced the Maroons with 20 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Junior guard Tatum McKee chipped in 12 points and a game-high 13 boards. As a team, Roanoke shot 41.7 percent (30-72) from the floor while holding a 49-43 advantage on the glass.
Washington and Lee returns to action on Wednesday as it hosts Randolph for a 7:00 pm contest.