Lexington, VA - After a statement win out of the gates on Saturday, the Southern Virginia University women's basketball team visited another ODAC opponent, the number seven team in the land, Washington and Lee. After a third-quarter surge to cut an early deficit to just two points, the Knights fell short of a victory, 61-69.
In the opening minutes of the first quarter, the Knights were lifted by a couple of defensive stops but were held back by cold shooting. The junior center, Ruth Kempler, eventually took the floor and provided a key scoring threat for the Knights. Kempler put the first six points on the board for the Knights and played strong defensively. The Generals dominated the paint through the opening frame which continued deep into the second quarter. However, the Knights would counter.
Facing their largest deficit of the evening at 12-26, four connections from the free throw line by Addison Newman fueled a Southern Virginia rally. Newman added a layup, and Asia Canty nailed two three-pointers, cutting the lead to as little as seven and providing the Knights some much-needed momentum at the end of the half.
The late second-quarter run proved fruitful as Southern Virginia put together their best quarter of play in the third. Abigail Snyder irritated the Generals with swarming defense and recorded four steals in the game. Perhaps her most important offensive moment came when she and Maria Savvun nailed three-pointers back-to-back, bringing the Knights to within two.
Each time Washington and Lee tried to make a run, the Knights wouldn't break. Addison Newman continued to rack up points until the buzzer sounded for the end of the third quarter. When the teams returned to the floor for the final quarter, Southern Virginia trailed 46-48, putting the nation on upset watch from Lexington.
At the start of the period, a couple of offensive end turnovers set the Knights back, but only briefly. Now behind by eight points, Alyssa Weiland came alive and buried a three-pointer. Weiland and Ruth Kempler traded buckets to keep the Knights within three, and with just under two minutes remaining, Weiland drew a key offensive foul.
The General's preseason All-American, Mary Schleusner, fouled out, leaving the Generals without their best defensive player. Unfortunately for the Knights, a couple of clutch baskets by their opponents and a turnover on the offensive end would be their undoing. They couldn't bridge the gap, losing 61-69 and narrowly missing out on their first victory over a top-ten team in program history.
Despite the loss, the Knights proved they can play with some of the best teams in the country and are poised for a nationally relevant season. Addison Newman led the team in scoring with 16 points and made nine of her ten free-throw attempts. A noticeable advantage for Southern Virginia were the contributions they received from their bench. They outscored Washington and Lee 22-8 in that category, and were led by Ruth Kempler's 14 points.
Next, the Knights will look forward to their home opener on Saturday, November 16th, when they host Randolph College at 4:00 PM. For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_wbb on Instagram.
