Washington and Lee University
W&L VS. HOLLINS: The Generals own a 21-6 all-time record vs. HU and defeated them twice last season. W&L has won the last six contests with Hollins, dating back to a 67-65 loss on Jan. 23, 2004 in Hollins, Va. Last year, W&L downed Hollins, 90-26, on Nov. 28, and also won, 86-44, on Feb. 13.
SCOUTING HOLLINS: Hollins enters the week with an 0-5 overall mark and a 0-3 ODAC record. On Friday, HU dropped a 76-46 decision at Guilford, and also lost to Emory & Henry, 98-55, on Saturday. On the season, HU has two players averaging double-figures in scoring. Freshman guard Tamara Phillips is posting 13.5 points per game and senior forward Nicole Grant is averaging 11.2 points per outing.
UP NEXT: W&L will take a 30-day hiatus for the holidays before playing Bridgewater on Jan. 5.
LAST MEETING WITH HOLLINS (2/13/07): Forward Hayley James registered her first career double-double (18 pts, 11 rbs) as W&L posted an 87-44 victory over Hollins. Hollins held a 13-12 advantage with 10:11 to play in the first half, but the Generals closed out the half with a 31-4 run to take a 43-17 lead into the break. W&L kept its double-digit lead the entire second half and cruised to the 87-44 final. The Blue and White shot 49.3 percent (33-67) from the floor in the contest and out-rebounded Hollins, 54-29. Additionally, W&L set a new program record for three-pointers made in a game (10-24) and tied a program mark for blocks in a game (11). James shot 7-of-9 from the floor and hit 4-of-5 from long range as she paced four players in double-figures for the Generals. Senior center Jessica Hunsinger registered 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and tied her own program record with nine blocks. Freshman guard Lauren Heitshusen tallied career highs in points (12) and rebounds (9), while center Kaitlyn Kamp also added 12 points. Hollins was led by forward Nicole Grant’s 19 points and nine rebounds, while Ashleigh Smith contributed 17 markers.
KING OF THE GENERALS: Mandy King (Southern Maine ’98) is in her fifth season as head women’s basketball coach at W&L and has a career record of 50-60 (.455). King is assisted by Kristen McCandless (TCNJ ’03), who is in her third season.
W&L vs. NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE: This is just the second all-time meeting between the Builders and the Generals. Last season, the two teams met for the first time and Apprentice was victorious, 50-46.
LAST MEETING WITH THE BUILDERS (11/21/06): The Washington and Lee women’s basketball team dropped its first contest of the 2006-07 season, falling to Apprentice School, 50-46, in Newport News, Va. The Generals trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but cut the Builders’ lead to six points, 23-17, going into the break. W&L opened the second half with an 9-4 run to cut the lead to two points, 27-25, with 16:37 to play in regulation, yet could never get any closer as the home-standing Builders held on for the four-point victory. The Generals were led by senior center Jessica Hunsinger, who notched her first double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Bethany Ridenhour added eight points. Apprentice forced the Blue and White to 27 turnovers. The Builders were led by Rahshann Lewter’s 12 points and Tia Walker, who added 11 points. Ashley Barlow contributed 10 points and a team-high nine boards.
SCOUTING NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE: The Builders enter the week with a 2-4 record and split their contests over the weekend. They defeated Norwich, 64-50, but lost to St. Lawrence, 86-54, at the Hockenbury Tournament hosted Norwich University. Newport News has also faced off against fellow ODAC member, Lynchburg, and was defeated by the Hornets, 69-53, on Nov. 17. On the season, the Builders are led by senior guard Tyechia Cooke’s 11.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest and junior guard Rahshann Lewter, who is averaging 10.3 points and 3.0 assists per outing. Freshman forward Tyisha Battle has totaled 10.0 points per contest, a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game and is shooting .500 percent (24-48) from the field.
THIS JUST IN: Virginia Wesleyan used a 33-2 run between the first and second halves to hand W&L a 61-44 loss in ODAC women’s basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Warner Center. W&L led by seven points, 24-17, with 5:55 to play in the first half. However, a pair of foul shots by junior guard Bryttani Payton at 4:56 keyed the aforementioned run and the Marlins led by six (30-24) at the half. VWC then extended its advantage to 24 points (50-26) with 11:31 to play in the contest en route to the 17-point victory. The Marlins (5-1, 2-0) held a 42-38 advantage on the boards and forced 20 W&L turnovers. The Generals were led by senior forward Kristen Krouchick’s 15 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Emily Wolff added nine points and six boards.
WELL-ROUNDED GAME: There is a reason senior Kristen Krouchick is listed as a guard slash forward -- she plays both positions and both ends of the floor equally well. In 2006-07, she was first on the squad in points (13.5 ppg), second in rebounds (6.8 rpg), tallied five double-doubles and recorded three 20+-point games. She also scored in double-figures in all but seven games. She currently owns 1,126 points (sixth all-time at W&L), 455 rebounds, 130 steals and 156 assists in her career. This season, she is averaging a team-best 12.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. In a 76-66 loss to Alvernia, she tallied her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Also, Krouchick tallied a season-high 21 points and eight rebounds in a 62-59 win over Mary Baldwin on Nov. 27.
“HURRIKANE” AMANDA: An athletic and physical player, senior forward Amanda Kane can be a devastating player for opponents to guard as she can score from all areas of the floor -- from the perimeter to the paint. So far this season, Kane is posting a second-best 9.0 ppg and 5.7 rpg. She has scored in double-figures in three games, totaling 10 markers against Alvernia, 13 points against Mary Washington and 10 points against Mary Baldwin.
TAKING CENTER STAGE: Sophomore center Kaitlyn Kamp showed that she’s ready for the limelight with her performance in the Generals’ 62-59 win over Mary Baldwin on Nov. 28. Kamp tied a career-high with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and pulled down a season-high eight rebounds. This season, Kamp is averaging 3.8 ppg and 3.6 rpg.
KEEP ‘EM UNDER 60: Sixty is a magic number for W&L, at least where the defense is concerned. Against MBC, the Generals held the Squirrels to 59 points and last season, W&L held teams to 60 points or less on 13 occasions and held a 12-1 record in those contests. Additionally, the W&L defense allowed Mary Baldwin to shoot just 28.1 percent from the field. Last year, the Blue and White appeared in the Division III rankings in field-goal percentage defense (15th - .335) and keep opponents under 30.0 percent on 10 occasions, which were all victories for W&L.
FREE THROW WOES: The Generals have not been taking advantage of their opportunities from the foul line this season. They are averaging 58.9 percent (66-112) from the line, compared to their opponents’ 70.6 percent shooting (96-136). Also, W&L has hit just 47.6 percent (10-21) of their attempts in the final five minutes and overtime. The Blue and White opened the season with a season-best 71.4 percent outing (20-28) from the line in a 76-66 loss to Alvernia, but have not broken 70 percent since then. Senior forward Kristen Krouchick (14-18, .778) and freshman guard Allie Long (2-2, 1.000) are the only players averaging over 70 percent from the line, while there are four players averaging 56 percent or less on the season.
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