WEEK 11 - ODAC TOURNAMENT

Game 26 • #6 W&L (12-13, 9-11) vs. #3 Emory & Henry (21-4, 17-3)
February 21, 2002, 2002 • 8:00 pm
Salem Civic Center

PROBABLE STARTERS: 2001-02 Stats
#22 Emily Barker, Fr., F, 5-11 6.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.6 apg
#24 Bethany Dannelly, Fr., G, 5-5 3.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 6.0 apg
#34 Megan Babst, Sr., C, 6-1 19.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.1 bpg
#40 Sarah Schmidt, Sr., G, 5-7 6.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 apg
#44 Jessica Mentz, Sr., F, 5-9 19.6 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 1.6 spg

OFF THE BENCH:
#10/14 Alison Kudlacik, Sr., G, 5-8 0.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.2 apg
#12 Peggy Altman, Fr., G, 5-6 0.0 ppg, 0.2 rpg, 0.0 apg
#20 Heather Coleman, So., G, 5-8 0.6 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.4 apg
#32 Elizabeth Igo, Jr., G, 5-6 1.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.5 apg
#42 Carter Thomas, Sr., G, 5-8 1.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.5 apg
#50 Austin Calhoun, Jr., F, 5-10 0.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.2 spg

THE HEAD COACHES: Janet Hollack (Florida International ‘88) is in her second season at the helm of the General women’s basketball team. Hollack guided the Generals to an overall record of 8-16 last year, including a 6-14 mark in the ODAC. Hollack has compiled a career-record of 20-29 (.408) in her time at W&L. The second-year head coach is assisted by Bryan Snyder, a 1995 graduate of W&L. In the fall, Snyder guided the Generals volleyball team to the NCAA South Region Semifinals and a record of 30-5. Emory & Henry is led by 20th-year Head Coach Joy Scruggs (Tennessee). In her 20 years at the helm, the Wasps have compiled a 301-220 (.578) record, including an 11-5 record against the Generals. Scruggs recorded her 300th career victory in last Tuesday’s 73-65 victory at W&L.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Emory & Henry claims an 11-5 advantage in the all-time series with W&L. The Wasps have won six of the last seven meetings between the two schools, however, this year’s season series was split with each team winning away from home.

SCOUTING EMORY & HENRY: The Wasps enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed, having won 13 straight contests since a 77-62 loss to W&L on Jan. 12. Emory & Henry, which has also won 19 of its last 20 games, defeated Guilford, 77-53, in its final regular season game on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Kelly Smith led the way with 26 points and 12 boards. For the season, Smith, who was the 2001 ODAC Player of the Year, leads the Wasps with averages of 15.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Erin Connelly contributes 10.1 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds per contest, while senior forward Jenny Gibson adds 9.8 points and 6.1 boards per game. As a team, Emory & Henry is shooting 39.4 percent from the field, 67.5 percent from the charity stripe and an ODAC-best 32.2 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

LAST TIME VS. EMORY & HENRY (2/12/02): Despite a career-high 22 points from senior guard Sarah Schmidt the Washington and Lee women’s basketball team was defeated by Emory & Henry, 73-65. The Generals fell behind 27-17 midway through the first half, however, clawed back to trail by only five points (39-34) at halftime. W&L grabbed its first lead of the second half (46-45) on a three-pointer from Schmidt with 13:01 to play. The Wasps used a 15-7 run over the next nine minutes of action to assume a 60-53 lead with 4:14 left. The Generals managed to cut the deficit to three points (66-63) on another three-pointer from Schmidt with 1:04 to play in the game. However, on the ensuing possession, E&H’s Dawn Chewning nailed a three-pointer and the Wasps converted 4-of-4 free throws down the stretch to ice the victory. Schmidt tallied her 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Jessica Mentz tallied 16 points and six rebounds, while senior center Megan Babst added 14 points, six boards and three blocked shots. Four players from E&H reached double figures in points led by senior guard Kelly Smith who scored 18 and also grabbed eight rebounds.

LAST TIME OUT (2/16/02): The Washington and Lee women’s basketball team clinched the sixth seed in the ODAC Tournament with a 58-56 victory at Hollins. The Generals, who claimed a 30-29 lead at halftime, found themselves down nine points (45-36) with 11:06 to play in the game after Hollins began the second half on a 16-6 run. W&L used a 15-0 run over the next seven minutes of action to assume a 51-45 lead. Hollins managed to cut its deficit to two points with 22 seconds to play. After a missed free throw by W&L, Hollins had a chance to send the game into overtime, however, a baseline jumper at the buzzer came up short. The Generals were paced by senior forward Jessica Mentz who tallied 19 points and 10 rebounds. Senior center Megan Babst added 15 points and five boards, while senior guard Sarah Schmidt added 11 points and five assists. Hollins was led by Brandi Cochran who scored a game-high 21 points.

W&L’S LAST TOURNAMENT GAME (2/24/00): Washington and Lee committed 18 turnovers and shot just 29 percent in the first half en route to dropping a 72-58 game to Roanoke in the quarterfinals of the ODAC Tournament in Salem, Va. The Maroons, propelled by a 42 percent first half shooting effort, cruised to a 40-21 halftime advantage. The Generals clawed back in the second half to cut the Roanoke lead to 12 points (66-54) with 3:13 remaining, but could get no closer as their season ended. For the game, W&L committed 26 turnovers and shot just 35 percent from the floor. Roanoke shot just 24 percent in the second half, but committed only 14 turnovers for the game. Jessica Mentz led the Generals with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Ansley Miller scored 11 points to end her career with a then school-record 1,165 points, while Carter Thomas tallied 10 points and five rebounds. Megan Babst added 11 rebounds for the Generals. Roanoke was led by Suzanne Webb with 14 points, while Crystal Barrett added 13 points and 15 rebounds.

W&L IN THE ODAC TOURNAMENT: W&L has played in five ODAC Tournament games in its eight years of eligibility for the postseason tournament. The Generals have compiled an all-time record of 1-4 and have never met Emory & Henry in the ODAC Tournament. The following is a breakdown of how W&L has fared against members of the ODAC in the tournament:

Guilford (0-1)
Randolph-Macon (0-2)
Roanoke (0-1)
Virginia Wesleyan (1-0)

SIMPLY “MEG”NIFICENT: Senior center Megan Babst has compiled some stellar numbers during her four year career. The 6-foot-1 Babst has averaged 12.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest over 98 career games. The holder of nine school-records, Babst is the all-time leading shot blocker in W&L history with 190. With five more blocks this season, she will also break her single-season mark of 57 which she set a year ago. Babst played her finest game of the season when she scored a career-high 34 points and grabbed 12 boards to lead the Generals 77-62 upset at Emory & Henry on Jan. 12.

A HELPING HAND: Freshman point guard Bethany Dannelly has been instrumental in directing the Generals offense this season. The 5-foot-5 Dannelly finished the season leading the ODAC with 6.0 assists per contest and has dished out a W&L single-season record 150 helpers. Dannelly also set the W&L single-game assist record when she handed out 11 assists in a 62-37 victory over Lynchburg on Jan. 16.

FIVE STAR GENERAL: Senior forward Jessica Mentz has been the top player to ever come through the W&L women’s basketball program. The 5-foot-9 Mentz claims 20 school records and can tie the W&L record for games played in a season with her 26th tonight. For her career, Mentz has averaged 17.1 points and 9.6 boards per contest. Following is a list of the records Mentz has set during her career at W&L:

Points in a season - 496 (2000-01)
Points in a game - 37 vs. EMU (2/7/01)
Points in a career - 1,713 (1998-present)
Season scoring average - 20.3 (2000-01)
Career scoring average - 17.1 (1998-present)
Field goals made in a career - 606 (1998-present)
Field goals attempted in a career - 1,159 (1998-present)
Season field goal % - 57.3 (145-253), 1998-99
Career field goal % - 52.3 (606-1,159), 1998-present
Free throws made in a game - 15 vs. Lesley (11/19/00)
Free throws made in a season - 160 (2000-01)
Free throws made in a career - 501 (1998-present)
Free throws attempted in a game - 17, (1/28/99)
Free throws attempted in a season - 197 (2001-02)
Free throws attempted in a career - 664 (1998-present)
Free throw % in a game - 1.000 (11-11), at Shenandoah, 11/21/00
Rebounds in a season - 289 (2001-02)
Rebounds in a career - 955 (1998-present)
Career rebounding average - 9.6 (1998-present)
Games played in a career - 100 (1998-present)

THE CENTURY MARK: When senior guard Carter Thomas steps on the floor tonight, she will join teammate Jessica Mentz as the only players in W&L history to play in 100 career games. In Saturday’s win at Hollins, Thomas also moved into second place on the all-time steals list at W&L with 147 swipes.

EASY AS 1, 2, 3: Senior guard Sarah Schmidt has been on a tear from beyond the three-point arc. In her last five games, Schmidt is has connected on 13-of-26 (.500) three-pointers. In the last meeting with Emory & Henry, Schmidt tallied a career-high 22 points, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.

LUCKY No. 6?: The Generals will be trying to break a bad trend as they enter the ODAC Tournament seeded sixth. In the 19 years of postseason play in the ODAC, no number six seed has ever defeated a squad seeded number three.

IT’S BEEN AWHILE: It has been more than a month since Emory & Henry last tasted defeat. After opening the season with a 2-3 record, the Wasps have won 13 straight games and 19-of-20. In fact, the last time Emory & Henry lost was on Jan. 12, when the Generals handed the Wasps a 77-62 setback at the King Center in Emory, Va.

THE BIG SIX-O: When Washington and Lee scores 60 or more points this season, it is a good bet that the Generals will come away with a victory. In their 25 games this year, the Generals scored at least 60 points in 10 of them and compiled a 7-3 record. W&L put up a season-high 77 points in its victory over Emory & Henry on Jan. 12.

WORKING OVERTIME: The Generals played in only two overtime games this season and posted a 1-1 record in those games. W&L defeated Randolph-Macon in double overtime (76-71) in the ODAC opener for both squads on Dec. 1. The Generals also lost in overtime at Roanoke, 71-62, on Jan. 20.

STREAKERS: Earlier this season, W&L tied a school-record with five consecutive victories, including three straight road wins at Virginia Wesleyan, Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and Emory & Henry. The Generals also knocked off Lynchburg and Hollins at the Warner Center during the streak.

DYNAMIC DUO: W&L senior forward Jessica Mentz and senior center Megan Babst combined to lead the Generals in scoring in 22-of-25 games this season. The duo was also tops on the squad in rebounding in 24-of-25 contests. Mentz led W&L in scoring 12 times and rebounding 15 times, while Babst was led the Generals in scoring for 11 games and in rebounding nine times.

NOT IN OUR HOUSE: The Generals set a single-season school-record by blocking 102 shots this season. Led by senior center Megan Babst, who has blocked an ODAC-best 53 shots, W&L shattered the previous school-record of 90 blocked shots set last season.

STARK CONTRAST: There is a noticeable difference in the rosters of Washington and Lee and Emory & Henry. Of the 11 players on the Generals roster there are five seniors, two juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen. The Wasps claim a much younger squad as they boast only two seniors, two juniors, four sophomores and five freshmen.

THIEVES: The Generals will have to take extra-special care of the basketball against the Wasps, as E&H ranked first in the ODAC with an average of 12.8 steals per contest.

ODAC LEADERS: Several players from W&L were ranked among the conference leaders at the end of the season. Below is a list of those who were ranked in the top-10:

Points per game - Jessica Mentz (19.6 ppg), 2nd; Megan Babst (19.2 ppg), 3rd
Rebounds per game - Jessica Mentz (11.6 rpg), 1st; Megan Babst (10.1 rpg), 3rd
Field goal % - Jessica Mentz (.494) 3rd; Megan Babst (.433), 6th
Assists per game - Bethany Dannelly (6.0 apg), 1st
Free throw % - Jessica Mentz (.741), 9th
Blocked shots - Megan Babst (2.1 bpg), 1st

WHO’S IN?: Out of the 11 teams in the league, only eight qualified to participate in the conference tourney. Below is a breakdown of the tournament bracket and schedule. The tournament champion will receive the ODAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships.

QUARTERFINALS
Game #1: Thursday, February 21, 12:30 pm
No. 1 Guilford vs. No. 8 Hollins
Game #2: Thursday, February 21, 2:30 pm
No. 4 Roanoke vs. No. 5 Randolph-Macon
Game #3: Thursday, February 21, 6:00 pm
No. 2 Bridgewater vs. No. 7 Eastern Mennonite
Game #4: Thursday, February 21, 8:00 pm
No. 3 Emory & Henry vs. No. 6 Washington and Lee

SEMIFINALS:
Game #5: Friday, February 22, 1:00 pm
Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game #6: Friday, February 22, 3:00 pm
Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner

FINALS:
Game #7: Saturday, February 23, 2:00 pm
Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner

-- GENERALS --