Junior guard Sam Partonen scored 16 points and added seven assists and junior Aby Diop collected another double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds as the 19th ranked University of Mary Washington women's basketball team topped Washington & Lee University, 56-38, on Thursday night at the Anderson Center. The Eagles improve to 5-1 on the year.
The Generals were able to stay close early, and trailed, 24-19, at halftime, as neither team shot well in the opening frame. The Generals shot 31.8%, while UMW shot just 23.3%, but thanks to 12 WLU turnovers, the Eagles were able to lead at the break.
In the second, UMW warmed up, shooting 48%, while the Generals stayed cold at 25%. UMW opened the half on an 8-2 run to lead, 32-21, with 15:15 remaining. Leading 39-29 with 10:25 left, UMW went on a 6-0 run over a four minute span to lead 45-29, with 6:36 on the clock.
The Eagles led by as many as 20 in the waning minutes before claiming an 18-point win. The Eagles led in rebounds, 40-33, and had 15 assists to 13 turnovers. Aubrey Howland added eight points and seven rebounds for UMW.
The Eagles will return to action on Saturday when they host Frostburg State University at 1:00 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the UMW men. All fans bringing a new unopened toy for Toys for Tots will recieve a free general admission ticket for Saturday's twinbill.