Mary Schleusner came up big again in the Generals' 61-56 road win at No. 3 Rhode Island College. Photo by Steve LaBonte, d3photography.com

Mary Schleusner dominated once again in Washington and Lee's upset victory over previously unbeaten Rhode Island College in the Providence sectional semifinals. Elsewhere, Wartburg won on a near-buzzer beater and a pair of Pioneers pushed into the Elite 8 with late wins in the 2024 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament.

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No 19 Washington and Lee took 38 fewer shots than No. 3 Rhode Island College and shot 56 percent from the foul line, but the Generals had Mary Schleusner and that was enough to upset the Anchorwomen, 61-55.

Schleusner opened the game by scoring all 12 of the Generals’ first quarter points and grabbing all but two of their rebounds in that period, and she only got better from there. She finished with 34 points and 33 rebounds, breaking her own NCAA Tournament rebounding record from last weekend. Schleusner now has 103 points and 86 rebounds in three Tournament games.

Even with those eye-popping numbers, Rhode Island College still had a chance to pull out the victory. Trailing 58-53 in the final minute, RIC’s Olivia Middleton slashed to the rim for a layup, cutting the Generals' lead to three points. On the ensuing W&L possession, Schleusner was fouled and missed both free throws, giving the Anchorwomen a chance to tie, but RIC missed the potential game-tying three and the ball landed out of bounds. Schleusner split a pair of free throws and Sarah Zimmerman added two more to seal the victory.

Rhode Island College struggled against the Generals’ defense, shooting 28 percent from the field and 3-for-23 from behind the arc. The Anchorwomen also shot 4 for 16 from the foul line.

The most dramatic finish of the night came on that same floor, as No. 7 Wartburg edged Bates, 54-53., on a near buzzer beater. Wartburg took a 50-46 lead with 2:38 to play on Macy Harris’ jumper, but the Bobcats responded with a 7-0 run, capped by Morgan Kennedy’s basket with 23 seconds left. Down by three, Wartburg went to Jaedon Murphy who scored a layup to pull the Knights within 53-52. After Bates missed two free throws, Harris struck again, this time hitting the game-winning jumper with 0.1 seconds left.

No. 14 Smith got a late basket and a late stop to beat No. 17 UW-Oshkosh, 61-59, at the Lewiston, Maine sectional.

Jane Loo’s three-pointer gave Smith a 55-48 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but UW-Oshkosh refused to fold. The Titans went on an 11-4 run and tied the game at 59 on Kate Huml’s jumper with 22 seconds remaining. The Pioneers called timeout and got the ball to NEWMAC Player of the Year Jessie Ruffner, who scored the go-ahead layup with seven seconds left. UW-Oshkosh called timeout to advance the ball and got one final look at a potential game-tying shot, but it was off the mark.

Ruffner led Smith with 23 points and nine rebounds in a full 40 minutes, while Huml scored 17 off the bench for UW-Oshkosh.

No. 2 Transylvania kept its season going with a late surge past No. 23 UW-Stout and into the sectional finals, 63-58. The teams battled to a 53-all tie after 38 minutes before Transylvania’s Kennedi Stacy was fouled and went to the line for two free throws. She made both and, after a Blue Devils’ turnover, Sadie Wurth pushed the Pioneers’ lead to 57-53 with a layup. On the ensuing UW-Stout possession, Dasia Thornton blocked the Blue Devils’ second-chance shot and Laken Ball grabbed the rebound. The Pioneers made their free throws and iced the victory from there.  

The other three hosts had an easier time advancing to the Elite 8.

No. 9 UW-Whitewater rode big games from its two All-Americans to a 72-61 victory over No. 12 Hope. The Warhawks seized control in the second quarter when they outscored the Flying Dutch 21-10 and took an 18-point halftime lead. Aleah Grundahl posted 25 points, nine rebounds and three steals while Kacie Carollo racked up 19 points, four rebounds, and four assists for UW-Whitewater.

No. 8 Bowdoin shot 53 percent and held Baldwin Wallace to 14 field goals in a 78-48 romp over the Yellow Jackets. Carly Davey led four Polar Bears in double-digit scoring with 16 points and Bowdoin outrebounded Baldwin Wallace, 46-29. The Polar Bears also had a 38-12 advantage on points in the paint.

No. 1 New York University used a balanced attack to build a 30-point lead on No. 10 Hardin-Simmons and coasted to a 73-55 victory at home. As with the previous two Tournament games, the Violets put this game out of reach early in the third quarter. Morgan Morrison opened the second half with eight straight points, taking the Violets’ lead to 55-30, and a Caroline Peper three late in that period pushed the NYU advantage to 30.

Morrison finished one rebound shy of a double-double, Natalie Bruns tallied 11 points and six blocks, and Belle Pellecchia notched 17 points and six assists.

NYU will host No. 6 Scranton in the sectional finals since the Lady Royals opened the Round of 16 by beating No. 17 Johns Hopkins, 65-53.

Scranton built a 17-point lead early in the second half and held on to defeat the Blue Jays behind 20 points and 10 rebounds from Maddy Ryan. When Ryan’s minutes were limited in the second half due to foul trouble, Kaci Kranson carried the load for the Lady Royals, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds.