The Washington and Lee women’s basketball team saw its seven game win streak end and its season come to an early finale on Feb. 27 in Salem.

The Lynchburg College Hornets proved to be too much for the Generals, winning 57-71 in the semifinals of the ODAC tournament.  This was the third time the Hornets and Generals had faced off this season with Lynchburg sweeping the series.

“The team was confident in our play for the last game. We had played Lynchburg twice before, one of them going into overtime, and we knew it was hard to beat a team three times in one season,” captain Katie Wildes, ‘16, said.

Two days earlier, the Generals opened up tournament play with a first round victory over Eastern Mennonite.

After a season that saw the Generals go undefeated through the month of February, a tough loss in the semifinals was a difficult pill to swallow.

“There were a few upset faces and tears, but we walked out of the locker room with our heads held high,” Wildes said. “There were things in the game that didn’t go our way and that we could have done better to get the win. Overall though, we worked really hard this season and [we’re] happy with getting to that point.”

Though the team got off to somewhat of a slow start, going 3-5 through its first eight games, the Generals recovered to win 13 of its remaining 17 regular season games. It also saw success in ODAC play, posting an 11-5 record. Lynchburg proved to be the one challenge that could not be surmounted by W&L.

Inconsistency was also something of an issue for the Generals this year. Wins and losses came in bunches, and only two of the team’s losses were not accompanied by one or more other losses.

On the whole, however, the team has much to be happy about.

“All of us are really proud of the success we saw this season,” Wildes said. “While we didn’t walk away with the championship and were disappointed in that, we worked so hard and became a really great team. Our chemistry both on and off the court was excellent and I can’t wait to see the success that comes for the team in the future.”

With nine players returning next season, the Generals are excited to build off of this season for years to come.

“Consistency is something the team could work on when gunning for the title next year,” said Wildes. “With limiting turnovers, hitting shots, and crashing the boards they will see so much success and confidence will increase. The team has a great foundation of players returning who are ready to build on the progress that was made this season.”