EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women's Basketball Team evened its season record at 5-5 Tuesday afternoon as it picked up a 71-60 win over Alvernia University (5-5) in the championship game of the 2014 Comfort Inn Holiday Classic.

The consolation game saw Meredith College earn a 63-60 win over Centenary (N.J.) College earlier in the day.

The Wasps opened the game on a 14-0 run thanks to six points by senior guard Kristie Langley (Staley, N.C.). Alvernia got the margin to 10 at 15-5 with 11:45 on the clock, but E&H responded to go up 26-8 on back-to-back baskets by freshman guard Chloe Harris (Bristol, Va.). Emory & Henry carried a 34-22 lead into the intermission.

After the Crusaders opened the second half with a three-pointer to trim the margin to single digits (34-25), the Wasps responded with a 10-0 run to exert their dominance and lead 44-25 with 15:39 to play. Emory & Henry pushed its advantage to 21 points on two separate occasions and held off a 14-4 run by Alvernia late in the contest to preserve the 71-60 win.

E&H led wire to wire and was led by junior forward Tamara Brewster (Morrow, Ga.), who posted career-highs with 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead all players. Junior forward Karina Farr (Graham, Wash.) also had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Harris finished the game with 14 points and four assists.  Sophomore guard Megan Jacoby (Richmond, Va.) added eight points, seven assists and three rebounds.

As a team, Emory & Henry outscored Alvernia 32-16 in the paint and held a 21-8 advantage on points off turnovers. The Wasps won the battle of the boards, 51-46, pulling down 20 offensive rebounds for 11 second-chance points.

Alvernia was paced by Tyra Roberts' double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds while Olivia Andrefski added 13 points and eight boards. The Crusaders hit nine-three pointers in the contest, but 19 turnovers and 31.1 percent (19-for-61) shooting for the afternoon was too much to overcome.

Emory & Henry will remain at home for the third game of its four-game homestand on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Wasps will step back into Old Dominion Athletic Conference play against the Marlins of Virginia Wesleyan College.

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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15