EMORY, Va. - The Emory & Henry College Women's Basketball Team has jumped out to a hot start with a 3-0 record this season. It is the first time the Wasps have won their first three to start the year since 1987-88. Head Coach Anne Crutchfield remembers that season vividly, as she was a member of that ODAC champion Wasp team. The current team will look to repeat that success from 28 years ago as it begins Old Dominion Athletic Conference play at Randolph College (0-3) this Tuesday.
Emory & Henry and Randolph met three times last season, with the Wasps winning the final two contests. The biggest victory was in the last matchup in which E&H won, 66-49, at home to knock the WildCats out of the ODAC Tournament.
Last year, the Wasps finished seventh during the regular season but won a pair of games in the ODAC Tournament to reach the semifinals in Salem, Virginia. This season Emory & Henry was picked to finish fifth in the ODAC, its highest preseason ranking in the past 10 years. The adulation is due in part to four returning starters from a year ago.
Senior Karina Farr, a Third Team All-ODAC selection, averaged 12.4 points and 8.3 rebounds last season and is currently leading the team with points per game. Farr has been named All-ODAC twice in her career and is currently 84 points away from reaching the 1,000-point mark. Senior Tamara Brewster is second on the team in scoring at 13 points per game and leads the way in rebounding with 7.7 a game. Junior Megan Jacoby is averaging 6.7 points and 4.7 assists per contest for the Wasps. Jacoby led the ODAC in assists and steals last season on her way to being selected to the All-ODAC Third Team.
Sophomore, and reigning ODAC Rookie of the Year, Chloe Harris, has made an impact in several statistical categories. She is averaging 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 3.7 steals this season. Seniors Anna Green and Amanda Stanley are averaging 3.7 points each, while junior Asja Jenkins is averaging 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
The freshman class has stepped into the mix quickly for E&H. Guard Taylor Blevins has started each of the first three games and is averaging 6.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. In only ten minutes per game, Laken Blackburn is putting up seven points and pulling down three boards per game. Hannah Cox has started each game for the Wasps and is shooting 42.9% from three.
In the early part of the season, the Wasps have outscored their opponents by a combined 76 points. They are holding their opponents to a 33.3% field goal percentage and has outrebounded the opposition by a 17.6 margin. However, the schedule is about to get tougher as Emory & Henry enters ODAC play.
The Wasps' first home ODAC game is on Saturday, December 5 versus Shenandoah University at 2:00 p.m.
---E&H---
-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15