Emory & Henry Women’s Basketball Uses Fourth-Quarter Rally To Defeat Lynchburg, 61-57, Tuesday

Emory & Henry Women’s Basketball Uses Fourth-Quarter Rally To Defeat Lynchburg, 61-57, Tuesday

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women's Basketball Team (11-4, 5-2 ODAC) outscored league-leading Lynchburg College (13-3, 6-1 ODAC) by a 23-8 margin in the fourth quarter Tuesday evening en route to a 61-57 win in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action at Turner Gym. The Wasps, who trailed by as much as 19 in the game, snapped an 11-game winning streak by the Hornets with the victory.

LC built a 10-3 lead through the first 10 minutes of play, leading by a seven-point margin, 16-9, at the end of the quarter. A 13-1 scoring run over 4:26 gave Lynchburg its largest lead of the contest, 31-12, but the Wasps finished the half on a 7-2 run for the 33-19 tally at the break. The Hornets shot 48.4 percent (15-for-31) in the opening half, but missed all 10 of their three-point attempts while Emory & Henry went just 8-for-28 from the field (28.6%).

The Wasps continued their run from the end of the first half as junior guard Megan Jacoby (Richmond, Va.) scored the first five points of the third period, cutting the margin to 33-24 with 8:02 on the clock. LC answered and got its lead back to double digits for an 11-point advantage, 49-38, entering the final quarter. After the Hornets scored the first bucket of the fourth stanza, the Wasps went on a 19-2 run over the next 4:53 to take their first lead of the game, 57-53, scoring eight straight to cap the spurt.

Lynchburg sank its next four free throws to tie things up, 57-all, with 1:37 to go. Jacoby extended her career-best night with her 21st point to put Emory & Henry back in front with 34 ticks left on the clock. The Hornets had the opportunity to tie or take the lead with their last possession, but the layup caromed off the rim and a jump ball situation gave the Wasps control with six seconds left. Two free throws by junior guard Asja Jenkins (Richmond, Va.) made it a two-possession game and sealed the 61-57 victory for E&H.

Jacoby's 21 points came on seven-for-13 shooting from the field with two three-pointers and a five-for-eight performance at the free throw line. She added eight assists and four rebounds with just one turnover on the night. Freshman guard Taylor Blevins (Abingdon, Va.) had 13 points and six boards on six-for-10 from the field while senior forward Karina Farr (Graham, Wash.) added eight points and six boards down low. Jenkins finished with seven points to lead the bench scoring for the Wasps.

Lynchburg saw three players reach double figures in scoring led by Chaney Forbush, who had 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Caroline Naumann posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards while Charmaine Hairston tacked on 13 points and three assists.

The two teams ended up with identical 23-for-59 (39%) shooting percentage, swapping their field goal shooting numbers exactly from the first half to the second half. Both the Wasps and the Hornets scored 11 points at the free throw line and 36 points in the paint but the difference maker in the game was from long range. Emory & Henry hit four of its 14 three-point attempts while Lynchburg was off the mark on all 16 tries from beyond the arc.

Emory & Henry will return home on Saturday to host Eastern Mennonite University in an ODAC showdown. The game, scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start, will be the second of a doubleheader for E&H as the men take on Randolph College at 2:00 p.m.

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