EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women's Basketball Team (13-6, 7-3 ODAC) shot 50 percent for the game and scored 44 points inside the paint on its way to earning a key 81-67 win over Virginia Wesleyan College (11-8, 6-4 ODAC) Saturday afternoon in Old Dominion Athletic Conference Action.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 81, Virginia Wesleyan 67
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (13-6, 7-3 ODAC); Virginia Wesleyan (11-8, 6-4 ODAC)
How It Happened
- The teams jostled for position in the early goings of the contest before the Wasps scored seven straight to open up a 17-8 lead with 3:05 to go in the first period. E&H would carry that nine-point advantage, 25-16, through the end of the opening 10 minutes of play.
- In the second quarter, the squads traded baskets back and forth with the margin remaining between a 10 and 14 point lead for Emory & Henry the entire way. The Wasps would go into the locker room up, 38-28.
- Coming out of the intermission, VWC scored seven of the first nine points to trim the margin to five, 40-35, with 7:51 on the clock. The Marlins would get within three on two separate occasions, but a 5-0 run by the Wasps to finish the third made the score 55-46 with 10 minutes left to play.
- The fourth period saw Emory & Henry push its advantage back to double digits and as high as 18 (73-55) with 2:52 remaining. Virginia Wesleyan would score the next nine points to get within nine with 1:45 to play, but an 8-3 run to close the contest gave E&H the 81-67 victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Sophomore forward Taylor Blevins (Abingdon, Va.) led all players with 27 points and added seven rebounds, three assists and a block. She went 17-for-20 from the free throw line in the contest, tying the E&H record for free throws made in a game and breaking the program best for free throw attempts.
- Senior guard Megan Jacoby (Richmond, Va.) had 15 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four steals while senior guard Asja Jenkins (Richmond, Va.) tallied 10 points and four assists.
- Freshman forward Sydney McKinney (Big Stone Gap, Va.) had nine points, eight rebounds and two blocks while freshman forward Kara Stafford (Bristol, Tenn.) put up five points, three rebounds and two assists.
Virginia Wesleyan Individual Leaders
- Amanda Gerni paced the Marlins with 23 points, connecting on seven shots from beyond the arc, and added five rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
- Jayla Harris had 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals while Alexis Platt tallied eight points, three rebounds and four steals off the bench.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry hit 50 percent (28-for-56) of its field goals on the afternoon and closed the game on a red-hot 9-for-11 (81.8%) performance in the fourth quarter. The Wasps finished 23-for-31 (74.2%) at the free throw line behind Blevins' record game.
- Virginia Wesleyan shot just 30.3 percent (20-for-66) but made 13 three-pointers to close the gap. The Marlins went 14-for-19 (73.7%) from the line.
- E&H held a 42-40 advantage on rebounding but VWC's 21-13 lead on the offensive glass translated into a 24-11 margin on second-chance points.
- The Wasps scored 33 points off 25 Marlin turnovers and made the most of their fast break chances, leading 26-6 on transition buckets.
- Emory & Henry also did well down low, converting high percentage shots and a much higher rate than Virginia Wesleyan. E&H outscored VWC, 44-12, on points in the paint.
- The Wasps continued to be one of the best teams in the league moving the ball as they assisted on 18 of 28 (64.3%) of their field goals.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will remain at home on Wednesday when it hosts Roanoke College in an ODAC game. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
- The Wasps defeated the Maroons by a 65-50 score on Wednesday, January 4 in Salem.
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