FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Methodist University Women's Basketball Team (3-1) came out on top with an 81-73 victory over visiting Emory & Henry College (2-2) Tuesday evening in non-conference play at the Riddle Center. The contest featured 11 ties and 13 lead changes as it went down to the wire.
Emory & Henry got out to a 6-1 lead just 2:04 into the game thanks in part to a three-pointer by sophomore guard Anna Green (Raleigh, N.C.). Methodist, however responded with a 8-0 run to take a 9-6 lead. The Wasps trailed by as much as six points (24-18) in the opening half but a 24-11 run gave E&H a 42-35 advantage just before the half.
Coming out of the intermission, Emory & Henry pushed its advantage to eight points (50-42), scoring eight of the first 11 points of the second half. The Monarchs had a run of their own, taking a 55-53 lead thanks to a 13-3 scoring spurt which covered 3:49. The two squads battled back and forth for the next 11 minutes as neither squad was able to lead by more than four points.
Up by four and with the shot clock running down, Allison Dones put up a three-pointer from the left wing that banked in to give Methodist a 78-71 advantage. The Wasps would close the gap to five with a pair of free throws but would get no closer as the Monarchs held on for the 81-73 win.
Methodist was led by Maya Banks, who had 18 points, six rebounds and three assists. Jackie Lyles tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and five steals while Ayanna Pegues notched 14 points and six boards. The Monarchs shot 45.3 percent (29-for-64) in the game and held a 39-34 rebounding advantage with a 21-6 lead on second-chance points.
Junior guard Kristie Langley (Staley, N.C.) led Emory & Henry in scoring with 20 points and registered four rebounds and three steals prior to fouling out. Freshman guard Megan Jacoby (Richmond, Va.) went four-for-six from the field for 13 points and added a team-high six rebounds off the bench.
Sophomore forward Karina Farr (Graham, Wash.) had 16 points and five boards, shooting eight-for-10 from the charity stripe while Green notched her second game in double figures with 10 points and added four assists and three steals. The Wasps were 25-for-53 (47.2%) from the field for the game but fell victim to 29 turnovers.
Emory & Henry will return to Old Dominion Athletic Conference play on Saturday afternoon when it travels to Harrisonburg, Va. for a 3:00 p.m., contest with Eastern Mennonite University.
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-photo credit Jon Fleming