EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women's Basketball Team (12-4, 6-2 ODAC) finished the game on a 6-2 run en route to an Old Dominion Athletic Conference victory over visiting Eastern Mennonite University (11-5, 4-4 ODAC) Monday afternoon at the John Rutledge King Center. The contest was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, January 23 but was postponed by two days due to Winter Storm Jonas.
EMU jumped out to a 21-12 lead at the end of the first quarter with Jess Rheinheimer scoring 11 points in the opening 6:27 of the contest. The Royals had their largest lead early at 19-6, but the Wasps' started to come alive in the second 10 minutes. Down 23-12, Emory & Henry went on a 17-4 run over a span of 6:43 for its first lead of the game. The squads split four ties and three lead changes in the second period alone for a 33-all tie at the half.
Coming out of the intermission, the Wasps grabbed the lead on the first possession but were unable to get more than three points ahead at any time in the third frame. Eastern Mennonite put on a 4-0 run in the final 40 seconds to go up 54-52 with 10 minutes left to play. The teams battled through five ties and three lead changes in the fourth quarter, keeping the margin within one possession until the final 30 seconds.
Down by one with 3:41 left to play, senior forward Tamara Brewster (Morrow, Ga.) drained a pair of free throws to by the Wasps up 66-65. Junior guard Megan Jacoby (Richmond, Va.) hit another two from the charity stripe 50 seconds later for a three-point lead going into the final minute. The Royals were off the mark on three-straight field goal attempts, and were forced to foul giving E&H a chance to hold on for the 71-67 victory.
Brewster led the Wasps with 20 points on seven-for-16 shooting and six-for-seven at the free throw line. Jacoby added 12 points, nine assists, five steals and three rebounds while freshman guard Taylor Blevins (Abingdon, Va.) put up nine points, 14 rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Senior guard Anna Green (Raleigh, N.C.) and sophomore guard Chloe Harris (Bristol, Va.) added seven points apiece. Emory & Henry shot 42.4 percent (25-for-59) for the game, hitting seven three-pointers. The Wasps held a 28-20 advantage on points in the paint and led 17-10 on points off turnovers.
EMU was paced by Rheinheimer, the reigning ODAC Player of the Year, with 26 points and eight rebounds as she hit 10 field goals including three three-pointers. Shaneyea Conwell had 16 points, five boards and three steals while Jazmine Carter and Sa'Mone Moore had nine and eight points, respectively. The Royals shot just 35.5 percent (22-for-62) from the floor but connected on nine triples to keep things close. Eastern Mennonite led 16-13 on the offensive glass which it translated into a 15-8 lead on second-chance points.
Emory & Henry will travel to Lexington, Virginia on Wednesday to face off against Washington and Lee University. The Wasps and Generals will tangle inside the Warner Center at 7:00 p.m.
---E&H---
-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15