SALEM, Va. – The #2 Guilford College Women's Basketball Team (21-4) built a 14-point halftime lead and held on through a second-half rally to defeat third-seeded Emory & Henry College (19-8) by a 79-69 score in the semifinals of the 2016 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament. With the win, the Quakers advance to Sunday's championship game against #1 Lynchburg College.
GC started off with a 16-7 lead midway through the first period, and led 29-23 10 minutes into the contest. The Wasps tied things up at 31-all, but a 15-1 run to close the half put the Quakers up 46-32 going into the locker room.
The third quarter saw the two teams trade baskets early on, but Emory & Henry drew the score to 64-57 with 10 minutes left to play thanks in part to a 13-4 run which covered 3:56. The Wasps continued to whittle away at the lead, and got within two points 68-66 with 5:04 left in the game. GC scored six of the next seven points to make it a three possession game with a minute remaining. E&H closed it back to five on the next possession, 74-69, but was forced to foul and got no closer as Guilford took the win, 79-69.
Amy Stellar led the Quakers with 17 points on four three-pointers while Heaven Walters added 16 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Anais Weatherly and Lauren Ramsey had 13 points each with Weatherly chipping in seven rebounds, three assists and four steals. As a team, Guilford shot 39.1 percent (27-for-69) from the field with six three-pointers and a 19-for-24 (79.2%) performance from long range. GC held a 44-38 rebounding advantage and led 21-11 on points off turnovers.
Emory & Henry senior forward Karina Farr (Graham, Wash.) went out with a double-double, scoring a game-high points and adding 10 rebounds. Junior guard Megan Jacoby (Richmond, Va.) had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists while freshman guard Taylor Blevins (Abingdon, Va.) notched 10 points and eight boards. Senior forward Tamara Brewster (Morrow, Ga.) and senior guard Anna Green (Raleigh, N.C.) nine and eight points, respectively.
The Wasps hit 46.6 percent (27-for-58) of their field goal opportunities, but struggled at the charity stripe, going just 11-for-25 (44%) in the game. E&H led the way, 40-34, on points in the paint, but turnovers and poor free-throw shooting made things difficult.
Emory & Henry finishes the year with a 19-8 overall record, its second-straight winning season and best win total since the 2001-02 season. The Wasps received a pair of NCAA Division III South Region rankings during the year and reached the ODAC Tournament Semifinals for the second year in a row. E&H also posted double-digit wins in conference play for the first time since 2004-05.
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-photo courtesy of Keith Lucas/Sideline Media