NORFOLK, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women's Basketball Team (18-7, 12-4 ODAC) assured itself of the number three seed in next week's Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament Saturday afternoon with a 73-61 win over Virginia Wesleyan College (13-12, 8-8 ODAC).
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 73, Virginia Wesleyan 61
LOCATION – Norfolk, Virginia – Batten Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (17-7, 11-4 ODAC); Virginia Wesleyan (13-12, 8-8 ODAC)
How It Happened
- The squads battled for the opening period through four ties and two lead changes. The Marlins led, 8-4, early but the Wasps finished the quarter on a 10-4 run to take a 14-12 lead through 10 minutes.
- E&H pushed its advantage to five early in the second frame thanks to a 7-0 run which spanned from 1:22 of the first to 9:24 of the second. VWC answered with a 10-4 spurt to lead 22-21 but the Wasps regained control and finished the half with a 10-2 run for a 31-23 lead.
- Emory & Henry dominated the third quarter, extending its lead to as much as 23 points (56-33) with 2:11 on the clock. The Wasps had period of 2:31 in which they outscored the Marlins by a 15-3 margin.
- In the final period, Virginia Wesleyan began to chip away at the deficit, getting to single digits (64-55) with 2:47 left. E&H would provide an answer each time the Marlins made a push as the Wasps came away with the 73-61 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Sophomore forward Taylor Blevins (Abingdon, Va.) led all players with a double-double, scoring 21 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. She added three assists and five steals to her tally.
- Senior guard Megan Jacoby (Richmond, Va.) put up 13 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals while freshman forward Sydney McKinney (Big Stone Gap, Va.) had 12 points and eight rebounds.
- Freshman forward Kara Stafford (Bristol, Tenn.) tacked on 10 points and seven rebounds and senior guard Asja Jenkins (Richmond, Va.) contributed seven points, four rebounds and two assists.
Virginia Wesleyan Individual Leaders
- Crystal Strother paced the Marlins with 20 points and eight rebounds while NiAsia Caldwell had 14 points.
- Jayla Harris went for 12 points and four rebounds while Alexis Platt chipped in nine points and nine rebounds. Raya Berkley had a team-high six assists.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry went 26-for-64 (40.6%) in the game, hitting a trio of three-pointers. The Wasps had an off day at the free throw line, making just 56.3 percent (18-of-32) of their attempts.
- Virginia Wesleyan shot just 34.4 percent (21-for-61) on the afternoon but added six three-pointers. The Marlins also struggled at the charity stripe, going just 13-for-23 (56.5%).
- E&H dominated down low with a 40-24 lead on points in the paint, a 48-37 rebounding advantage and a 28-15 lead on second-chance points.
- The Wasps also made the Marlins pay for their mistakes, scoring 26 points off 25 turnovers. VWC only managed 18 points off E&H's 24 miscues.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will next compete in the Quarterfinals of the 2017 ODAC Tournament on Friday at the Salem Civic Center.
- The pairings for the tournament will be released by the league office late Saturday evening.
---E&H---