CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Western Carolina University Women's Basketball Team (7-12) scored the final three points of the contest, escaping with a 42-39 victory over visiting Emory & Henry College (12-12) Tuesday. It was the second matchup of the season between the Wasps and Catmounts as the two teams met in November as an exhibition for E&H.
Additionally, the contest was the first time since the 2008-09 season that Emory & Henry has faced a Division I program during the regular season.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Western Carolina 42, Emory & Henry 39
LOCATION – Cullowhee, North Carolina
VENUE – Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (12-12); Bluefield State (7-21, 0-13 SoCon)
How It Happened
- Western got out to a 9-4 lead at the 4:11 mark of the opening period, but Emory & Henry bounced back with seven in a row to lead 11-9 after 10 minutes of play.
- The Wasps pushed their lead to six (15-9) with 7:50 on the clock in the second and held a 20-16 lead at the half despite a Catamount challenge.
- Coming out of the break, E&H ran its lead to 26-16 with 7:26 remaining before an 11-0 run by WCU made it a 27-26 contest with 58 seconds left in the third.
- Western Carolina started the final quarter on a 7-3 run but the Wasps tied things up at 34-all with 6:58 to go. The teams traded baskets to a 39-39 score with 3:02 on the clock as the Catamounts grinded out three points in the final 182 seconds for the 42-39 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Junior guard Brylee Jones (Greeneville, Tenn.) posted a game-high 15 points to go along with three steals while senior forward Alexis Hoppers (Sparta, N.C.) had 10 points ad five rebounds.
- Freshman forward Emma Santoro (King, N.C.) went for five points and seven rebounds.
Western Carolina Individual Leaders
- Endia Holliday notched 11 points and seven rebounds to lead the Catamounts as Joi Reed had seven points, five rebounds and three blocks.
- Mykaylyn Davis went for seven points, four steals, three assists and two boards.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry made just 27.6 percent (16-of-58) of its shots with four three-pointers. The Wasps went 3-for-6 (50%) at the free throw line.
- Western Carolina shot 16-for-50 (32.0%) for the game but was a frigid 1-for-13 (7.7%) from long range. The Catamounts went 9-for-16 (56.3%) at the stripe.
- WCU held a 40-37 rebounding advantage but 12 offensive boards by E&H translated to a 10-2 lead on second-chance points.
- The Catamounts led, 28-22, on points in the paint and 15-6 on points of turnovers.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry closes out the 2021-22 season on Saturday when it hosts Carolina University at 2:00 p.m. The contest will serve as Senior Day for the Wasps and the first game of a doubleheader with the men's team.
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