EMORY, Va. – The Lenoir-Rhyne University Women's Basketball Team (20-7, 15-4 SAC) held off a fourth-quarter surge by Emory & Henry College (10-16, 5-13 SAC) to come away with a 68-63 win in South Atlantic Conference action on Saturday afternoon.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Lenoir-Rhyne 68, Emory & Henry 63
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (10-16, 5-13 SAC); Lenoir-Rhyne (20-7, 15-4 SAC)
How It Happened
- E&H jumped out to a 7-2 lead at the 7:38 mark of the opening period. After the Bears tied things up at seven, the Wasps went on a 9-2 run for a 16-9 advantage with 2:12 on the clock. The squads traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter with Emory & Henry leading, 20-15, through one.
- The second quarter began much like the first ended with the two teams going back and forth. Trailing by five with 5:31 remaining, Lenoir-Rhyne went on an 8-2 run for its first lead of the game at 29-28. Emory & Henry responded with an 8-2 run of its own over the last 3:30 of the half to go into the locker room up, 36-31.
- Returning to action, E&H scored six of the first eight points for a 42-33 lead. The Bears scored eight in a row to make it a one-point game with 5:18 in the third but the Wasps stayed ahead until LR went ahead, 50-49 with 1:01 remaining on a pair of free throws. A field goal in the final 10 seconds of the third made it a 52-49 Bear advantage with 10 minutes left to play.
- Lenoir-Rhyne extended its lead to six early in the fourth and held off repeated attempts by Emory & Henry to go back ahead. The Wasps trimmed the deficit to one (62-61) with 2:27 left to play, but the Bears went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to hold on for the 68-63 win.
Emory & Henry Leaders
- Junior forward Emma Santoro (King, N.C.) put up a team-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and two steals while sophomore forward Breanna Yarber (Meadowview, Va.) had 17 points, three boards, two assists and two blocks.
- Freshman forward Gracyn Hall (Randleman, N.C.) went for 11 points and 11 rebounds to complete the double-double.
Lenoir-Rhyne Individual Leaders
- Mikeba Jones led all players with 21 points and 12 rebounds as Blaikley Crooks posted 15 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
- Emily Harman contributed 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry shot 26-of-59 (44.1%) for the game with seven three-point baskets. The Wasps went to the free throw line just seven times on the afternoon, hitting four attempts (57.1%).
- Lenoir-Rhyne hit just 37.1 percent (21-of-56) of its field goal attempts, connecting on three shots from long range. The Bears were a white-hot 23-for-25 (92%) from the charity stripe.
- The two teams tied 34-all on the glass, but LR's 14 offensive rebounds translated to a 15-11 lead on second-chance points.
- The two teams were nearly identical on points in the paint, with the Wasps outscoring the Bears, 30-28.
- Lenior-Rhyne posted a 19-10 lead on points off turnovers, making the most of 21 Emory & Henry miscues.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will close out the home portion of its season on Wednesday, hosting Lincoln Memorial University at 7:30 p.m.
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