EMORY, Va. – The Lincoln Memorial University Women's Basketball Team (18-7, 13-6 SAC) built a 10-point halftime lead and never looked back as it pulled away from Emory & Henry College (10-17, 5-14 SAC) for a 76-53 South Atlantic Conference win on Wednesday. The contest was the final home game of the year for the Wasps.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Lincoln Memorial 76, Emory & Henry 53
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (10-17, 5-14 SAC); Lincoln Memorial (18-7, 13-6 SAC)
How It Happened
- The Lady Railsplitters stormed out to a 17-6 lead at the 5:31 mark of the opening quarter, hitting five three-pointers over that span. LMU pushed the margin to 12 with another triple later in the frame before E&H finished on a 6-2 run to make it a 26-18 contest.
- The two squads traded baskets early in the second with the Wasps trimming the deficit to seven (32-25) with 4:30 to go before the intermission. Lincoln Memorial responded with six in a row for a 13-point lead on its way to a 40-30 advantage at the break.
- The second half saw the Lady Railsplitters deliberately increase their lead over the Wasps. A 12-3 run late in the third period made it a 20-point game (59-39) for the first time before Emory & Henry scored four in a row to make it 59-43 with 10 minutes remaining. In the fourth quarter, LMU pressed its advantage to as much as 26 down the stretch, and cruised to the 76-53 win.
Emory & Henry Leaders
- Sophomore forward Breanna Yarber (Meadowview, Va.) had a team-high 10 points, to go along with five rebounds and five blocks while freshman forward Gracyn Hall (Randleman, N.C.) put up nine points and five rebounds.
- Junior guard Hannah Spainhour (King, N.C.) went for nine points and three boards with junior forward Emma Santoro (King, N.C.) tallying six points, 11 rebounds and two steals.
- Freshman guard Rhyan Harris (Salem, Va.) contributed eight points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench.
Lincoln Memorial Individual Leaders
- Alexa Smiddy scored a game-high 21 points, hitting 6-of-9 three-point attempts. She added five rebound and five assists.
- Jordan Maney had 19 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals as Geovanna Rios contributed 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry made 34.6 percent (18-of-52) of its shots with just one three-pointer on the evening. The Wasps shot 16-for-23 (69.6%) from the free throw line.
- Lincoln Memorial went 29-for-61 (47.5%) for the game, connecting on nine shots from long range. The Lady Railsplitters were 60 percent (9-for-15) from the stripe.
- LMU held a 39-35 rebounding advantage with the two teams tying, 12-12, on offensive boards.
- The Lady Railsplitters led, 40-30, on points in the paint and 23-12 on points off turnovers.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry concludes the 2023-24 season on Saturday when it visits No. 14 Catawba College for a 2:00 p.m. matchup with the Lady Catawba Indians.
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