This past Saturday, the women’s basketball team had their last game of the season against the University of Rochester (N.Y.) on the road. The host Yellowjackets were 11-13 on the season and provided one last opportunity for the Eagles to bolster their resume for the D-III NCAA Tournament.
In the first half, Emory shot extremely poorly, shooting under 32 percent. However, at half they were only down six points, 40-34. This was because, as Emory has done often under Head Coach Christy Thomaskutty, they dominated the turnover margin, forcing 14 turnovers while only losing five turnovers. Senior guard Selena Castillo’s effort on the offensive end also kept Emory in the game, as she had 12 points on four for eight shooting from the field, including making two of her six three-point attempts.
Rochester, on the other hand, shot the ball well in the first half, making 50 percent of their shots. Additionally, they dominated the rebounding battle 24 to 12, including six offensive rebounds. In fact, they had one less offensive rebound than Emory had defensively. The Yellowjackets got to the free throw line early and often, making 10 of their 13 free throw attempts versus Emory’s four attempts at the line.
In the second half, the story was similar for both teams. Emory cut the difference in the rebounding battle, but continued to shoot poorly from the field.
Defensively, they could not stop Rochester from getting to the free throw line, allowing 18 attempts in the second half.
Also, Rochester shot nearly 52 percent in the second frame. In particular, Rochester’s Loren Wagner continued her dominant season, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the second half alone. Emory’s lack of size gave Wagner a significant matchup to exploit.
It was a disappointing end to the season for the Eagles, who followed a University Athletic Association (UAA) championship in 2013 with a 14-0 start. However, the UAA was one of the best conferences in the nation this season.
The game against Rochester was likely the last for the six seniors, Lauren Ball, Selena Castillo, Hannah Lilly, Savannah Morgan, Marissa Resnick and Gabi Whitmer.
During their four years, they have been a part of arguably the best four years of Emory women’s basketball. This includes winning their first UAA title last year and making it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Morgan, Lilly and Castillo were the team’s top three scorers this season. Morgan led with 15.0 points per game, while Lilly contributed 13.5 and Castillo had 12.2.
Whitmer put up 6.6 points per game, while Resnick had 2.1.
– By Shawn Farshchi
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