After a seven-game winning streak, the 15th-ranked Emory women's basketball team walked away with a loss to 12th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis by a score of 65-54. At the end of the night, Emory, Washington University, and the University of Rochester were all tied up for the top spot in the University Athletic Association (UAA).
The Washington University Bears played a strong game shooting 46.2 percent from beyond the three-point line and enjoying a 42-35 edge in rebounding. Emory's 38.6 field goal effort was just slightly short of Wash. U's 40.4 percent.
In the first half, Emory's solid defensive play forced 10 Bears turnovers. A number of Emory players, including senior center Danielle Landry and junior guard Selena Castillo, sunk buckets and kept Emory ahead for the majority of the second half.
Emory sophomore center O'Dez Oraedu set the stage for some of the Eagles' prouder moments on Friday with a career-high scoring effort of 14 points. Oraedu sunk seven-of-10 field goal attempts, snatched seven rebounds and walked out of the game with her fifth double-figure scoring performance of the season.
Junior point-guard Savannah Morgan also landed in double digits with a total of 12 points, while senior forward Misha Jackson contributed eight rebounds.
Emory was leading at 22-10 with just over five minutes left in the first half, but Wash. U rallied and held a three-point lead by the end of the stanza.
A 9-3 Bears run at the beginning of the second half pushed them further ahead of Emory. Bears player Melissa Gilkey created a 38-29 cushion with a four-point play about halfway through the second half.
The teams went back and forth for much of the second half, but Wash. U remained ahead, keeping Emory at a distance of at least eight points until the end of the game.
"We give Wash. U a lot of credit; they are a solid team," Head Coach Christy Thomaskutty said. "We played hard and really well for the first part of the game and didn't quite stay focused on the task at hand in the second half, giving them points easier than we would have liked."
Although Friday's game knocked the Eagles' record down to 18-3, the women fought hard and came up with a victory on Sunday.
The Eagles beat the University of Chicago Maroons 80-65, pushing them down to 7-15 overall and 3-8 in conference play.
"We knew going into Sunday's game that everything we set out for and all of our goals were still attainable," Thomaskutty said. "That is what we fought for and that is what we did tonight."
Landry stepped up her game with a career-high of 19 points on the night. She hit six-of-12 shots from the floor and seven-of-10 free throws.
Jackson also contributed 19 points, contributing to the solid win over the Maroons. She knocked down eight-of-11 field goal attempts as well as three-of-four from the charity stripe.
Castillo was yet another Eagle to contribute to the win. She earned a career-high of 17 points, came out with a team-high of four assists and finished with a pair of steals.
At halftime, Emory enjoyed an eight-point lead and he'd the edge throughout the second half.
With just under 14 minutes remaining in the second half, Emory was up 45-35 thanks to Jackson's eight-point contribution.
Jackson and Castillo each contributed five points, and Morgan added four.
The Eagles also notched a season high in free throws, hitting 20-of-26 attempts on the night.
Junior guard Hannah Lilly reached the 1,000 career-point plateau during play, ending the night with six points for a career total of 1,001.
By the end of the night, Emory's win over the Maroons and Rochester's win over Wash. U placed the two schools in a tie in the top spot in the UAA.
"Everybody is excited and the season continues," Thomaskutty said. "The young women played hard, and I cannot be more proud of them."
The Eagles will be back on the courts on Friday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. at the WoodPEC, hosting Case Western Reserve University (Ohio).
– By Nicola Braginsky
