The Emory women's basketball team lit up the courts over the weekend with a 62-61 win over Case Western Reserve University in overtime on Friday and a 76-55 triumph over Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday. Sunday's victory presented the women with a chance to earn the outright University Athletic Association (UAA) title as well as an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
On Friday, junior point-guard Savannah Morgan led the Eagles' scoring effort with a total of 16 points and six steals.
Senior center Danielle Landry contributed to the double-figure scoring with a total of 13 points. She also tied senior forward Misha Jackson for game-high honors with nine boards. Emory shot 32.9 percent from the field and forced the Spartans into 32 turnovers, 17 of which were Emory steals.
Emory held a 29-27 lead at halftime, fighting against the Spartans' tough defense. In the second stanza, the women had two cushions of as many as eight points and maintained this advantage with strong play from Morgan and Jackson. After Jackson's jumper in the last six minutes of the game, Emory was ahead 24-19. Case Western came back with a pair of free throws, but Morgan responded with a three-pointer. Freshman guard Khadijah Sayyid pulled the Eagles even further ahead with a lay-up off of a steal.
With almost five minutes left in the game, Emory trailed 49-44. After a solid run and a pair of free throws from Lilly, Emory was up 52-49. Case finished strong with a three pointer, however, putting the game into overtime.
In overtime, Case had a six-point lead with just under four minutes left on the clock. Landry came back with three free throws. Freshman guard Ilene Tsao followed suit, knocking down a three-pointer and pulling the Eagles up to the Spartans
"Ilene did a tremendous job on Friday night. Things were going back and forth between us and Case, and she made a big bucket," Head Coach Christy Thomaskutty said. "I really can't say enough about her poise and just the confidence she showed stepping up and taking that final shot."
Buckets from Jackson and Lilly put the Eagles ahead for good. This win gave Emory its first 20-win season since the 1996-97 campaign.
Sunday's game against Carnegie Mellon was more smooth, boosting the Eagles' overall record to 21-3, 11-2 in the UAA.
The women shot 51.6 percent from the floor and made five three-pointers during the early portion of the game, setting up a 41-24 cushion at halftime. Emory finished with 19 steals as well.
In the first half, Tsao and Sayyid contributed three-pointers to spark a 12-2 run, leaving the score at 27-17 with 7:02 left on the clock. Jackson's six points at the end of the half added to the Eagles' lead.
Jackson stole 12 rebounds, sank seven-of-10 shots from the floor, and made five free throws, posting her 17th double-figure scoring effort of the season.
Lilly made six-of-11 field goal attempts, including three three-pointers, marking her 17th double-figure scoring performance of the season. She scored a total of 15 points on the game.
Landry was the third of the game's double-figure scorers, contributing 10 points.
At the end of play, Emory ended up hitting 46.9 percent from the floor and harassed Carnegie Mellon into 32 turnovers that resulted in 46 Emory points.
"Friday and Sunday night were two very different teams. Friday night we were a little tight and afraid of what may happen if we were to lose; we were glad everything turned out well," Thomaskutty said. "Sunday, they [the girls] weren't worried about the consequences at all. The women played so confidently, I couldn't be more proud of my team right now going into this weekend."
The Eagles will be playing next Saturday, February 23rd, against the University of Rochester, competing for the outright UAA title.
– By Nicola Braginksy
