This past weekend, the women's basketball team continued their University Athletic Association (UAA) conference schedule with two games on the road. After struggling since their scorching 14-0 start, Emory had an opportunity to boost their resume against easier opponents within the UAA. But the UAA is shaping up to be arguably the top conference in the nation, and every opponent is a threat to win each night. In short, there are no easy games for Emory during conference play.
Against Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.), who was 2-7 in the UAA coming in to the game, Emory did not have a strong start – in fact, they were trailing at halftime. Emory's recent struggles on the glass continued in the first half of this game, with Carnegie Mellon dominating the rebounding battle 28-13. In fact, Carnegie Mellon, in the first half, had one less offensive rebound than Emory had total in the first half. However, like Emory typically does, they dominated the turnover battle by a whopping margin of 15-2. Senior Savannah Morgan and sophomore Fran Sweeney led the scoring for Emory in the first half with nine apiece. Sweeney hit three of her seven three point attempts to keep Emory in the game in the first half.
In the second half, Emory's offense continued to flourish while they made progress on the defensive end. Also, Emory leveled the difference in the rebounding battle, while continuing to force turnovers. Limiting extra possessions for Carnegie Mellon proved to be the difference in the game. Morgan continued to star for Emory, finishing with 20 points on an extremely efficient 7-for-11 from the field including three for five from three-point range. Along with her scoring, she made plays for her teammates leading the way with seven assists. Emory won the game with a final score of 87 to 76. The game was close until the end, and Emory was up only 72-70 with four minutes to go. They concluded the game on a 15-6 run.
Against Case Western Reserve University (Ohio), Emory's offense could not get going. They shot under 37 percent for the game and Morgan had one of her worst shooting performances of the season making only two of her 17 attempts. The game was close throughout, however, due to Emory's defensive efforts. Like usual, they dominated the turnover differential – forcing 29, while only losing 18. Additionally, the rebounding battle was lost at 37-48, a smaller margin than recent games. Emory had extra possessions from the forced turnovers but failed to capitalize on their chances. The biggest difference in the game proved to be getting to the free throw line. Emory did not make a single free throw during the entire game and only had two attempts. Conversely, Case Western Reserve got to the free throw line 29 times, making 18 of their attempts. Case Western won the game by a final score of 67 to 62.
Coming up, Emory has three more games left on their regular season schedule. These three games are crucial for Emory to solidify their place as a tournament worthy team. The UAA is a tough conference, but having a record below .500 in conference play would severely hurt their chances of qualifying for the postseason. With a strong end to the season, Emory can likely secure a postseason tournament berth.
– By Shawn Farshchi
