The No. 14-ranked Emory women’s basketball team advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament with two home victories. The Eagles defeated Whitworth University (Wash.) on Friday in the first round of the tournament and Huntingdon College (Ala.) on Saturday. Both games were played at the Woodruff PE Center (WoodPEC).

On Friday, the final score of 72-65 closed out the Whitworth Pirates’ campaign with a record of 21-7. The Eagles continued to triumph through the tournament on Saturday when they finished with a victory of 88-62 against the Huntingdon College Hawks, allowing the women to proceed to the third round. The Hawks ended their season with a record of 19-10.

Sophomore guard Hannah Lilly scored a game-high of 17 points, leading three double-figure scorers for Emory.

“It has been a long road getting to this point and we are so excited to be in the Sweet 16,” Lilly said.

Seniors forward Misha Jackson and center Danielle Landry rounded out the high scorers, each contributing 12 points to Emory’s final mark. Jackson added nine boards to her scoring total.

The Eagles hit 26-of-59 shots from the floor, including 9-of-18 from three-point range.

Emory held a four-point lead early in the second half until a 10-0 run, over a two-minute stretch, bringing the lead to a 14-point cushion. Lilly set off the rapid fire with a three-pointer, one of her many distance contributions to Emory.

Morgan follow with a three pointer of her own to put the run at 6-0. To close out the run, Lilly scored again and Landry finished out the 10 points with a layup.

“This was a great game for our team,” Head Coach Christy Thomaskutty said. “Everyone contributed. We had strong defense and strong offensive, all of the players provided some huge moments for us and that’s telling of our team. Different players contributing in a different, unique, way; that’s how we get so much success.”

Whitworth attempted a comeback in the second half, but Emory was ready to fight back.

Freshman guard Khadijah Sayyid started another run (9-4) with a trey. Freshman guard Ilene Tsao capped the play with another bucket, setting Emory at a comfortable 59-44 over the Pirates.

Landry closed out the last four minutes of the game with six of her 12 points, helping to keep Emory well ahead of the Pirates.

On Saturday, Lilly impressed on the court once again with a game-high 16 points in a sound 88-62 defeat of Huntingdon College.

“We have put together two great games in the tournament so far and we need to continue to play our game,” Lilly said.

This game marked the Eagles’ sixth-straight victory, raising their record to 24-3. The final game shooting percentage from the floor was 46.7, with Huntingdon at just 29.6 percent. The Eagles also finished with a 28-13 edge in points off of turnovers.

Jackson stood out with 12 rebounds, her 11th double-figure effort in that category this season.

The Eagles’ defense logged an impressive 20 steals and forced 27 Huntingdon miscues.

Emory started their point-pressure on the Hawks early in on the first half.

With nine minutes and 30 seconds left on the clock in the first half, the team led 29-15, thanks to a 14-1 run that quickly countered a then one-point advantage.

Seven of those points came from Lilly, and the rest were a team effort anchored by Jackson, Landry and Morgan.

“I was most pleased with the way we approached the game, Thomaskutty said. “We were not nervous; we just came to play. We started a little slow but defended that well. It’s hard to come off the high when you’re at the championship, but I was really proud of the second half play that really decided both games when we were on that run.”

Emory kept the Hawks scoreless for five minutes at a time and continued to score without interruption.

Lilly and junior guard Marissa Resnick started a late first half surge with back-to-back triples, while Tsao contributed four more points. The end of the first half left Emory with a promising 53-28 lead.

At one point in the second half, the Eagles made a total 22-2 run that pushed their lead forward by 43 points. The women dominated the game and kept the Hawks off until the very end.

Lilly made six-of-12 from the floor along with a pair of three-pointers while Resnick contributed a season-best 12 points, including three treys. Morgan added a hefty 11 points to solidify the Emory win.

The Eagles will be playing in the third round of the tournaments on Friday, March 8, against the winner of the Lewis and Clark College (Ore.) vs. Whitman College (Wash.) contest.

– By Nicola Braginsky 

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The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.

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