HARRISONBURG, Va. (EMU Athletics) – Still seeking their first ODAC win of the season, EMU Women’s Basketball face their toughest conference foe yet on Wednesday, welcoming nationally-ranked Shenandoah to Yoder Arena. The Hornets entered then night sitting at #21 in the D3Hoops.com poll. The homestanding Royals played hard but, in the end, they fell by a final score of 69-47.
Grace Burke and Lauren Townsend were the two Royals in double figures, scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Emily Williams led Shenandoah with a double-double performance of 21 points and 13 rebounds. Addisyn Banks added 13 points, while Taylor Moran chipped in 11.
Records: EMU 5-11, 0-7 ODAC | #21 Shenandoah 14-2, 6-1
Highlights
First Quarter
The Royals gave the home fans something to cheer about in the early going, getting out to a quick 5-0 lead on the strength of a Jazmyn Taylor driving layup and a Burke three-pointer. After back-to-back Shenandoah baskets by Williams, EMU went on a 8-0 run that spanned 1:37 of game time. Townsend got the rally going with a driving layup, followed by a Burke three-pointer, and then Townsend nailed a shot from beyond the arc herself to put the Royals 13-4. The Hornets countered with a 9-0 run of their own to tie the game at 13 apiece through 10 minutes of play.
Second Quarter
Shenandoah created separation from EMU in the second stanza. Two separate scoring runs of 7-2 and 11-2 helped the Hornets outscore the Royals 18-6 in the second quarter to go into halftime up 31-19.
Third Quarter
The two sides mostly traded buckets in the third quarter, but an 8-0 run by Shenandoah allowed them to build upon their lead. The score going to the fourth quarter was Shenandoah 52, EMU 33.
Fourth Quarter
The final 10 minutes were closely contested, with Shenandoah outscoring EMU 17-14 in fourth quarter as both teams emptied their benches to get players more game experience. Emma Johnson accounted for five of the Royals’ 14 points in the fourth. Meredith Atkinson capped off the home team’s scoring by sinking a three-pointer with 12 seconds left.
Statistical Leaders
Scoring: Burke (11)
Rebounds: Burke, Taylor, Todd (5)
Assists: Jones, Townsend (3)
Steals: Atkinson (3)
Blocks: Todd (1)
What’s Next
EMU Women’s Basketball will face another group of Hornets on Friday, Jan. 23, when they hit the road to take on the University of Lynchburg. Opening tip from Turner Gymnasium in Lynchburg is scheduled for 6 p.m.
— EMU Athletics —
