GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The Emory & Henry University Women's Basketball Team (4-13, 2-9 SAC) fell in heartbreaking fashion on the road in South Atlantic Conference play to Tusculum University (2-15, 2-9 SAC) Wednesday evening. The Pioneers converted a game-winning layup with just 0.2 seconds remaining on the clock to upend the visiting Wasps.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Tusculum 63, Emory & Henry 62
LOCATION – Greeneville, Tennessee
VENUE – Pioneer Arena
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (4-13, 2-9 SAC); Tusculum (2-15, 2-9 SAC)
How It Happened
- The teams traded buckets early, but a quick 8-0 run from the Wasps saw them establish a 12-4 advantage on a layup from freshman forward Hali Harris (Richmond, Va.). E&H saw its margin reach double digits for the first time with a trio of free throws by sophomore guard Tori West (Richmond, Va.) as the score stood at 18-8 with 2:55 left in the opening quarter. An 8-0 run by the Pioneers brought them back within a pair, but a three from West just before the end of the period gave the Wasps the 21-16 lead after one.
- Emory & Henry expanded its lead out to 27-18 at the start of the second frame thanks to back-to-back triples from freshman Kinley Painter (Johnson City, Tenn.), but once more Tusculum had an answer as they stormed back with nine straight points to level the score at 27-27 at the 2:37 mark. The game of runs continued as the Wasps finished the half with a flurry, tallying the final nine points of the half to take a 36-27 advantage into the halftime locker room.
- Tusculum opened the second half on an 8-2 run of their own over the first two and a half minutes to reduce the deficit to 38-35. The two squads battled throughout the remainder of the frame and a made three from Tusculum's Ema Nagyova tied things up at 46-46 heading into the fourth and deciding quarter.
- Neither team could create any breathing room over the first half of the fourth and the score was deadlocked at 55-55 with 5:04 to play. A West layup gave E&H the narrow lead, but TU bounced back immediately with a free throw and a three-point jumper to take the lead at 59-57. A pair of converted free throws by redshirt freshman guard Dot Mills (Canton, N.C.) and another three from West pushed the Wasps back in front 62-59. A layup by Abbi Douglas made it a one-point game with 36 ticks left, giving E&H an opportunity to put the contest out of reach, but the Wasps committed a shot clock violation with five seconds left to give the Pioneers one last chance. Martina Garofalo converted a driving layup in the dying moments to give Tusculum the 63-62 victory.
Emory & Henry Leaders
- West led the way for the Wasps with a season-high 21 points, six rebounds, four steals and a pair of assists. Harris added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals for E&H.
- Painter finished with 11 points, four rebounds and a steal while Mills recorded nine points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals.
Tusculum Individual Leaders
- Aisha Patel paced the Pioneers with 14 points, seven boards and a trio of blocked shots. Garofalo posted 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot.
- Nagyova collected 11 points and an assist while Angela Gomez had nine points, six assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry shot 35.9% (23-for-64) from the field and 8-for-25 (32.0%) from beyond the three-point line. The Wasps converted just 57.1% (8-for-14) of their attempts at the charity stripe.
- Tusculum was 23-for-59 (39.0%) overall and 8-for-30 (26.7%) from deep. The Pioneers were 9-for-11 (81.8%) at the free throw line.
- The Pioneers held a narrow 40-37 advantage on the glass, but the Wasps outscored TU by an 11-4 margin on second chance points.
- Emory & Henry forced 21 Tusculum turnovers compared to committing 16 and took advantage of those miscues to the tune of 22 points off turnovers while the Pioneers put up 16 points off of mistakes.
- Both teams got out on the fastbreak, as the Pioneers tallied 27 points in transition while the Wasps recorded 20 points.
- The two teams were all square in the painted area, putting up 24 points each.
- The contest saw nine total ties and six lead changes.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry is back on the road this Friday, January 23 when E&H visits Anderson (S.C.) University to take on the Trojans. Tip is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. from Anderson, South Carolina.
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