Box Score The Emory women's basketball team tied its season high for most points in a University Athletic Association game, but it wasn't enough as the Eagles dropped a hard-fought battle on the road against Case Western Reserve. The Spartans raised their overall record to 8-16, 3-10 in the league, following a 75-73 decision over the Eagles who slipped to 13-11 overall, 4-9 in conference play.
Emory had five players finish with double-figure scoring, headed by junior Fran Sweeney who produced 14 points on the strength of five-of-seven field goal shooting, including four triples in six tries. It was Sweeney's 10th double-figure effort of the year and 17th outing of two or more treys. Sweeney has totaled a team-high 51 triples this year, good for a seventh-place tie on the program's seasonal ladder, and her current 12-game streak with at least one trey is 11th-longest in the Emory record books.
Senior Ilene Tsao turned in a solid contest, racked up 13 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists, while junior Shellie Kaniut totaled 12 points. Junior Michelle Bevan and sophomore Dumebi Egbuna each contributed 10 points.
For the game, Emory connected on 39.1 percent (27 of 69) from the field compared to CWRU's effort of 48.1 percent (26 of 54). Both teams were extremely proficient in three-point shooting, with Case finishing with a 57.1 percent mark (12 of 21) and Emory a 53.3 percent (8 of 15) showing. The Eagles enjoyed a slight 38-35 advantage in rebounding and were led by Egbuna's seven caroms.
After battling to a 46-46 standoff heading into intermission, the Spartans outpointed Emory, 15-10, in the third quarter to a 61-56 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of action. The Eagles got on the board first in the stanza with a three-pointer by Kaniut, but CWRU scored back-to-back buckets to take a six-point edge. Emory responded with back-to-back buckets by senior Khadijah Sayyid and sophomore Lauren Weems, but the Spartans kept Emory at bay and enjoyed a six-point cushion, 69-63, with 3:40 on the clock. A 6-1 Emory run, capped by a Bevan layup, sliced the CWRU lead to 70-69, and when the teams traded buckets, the Spartans led, 72-71, with 59 ticks remaining. A pair of foul shots by Hillary Hellman, who led all players with 25 points, put Case up three points, but Bevan countered with a score that drew Emory to within one point with eight seconds left. After the Spartans made one of two free throws, an Emory three-point attempt in the waning moments missed its mark. It was the Eagles' fifth UAA loss by six or fewer points this year.
Emory returns to action next Saturday (Feb. 27) when it closes out the season at No. 12-ranked Rochester.
