Box Score The Emory University women's basketball team put the exclamation point on the first Friday Night Basketball tailgate of the season defeating the No. 21 ranked Chicago Maroons in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Eagles improve to 10-5 on the season and earn their second UAA conference win behind a combined 31 points from graduate student
Hanna Malik (16) and junior
Lily Kennedy (15). Sophomore
Alexandra Loucopoulos also posted double-digit points in the matchup while notching two steals.
Both teams were unable to shoot over 30.0 percent from beyond the arc so shooting from the field became crucial on both sides of the court. Emory was able to outshoot the Maroons in field goals shooting 36.4 percent while going for 80.0 percent at the line.
Despite an early three points from Chicago, the Eagles answered with five points in the next four minutes to hold a slight 5-3 lead. The scoring went back and forth between the two squads for the next three minutes with the game tied at nine apiece with 2:50 remaining in the first quarter. Emory finished the quarter with a 6-0 run, four of those points coming from Malik, to hold a 15-9 advantage heading into the second quarter.
The Maroons were able to slightly outscore the Eagles in the second quarter but Emory still held the lead after the first half. Chicago opened the second quarter with two made free throws before Malik and Loucopoulos landed back to back layups giving the Eagles a 19-16 lead with 5:48 on the clock. The Maroons finished the first half with a 7-6 run in the final five minutes with Emory taking a 25-23 advantage to the locker room.
A much needed pep talk in the locker room brought Chicago out swinging in the third quarter opening with five points to tie the game at 30 apiece running three minutes off of the clock. Both teams scored the next few points with another tie coming at 32-32 before Chicago ran with a 37-34 lead with 3:49 remaining in the third quarter. The Eagles were able to reclaim the lead on two made free throws from junior
Katherine Martini but the Maroons ended the quarter with four points to hold a 41-38 lead after the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was all Eagles with Chicago scoring just six points in the last 10 minutes. Three of those points came in the first minute taking the Maroons to a 44-38 lead with 8:55 on the clock. The next points in the game came five minutes later with Loucopoulos landing a layup and getting the and one to cut into Chicago's lead. The next nine points came from Kennedy reclaiming the 50-44 lead for the Eagles. The Maroons landed a three pointer in the last 10 seconds before Malik finished the game with two free throws good for the 52-47 win.
The Eagles will return to the WoodPEC on Sunday, January 26 to face the WashU Bears at 12:00 PM for brunch and basketball.
