A huge third blew open a tight game as the EMU basketball women ran away with their first win of the new season, 68-44, at Penn State-Harrisburg on Tuesday. The Royals dominated the period by a 19-5 score to stretch out what had been a 28-24 game at halftime.
Now 1-1, Eastern Mennonite gets a small break over Thanksgiving before jumping in ODAC play this weekend. In a challenging matchup, the Royals host Emory & Henry College at 2:00pm on Saturday in Yoder Arena.
After a surprising 0-for-19 performance from three-point range in a season-opening loss to No. 15 Christopher Newport last Saturday, the women caught fire against Penn State-Harrisburg. They had hit four by halftime before Myneshia Walker(Freeman, Va./Brunswick) spearheaded the explosion in the third.
The junior guard picked out three steals in the frame and hit three attempts from long range. Her third bomb capped a 17-2 streak which gave EMU a 46-25 lead. Walker also converted a three-point play to total 12 points in the period.
Chloe Roach (Leesburg, Va./Tuscarora) and Lexi Deffenbaugh (Fishersville, Va./Wilson Memorial) each connected a three-point play to bookend an 11-0 start to the fourth, building a 58-29 margin to quickly snuff out any thought of a comeback.
Walker and Roach co-lead the Royals with 19 points and three steals each. Walker shot 5-for-9 from three-point range while Roach added five rebounds and three assists. Chrissy Delawder (Broadway, Va./Broadway) added a trio of three pointers as the women shot 9-22 from outside as a team.
Jourdyn Friend (Richmond, Va./Meadowbrook) added four steals and five boards. Jonae Guest (Dumfries, Va./Potomac) had a team high six rebounds.
Tess Dolce came off the bench to lead Penn State-Harrisburg with 11 points and seven rebounds.
EMU had a +4 advantage in rebounding and +6 in turnovers. They racked up 15 steals.
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