Style points don’t matter, especially in the postseason. For EMU’s basketball women, they got the win they needed in Mondaynight’s ODAC Tournament First Round, a 71-57 victory over Hollins.
The Royals (18-7) advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on fourth-seeded Washington and Lee Thursday at 3:00pmin the Salem Civic Center.
Click here to see the interactive bracket for the ODAC Women’s Basketball Tournament.
EMU had big wins over Hollins (3-22) in both regular season meetings, and looked to be cruising to another one during the first half. The women ended the first on a 12-5 run to lead 20-12, and then held Hollins to only seven points in the entire second period. Free throws made a big difference before halftime, as the Royals were 13-for-18 in the half for a 44-19 lead at the break.
But things changes quickly. Despite being the 12th-seed in the tourney, Hollins wasn’t giving up and scored the first five points of the second half. They ended the third period on a 12-4 streak, cutting EMU’s cushion to 61-47.
The Royals scored just two points over the first 5:54 of the final frame, and Hollins slowly crept within 63-53. But Jess Rheinheimer (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) got inside for back-to-back buckets, bumping the lead back to 67-53 with3:25 to go. EMU slowed down the tempo from there and finished things off from the free throw line.
The women played their game, but the league’s best three-point shooting team missed a number of good looks. They finished 4-31 from long range. As a whole, EMU had a slight shooting edge at 35.3% to 34.8%, but made the biggest difference in free throws and rebounding. The Royals were 19-27 from the stripe while Hollins was 4-9. They also grabbed 23 offensive boards for a 55-37 domination of the glass.
Myneshia Walker (Freeman, Va./Brunswick) led all players with 19 points, including 7-7 in threes. She also grabbed eight rebounds, including five offensive. Rheinheimer charted a double double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Sa’Mone Moore (Covington, Va./Covington) scored nine, as did Jonae Guest (Dumfries, Va./Potomac), who added eight rebounds. Shaneyea Conwell (Newport News, Va./Warwick) had a game high 12 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.
Jewell Parfitt led Hollins with 17 points, six rebounds and four steals. Nikki Valencia had 11 points and five assists, while Auburn Smith added 10 points, six rebounds and six assists.
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