Lynchburg, VA – The Lady Royals picked up a huge win over ODAC Conference leading Lynchburg College by a final score of 71-45 in the first game of their two game road trip. Playing without Senior leader Emily Mullet (Harrisonburg, VA/EMHS) who is recovering from outpatient surgery, the Royals played a complete game dominating the Hornets of Lynchburg College from the tip-off to the final buzzer.

The Royals jumped out to an early lead by playing intense defense and pushing the ball up the floor in transition. Freshmen Laura Ludholtz (Mt. Crawford, VA/Fort Defiance) and Stephanie Mathews (Woodstock, VA/Central) set the tone early combining for five steals at the beginning of the first half. Without Emily Mullet the Royals needed several players to step-up and replace the scoring lost by her absence. Sophomore forward Regina Sours (Luray, VA/Mt. Carmel Christian) stepped up in the first half coming off the bench and scoring six quick points to help the Royals jump out to an eight point first half lead. But Lynchburg fought back and went on an 8-4 run midway through the first half to tie the game at 15 with 6:33 to go in the first half. Freshman Carrie Grandstaff (Luray, VA/Mt. Carmel Christian) helped the Royals close out the first half strong scoring seven of the Royals final ten points of the first half to give EMU an 30-22 lead at the half.

Early in the second half the Royals weathered another Lynchburg run, and slowly increased their lead throughout the remainder of the game. With 15:00 to go in the game the Royals led 37-26 and again used solid defense to frustrate Lynchburg's offense. For the game the Royals held Lynchburg to just 26.2% shooting from the field. The Royals forced 30 Hornet turnovers and came up with 19 steals in the game. The Royals began to pound the ball inside with Freshman Amanda Renalds (Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby) and Senior Lisa Bergey (Goshen, IN/Bethany Christian) finishing strong around the basket. EMU's dominance in the post forced Lynchburg to switch from their man-to-man defense to a zone leaving the perimeter open for Senior Carissa Kennel (New Holland, PA/Garden Spot) and Ludholtz who combined for 12 quick points to give the Royals a 61-35 lead, their largest of the game with 7:30 remaining in the game.

The Royals went on to win by 26 points with a final score of 71-45. Grandstaff led the Royals with 13 points and three steals while Ludholtz added 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and five steals. Renalds also finished the game with 12 points and had four rebounds and a blocked shot. Sours and Mathews each finished with nine points.

With the win the Royals advance to 6-2 on the season and 2-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.