Greensboro, NC -- Senior Dara Burke's (Richmond, VA/St. Catherine's
School) three-pointer triggered a 14-4 run that lifted host Guilford past
league-leading Eastern Mennonite, 69-61, Friday night in Old Dominion
Athletic Conference (ODAC) play. Burke, who scored 10 second-half points,
added a key layup with 1:49 left and finished with a career-high 13 points.
The Quakers' 32nd home win in 33 games salvaged a split of the season
series with the Royals (18-3, 14-3 ODAC), who are ranked third in this
week's NCAA Division III South Region poll. Guilford improved to 13-8,
11-6 in the ODAC.
After a cold-shooting first half that ended in a 20-20 tie, both
clubs came out firing on target in the second period. The lead changed
hands four times before Guilford grabbed a six-point edge with 13:22
remaining on a Jennifer King (Reidsville, Rockingham County) three-pointer.
The Royals recovered and tied the game at 49-49 on a Laura Ludholtz (Mt.
Crawford, VA/Ft. Defiance) free throw with 7:56 left. The Royals'
Stephanie Mathews (Woodstock, VA/Central) tied the game for the fourth time
of the half with 4:07 left with a free throw, but missed her second free
throw and the chance to give Eastern Mennonite the lead.
Burke responded at the other end with a three-pointer, just her
eighth trifecta of the season, to break the 55-55 tie. A Ludholtz jumper
with 2:12 left trimmed the Quakers' lead to 58-57, but Burke's layup at the
other end restored Guilford's three-point edge. Eastern Mennonite started
fouling and Guilford made nine of 10 shots from the charity stripe in the
final 90 seconds. Senior Nicole McCrory (Charlotte, NC/East Mecklenburg)
tallied six of her 10 second-half points from the foul line in the final 36
seconds.
Guilford's Jennie Keichline (Chapel Hill, NC/East Chapel Hill)
notched her third double-double of the year with 17 points and a
career-high 13 rebounds, both game highs. Senior A.J. Robertson (Eden,
NC/Morehead) scored all 13 of her points in the second half and became
Guilford's all-time leader in three-pointers with three trifectas that
raised her career total to 106. King finished with 12 points, six boards
and a game-high four assists.
Ludholtz made six-of-seven field goals and led the Royals with 15
points, 13 in the second half. Sophomore Regina Sours (Luray, VA/Mt.
Carmel Christian) contributed 14 points and six boards in 15 minutes off
the bench. Mathews finished with 12 points, five boards and four assists,
but committed five of Eastern Mennonite's 26 turnovers. The Royals'
leading scorer, Carrie Grandstaff (Luray, VA/Mt. Carmel Christian), scored
just six points, 12.7 below her season average, on three-of-14 shooting
from the floor, 0-7 from three-point range.
Both teams play conference games Saturday. Guilford hosts
Bridgewater, which grabbed first place in the ODAC with a 63-51 win at
Emory & Henry Friday night, at 4:00 pm. The Royals visit Emory & Henry
Saturday at 4:00 pm.