Defending Old Dominion Athletic Conference champions Eastern Mennonite University fell to Emory & Henry College 57-48 in the quarterfinal round of the 2004-05 ODAC Tournament on Thursday afternoon at the Salem Civic Center.

Fifth-seeded EMU (16-10, 12-8 ODAC) jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead three minutes into the game, including two lay-ups by junior forward Amanda Renalds. Fourth-seeded E&H (16-10, 12-8 ODAC) responded to tie the score at 8-8 with 14:54 left in the half. The Wasps did not take their first lead until the 7:07 mark when they went up 16-14 on two free throws by senior guard Amy Hensley.

Junior forward Stephanie Mathew's jumper at the 3:18 mark pulled the Lady Royals to within 21-20, but then E&H junior guard Kate Childress hit a three-pointer to help propel the Wasps to a 27-20 advantage with one minute left. The teams exchanged baskets to end the half with Emory & Henry taking a 32-26 lead into the break.

EMU scored the first five points of the second half, including a three-point play by Mathews, to get back within one point. E&H went ahead 38-33 with 15:50 remaining before hitting a cold spell. The Lady Royals went on a 7-0 run and held the Wasps scoreless for six minutes in grabbing a 40-38 lead.

Junior Brooke Barker broke the cold streak with a three-pointer at the 9:51 mark to put her team back in front by one. EMU would not hold the lead again. Lay-ups by freshmen Katherine Brandt and Lauren Birdsell put the Wasps up by five. E&H survived another scoreless spell, this time three and a half minutes, but held on to ice the victory at the free throw line in the final minute for the 57-48 win.

EMU struggled to shoot the ball the entire game, hitting 28.6% of its shots in the first half and 28% in the second half. The Lady Royals shot just 2-of-12 from the three-point arch. They went 16-for-22 at the free throw line and held a 45-43 edge in rebounding but committed 18 turnovers.

Renalds led the Lady Royals with 17 points and eight rebounds. She finishes the season with 999 career points, meaning that the first basket of her senior season will surpass the 1,000-point mark. She was named First Team All-Conference the night before at the conference awards banquet. Mathews, also a First Team honoree, had 16 points and eight rebounds along with two steals.

E&H was hot from the floor in the opening period, shooting 42.9%. The numbers cooled off to 26.7% in the second half. The Wasps hit 5-of-11 three-point field goals and went 12-for-24 at the free throw line.

Childress finished with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Birdsell had 13 points and five rebounds while Hensley added 12 points, four boards, and two steals.

Emory & Henry advances to Friday's semifinal round where it will square off with top-seeded Randolph-Macon College at 1 p.m. EMU falls to 13-17 all-time in the ODAC Tournament and 7-11 in the quarterfinal round.