Box Score
February 23, 2006
EMU Eliminated by Guilford 71-47 in ODAC Quarterfinals
Senior forward Stephanie Mathews ended her career with a 17 point, five rebound effort against Guilford. (Courtesy Wayne Gehman)
Freshman Kristine Ellis led three players in double figures with 23 points to help fifth-seeded Guilford College to a 71-47 triumph over fourth-seeded Eastern Mennonite University in the quarterfinal round of the 2006 Old Dominion Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament on Thursday afternoon in Salem, Va.
EMU (14-12) led for the first 2:30 of the game before GC (11-15) took a lead it would not relinquish. The Quakers used a 14-4 run to turn a 5-2 deficit into a seven-point advantage. EMU was within two at 23-21 with 6:22 remaining in the half before the Quakers put together a 13-3 run to go up by 12. They went on to take a 36-26 lead into the break.
The Lady Royals got no closer than seven points in the second half. GC built a 22-point lead by the half-way point of the period and cruised to the 71-47 victory.
EMU lost for the second straight year in the four vs. five game after falling to fourth-seeded Emory & Henry College last year 57-48. The Lady Royals entered having swept the season series against the Quakers, winning 70-63 in Greensboro and 66-53 in Harrisonburg. EMU ends the season with a four-game losing streak and having lost six of its last seven games.
Ellis (Winston-Salem, N.C.), the ODAC Freshman of the Year, shot 11-for-14 from the floor in accumulating 23 points along with eight rebounds and two assists. First Team All-Conference senior guard Jennifer King (Reidsville, N.C.) had 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Junior point guard Dionne Graham (Savannah, Ga.) added 11 points, five boards, five assists, and four steals.
Honorable Mention All-Conference senior forward Stephanie Mathews (Woodstock, Va.) led EMU with 17 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Fellow senior Amanda Renalds (Bridgewater, Va.), a Second Team All-Conference selection, had 10 points and five rebounds. The pair leaves EMU one win short of tying the all-time record for wins over a four-year period. The program had 75 wins from 1984-88.
Guilford shot 50% from the floor, hit 4-of-9 three-point field goals (44%), and went 11-for-12 at the free throw line. The Quakers also led in rebounds 39-38 after EMU held advantages of 13 and 14 rebounds in the previous two meetings. The Lady Royals struggled from the floor, shooting 29%, and were especially weak from long range, going 4-for-23 on three-point attempts (17.4%). EMU was 7-for-15 at the charity stripe.
Guilford advances to Friday's 1 p.m. semifinal game where it will meet top-seeded and defending champion Randolph-Macon College. The Yellow Jackets escaped with a 79-71 victory over eighth-seeded Washington and Lee University.
