For the third time in the last five meetings, the Eastern Mennonite women have let big leads against Washington & Lee slip through their hands. Last season the Royals twice held double digit cushions before losing. Saturday afternoon in Lexington was No. 3, as EMU led by as many as 15 points, only to see the Generals catch fire and steal a 67-61 win.

The Royals scored the first four points and never trailed in the first half. The women held their biggest lead at 31-16 when Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) hit a bucket with 3:16 left in the first.

But Washington & Lee quickly went to work on the 33-21 halftime deficit.

After the teams traded buckets, the Generals held EMU without a point for 4:13 and ripped off a 13-0 run to grab their first lead at 36-35.

W&L had the lead to as many as four before the Royals fully regrouped and used a quick run to go back up by six points. With 3:52 remaining, EMU led 61-55.

But the Generals had one more run up their sleeves, as they held the women scoreless down the stretch and closed the contest on a 12-0 run to steal the 67-61 win.

After shooting a blistering 52% in the first half, the Royals just shot 38% in the second while W&L hit 57%. They made only a few trips to the free throw line and finished 8-11. The Generals made the biggest difference in the contest by hitting 9-of-23 three pointers.

Sara Lamneck (Swoope, Va./Buffalo Gap) was a bright spot as she shot 7-11 from the floor and finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Kala Yoders (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO) was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line and added 13 points.

Danielle Rittenhouse (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) had eight points, six rebounds and three steals.

Washington & Lee ran its offense through Meg Ingram and Becca Bolton. Ingram had 22 points and five assists while Bolton had 23 points and eight rebounds.

The loss drops EMU to 9-7 overall and 7-4 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. It also gives the women a split with last year's ODAC champs, as the Royals won in overtime in Harrisonburg on Jan. 11. Next up is another key road contest at rival Bridgewater on Tuesday. Game time is 7:00pm.