Two and a half weeks without a game seemed to help the EMU offense. Because of the holiday break the Eastern Mennonite women hadn't played since Dec. 18, and still they shot 56% from the floor in Tuesday's win over Lynchburg. The Royals led most of the game, but had to come from behind with five minutes to play to grab a 72-69 win.

EMU scored the first seven points in the contest and zipped to a 12-point lead at 25-13 midway through the first half. But Lynchburg closed the frame on a 10-3 run, getting within two at the break, 38-36.

The women quickly pushed the cushion to six in the second, but the Hornets scored eight straight to go ahead 44-42.

The rest of the game would be a back-and-forth affair.

With 5:07 remaining, Lynchburg got a bucket to go ahead 65-64. The Royals responded by scoring on their next four possessions while also keeping LC out for four straight. By the time the home team scored again, EMU had gone back up 72-65.

The Hornets got layups with 1:13 and :37 to go, trimming the lead to three, but neither team would score again. The Royals had a big defensive stand to force a shot clock violation to ice the game with less than two seconds left of the clock.

Danielle Rittenhouse (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg), playing with a tender ankle, led the way with 20 points and five rebounds. She hit 7-of-10 shots, including three triples.

Sara Lamneck (Swoope, Va./Buffalo Gap) hit for 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) added 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Addie Bashorun (Manassas, Va./Brentsville District) had a team high four assists.

The Royals were playing without second-leading scorer Kala Yoders (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO), who rested with an injury.

Eastern Mennonite patiently shot a blazing 56% from the floor, hitting 28-of-50 shots. The women were 5-9 from long range and 11-19 from the free throw line.

Lynchburg hit 9-of-20 three pointers, but just 19 of their 44 two-point attempts. The Hornets also attempted only six free throws.

The win evens EMU's record at 5-5 overall, including 4-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Royals step out of league play this Thursday with a road contest at Mary Baldwin.