EMU's basketball women battled past a scrappy Washington Adventist team Tuesday night in Harrisonburg, pulling away in the second half for an 80-57 decision.  The Royals improve to 9-3 after their final non-conference game of the season.

Eastern Mennonite scored first and never trailed, but the Lady Shock kept things interesting with a 10-2 run midway through the first to lock up the score at 23-23.  Junior Marla zumFelde (Goshen, Ind./Bethany Christian) broke the tie with her first three pointer of the night, igniting a 14-2 streak which helped EMU lead 37-26 at halftime.

The Lady Shock surged their way back early in the second, getting within 41-37.  But Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) hit back-to-back layups to start a 20-4 run, exploding the lead to 61-41 and effectively knocking out the visitors.

EMU led by as many as 26 as they rolled out to the 23-point win.

The Royals shot 44%, compared to 31% for Washington Adventist, and canned 9-of-22 three pointers.  They also had a commanding 52-38 advantage on the boards.

Four Royals scored in double figures, led by zumFelde and her career high 21 points.  The forward drilled six three pointers and added three assists.  Ygarza charted 14 points and three assists.  She finished the night with 998 points in her career, leaving her just shy of becoming EMU's 11th woman to score 1,000 points.

Shakeerah Sykes (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) was good for 11 points and seven rebounds, while Jess Rheinheimer (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) added 11 points.  Keyla Baltimore (Bristow, Va./Brentsville District) tied for the game high with six assists.  Becky Barrett (Damascus, Md./Damascus) pulled down seven rebounds.

Courtney Cayard led WAU with 14 points and nine rebounds.  Ebonie Ellison had 13 points and four blocks.

Eastern Mennonite hits the road for their next two games, beginning with Roanoke this Saturday.  Start time in Salem, Va., is 1:00pm.