LANCASTER, Pa. – The Royals returned to the hardwood on Saturday, spending the weekend up north. They started their pre-Christmas road trip with a showdown against Lancaster Bible.

It was a tightly contested first half, but EMU used a big third quarter, outscoring the Chargers 22-11, en route to a 62-53 win.   

Records: EMU 7-4, 0-3 ODAC | Lancaster Bible 5-6, 2-2 United East

Highlights

First Quarter
The Royals started out on a 6-0 run, picking up buckets from Laila Glymph, Jayla Gray and Jayda Jones, to take an early lead. After an LBC bucket, EMU scored the next four from Gray and Jeriyah Osborne, for a 10-2 lead. The Chargers offense started to heat up after that, as they outscored the Royals 14-7 over the final 5:53, to take a 16-15 lead after one.

Second Quarter
LBC started the second quarter on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to eight, before Gray scored six of the game's next eight points, followed by an Osborne layup, to cut EMU's deficit to two. The Royals took the lead with a Glymph free throw and a Lexie Dingus layup, to cap off an 11-2 EMU run. But, with just 30 seconds left, a driving layup from LBC gave them a one-point lead heading into the half, 27-26.

Third Quarter
EMU came out blazing in the third, going on an 11-4 run to start the quarter, with Osborne dropping five and Gray adding four. After LBC had pulled within four late in the quarter, Grace Burke hit back-to-back threes to give EMU a 10-point lead, 48-38, heading to the fourth.

Fourth Quarter
EMU continued their run into the final frame, starting with a 7-0 run through the first five minutes of the fourth. That run was led by Lauren Townsend, Jazmyn Taylor and Osborne, pushing EMU's lead up to 17. The Royals would continue to hold a double-digit lead until, in the final 1:13, LBC went on a 5-1 run. But it was too late for the Chargers, as EMU's big third quarter proplled them to the win.  

Statistical Leaders
Gray: 16 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks
Osborne: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
Glymph: 9 points, 11 rebounds

What's Next
EMU won't have much time to enjoy this win, as they're right back in action on Sunday. They'll continue their northern road trip when they head to New York to take on Yeshiva. Tipoff is set for 1 pm.

To keep up to date with everything surrounding EMU women's basketball, follow EMU on Twitter and Instagram, like EMU Athletics on Facebook or visit our website.