EMORY, Va. – Alize Brooks scored a team-high 13 points and was joined in double figure scoring by teammates Tyler Davenport and Kyana Thomas, who finished with 11 each, but Emory & Henry held off a hard-charging Salem squad to emerge with a 73-62 victory in Emory, Va., on Wednesday evening.
Brooks finished 5-of-10 from the floor and was successful on 3-of-4 from the free throw line in 21 minutes of action. Davenport scored seven of her 11 points at the charity stripe and converted two field goals along the way. Thomas led the reserves with 11 points, finishing 4-of-5 from the free throw line along with a 3-of-9 outing from the floor.
Thomas and Cree Bass led the Spirits with six rebounds apiece. Bass was also active with three steals and two assists.
Salem (1-2) was facing a four-point deficit, 31-27, entering the third quarter after hitting 5-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. Emory & Henry (2-1) distanced itself with a 28-7 run in the third, amping up its defensive efforts to hold the Spirits to 3-of-22 shooting from the floor. Meanwhile, the offensive tandem of Emma Santoro and Callie Haderer scored six points each led the way for a Wasps' unit that closed 11-of-14 (78.6%) from the floor and 3-of-4 (75%) at the 3-point line in the third quarter.
The Spirts answered with a 28-point fourth quarter of their own, highlighted by six points from both Thomas and Davenport, resulting in an 8-of-16 shooting performance from the floor as a unit. That same duo combined to go 8-of-10 at the charity stripe and hauled in three rebounds apiece.
Emory & Henry streaked out to an 11-2 lead, but conversions by Brooks, Thomas and Savanah Atkins helped Salem trim the margin to three with 2:58 left in the first quarter. After a 3-pointer by Macy McClellan stretched the lead to six, 14-8, Davenport and Lauren Privette scored the next four Salem points to make for a 14-12 contest. The Wasps scored the final three points of the first to take a five-point lead into the second.
Bass knocked down a 3-pointer and Brooks drove past the Emory & Henry defense to spark a run for the Spirits, who trailed 18-17 just over two minutes into the second. The Wasps eventually built a six-point advantage, 25-19, with a pair of free throws by Alexis Hoppers. Thomas drove home a 3-pointer at the 3:32 mark, making for a 25-22 game. However, Emory & Henry closed out the quarter by scoring six of the final 11 points to take a four-point lead into the intermission.
Salem returns to the court on Saturday, November 20th, when the Spirits head to Warren Wilson for a 1 p.m. contest.