HARRISONBURG, VA --- In the end, the Royals simply had too much depth.  The Eastern Mennonite women opened up a defensive struggle midway through the first and wore away Washington and Lee for a 69-48 ODAC win in Harrisonburg Wednesday night.

EMU scored the first four points of the game, but still only had a 4-0 lead five minutes in.  Finally a steal and three-point play by junior Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) at the 10:54 mark triggered a surge for the women.  They went on a 19-7 run over the next five minutes to open up a double-digit lead they would never relinquish.

The Generals were within 10 at halftime, 33-23, but Eastern Mennonite opened the second on a 21-4 tear over the first nine minutes to inflate a 54-27 cushion.  The Royals led by as many as 34 and cruised to the win.

Led by a great team effort, EMU's bench out-scored their starters, 46-23.  Shakeerah Sykes (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) led the way with 15 points and seven rebounds.  Raiven Patterson (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) scored 10 points in the first half along, and finished with 12 and seven boards.  Jess Rheinheimer (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) put in nine tallies.

Ygarza led the starting unit with 10 points and three steals.  Kala Yoders (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) had seven rebounds and three picks.

Eastern Mennonite out-shot the Generals 50% to 34%, and held their visitors to a chilly 1-for-15 from three point range.  The Royals also had a +7 turnover margin, 25-18.

The comfortable win ups EMU's record to 8-5 overall and 4-1 in the ODAC.  The Royals are tied with Guilford, Lynchburg and Bridgewater atop the league.  The women play at Lynchburg this Saturday, with a 2:00pm start time.