ATLANTA – Savannah Morgan and Danielle Landry combined for 38 points – six crucial ones in the last 45 seconds – as Emory University defeated the University of Rochester, 65-57, at the Woodruff PE Center on Saturday afternoon.
The victory gives Emory its first University Athletic Association women's basketball title. The Eagles will receive the UAA's Pool A bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs which begin next weekend. Emory is 22-3 overall, 12-2 in the UAA.
Rochester finishes second in the UAA race. The Yellowjackets are 19-6 overall, 11-3 in the UAA. The Yellowjackets now go into Pool C consideration by the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Committee. The tournament field will be announced on Monday at 2:30 pm Eastern time on NCAAsports.com.
The Yellowjackets put together several second half flurries and chopped a 16- point Eagles lead down to two with just under two minutes to play.
Rochester missed a short jumper which could have tied the score at 59-all with a little more than a minute left. Morgan sank a three-point goal from the top of the key with 45 seconds left. The Eagles made three treys in 13 attempts for the game. Rochester was four of 19 outside the arc.
Landry clinched the victory by sinking three free throws in the last 25 seconds. She finished 10 of 12 from the line and scored 18 points. Morgan had a game-high 20 points, and Hannah Lilly scored nine.
Breanna Madrazo led Rochester with 14 points. Amy Woods scored 10. Jackie Walker had seven, while Danielle McNabb and Katie Weiner scored six apiece.
Emory led, 38-28, at the half on the strength of 46% shooting from the floor (16 of 35), a slight advantage on the backboards (20-16), and a strong defense which forced 13 Rochester turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
Early in the second half, the Eagles went on a 10-1 run to open a 50-34 lead with more than 16 minutes remaining. Six of the points came off Rochester turnovers. Landry and Morgan scored four points apiece.
Rochester's defense held Emory to one field goal over the next nine minutes while the Yellowjackets ran off a 15-3 burst. Madrazo scored five points in the sprint. McNabb, Woods, Loren Wagner, and Ally Zywicki had two points apiece. Woods' putback of a missed free throw by Walker pulled Rochester within 53-49 with 7:20 left.
Landry made a layup, but Madrazo hit a jumper and Woods added another follow to make it a 55-53 Emory lead with 5:06 on the clock. Baskets by Lilly and Selena Castillo upped the edge to 59-53 before McNabb hit a jumper in the paint and Walker tipped in a missed shot with 1:55 to go. That got Rochester within 59-57 and set up the final sequence.
For the game, Rochester shot 40% from the floor (21-53), 21% outside the arc (4-19), and 55% from the line (11-20). Emory hit 43% from the field (26-61), 23% outside the arc (3-13), and 77% from the line (10 of13). Rochester held a 38-36 advantage on the glass.