SEWANEE, Tenn. - The Sewanee women's basketball program open up the home schedule on Tuesday night. Following a slow start, the Tigers responded from a 16-point deficit to send the game to overtime against Emory. However, the Eagles iced it late to defeat the Tigers, 84-80, inside Juhan Gymnasium.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score: Emory (4-1) 84, Sewanee (2-3) 80 (OT)
Sewanee Athletics Social Media | Twitter/Instagram: @SewaneeTigers
Women's Basketball Social Media | Twitter: @Sewaneewbb | Instagram: @sewanee_wbb
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Emory made six out of their first 11 shots from the field and sank 8-of-9 free throws to sprint out to a 22-11 lead after 10 minutes of action.
-Late in the first quarter, down 16 points, the Tigers answered by going on a 13-4 run in a 5:05 span to cut the deficit to two points, 24-22, before Emory took a timeout with over seven minutes left in the second period.
-Not letting the lead get more than six points the rest of the half for the Eagles, the Tigers outscored the visitors, 22-15, in the quarter and only trailed, 37-33, at intermission.
-In the third stanza, the Eagles shot 8-of-15 in the frame, but the Tigers, thanks to three 3-pointers and six free throws to keep it close, trailed 57-50 headed into the fourth period.
-Down 64-57 with less than six minutes to go, Bella Taylor made the next six points for the Tigers to cut the deficit to one, 64-63, with four and a half minutes to go.
-The Tigers would tie the contest at 66 for the first time in the game at the 2:50 mark, on a Hannah McCormack free throw.
-From there, there were three ties and three lead changes for the rest of regulation, and tied at 73 apiece, the teams played five more minutes.
-The Tigers shot 9-of-14 in the final period of regulation, including 6-of-7 from Taylor, who dropped 15 points in the period.
-Ahead 80-77 with 50 seconds left in the overtime period, Lindsey Tse made a layup that iced the contest for the Eagles.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Tracey Braden
After that first quarter, we told the girls to relax and stick to our gameplan. Honestly, I think we felt intimidated. We made a few adjustments on the full-court pressure we saw in the beginning. Once we started relaxing and executing shots, our confidence level went up.
I just want to thank everybody who came out tonight and supported us. They were on their feet and loud all game long. You all were our sixth man tonight, and we deeply appreciate the support.
SEWANEE KEY STATISTICS
-Taylor led all scorers with 29 points, a new season high for the junior. Nearing the century mark, she is 33 points away from becoming the 13th women's basketball player all-time to 1,000 career points. She shot 10-of-21 from the field, 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, grabbed seven boards and made three steals and assists each.
-Hannah McCormack posted 16 points and recorded five of Sewanee's 12 steals.
-Allison Hitchcock drained shots from the charity stripe and beyond the arc, sinking three shots from downtown and went a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line to finish with 14 points.
EMORY KEY STATISTICS
-Ashley Oldshue recorded a double-double for Emory, scoring 21 points and recording 11 boards.
-Azzairia Jackson-Sherrod recorded 16 points, grabbed six boards and five assists for Emory.
UP NEXT
Sewanee will next have its SAA opener, as Centre makes their way to the Domain. Tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon from Juhan Gymnasium.
For the latest news on the Sewanee Tigers, follow @SewaneeTigers on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.