Jan 11, 2011
HARRISONBURG, VA -- While the defense should be credited for holding a talented Washington & Lee squad in check, Danielle Rittenhouse's (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) jumper with 1:48 left in overtime provided the difference on the scoreboard, as Eastern Mennonite knocked off the Generals in Harrisonburg Tuesday night. The women battled back from a four-point deficit late in regulation before Rittenhouse sealed the win in OT over last year's conference champions.
Despite leading by as many as six points in the first half, the Royals trailed most the second. W&L held its biggest edge at seven, leading 55-48 with 9:18 left.
EMU turned on the defense from there, holding the Generals scoreless for nearly six minutes. Sara Lamneck (Swoope, Va./Buffalo Gap) patiently scored the next five points of the game, getting the women within two.
After a Washington & Lee bucket with 3:33 to go, Kala Yoders (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO) connected on a big three-point play and then put back an offensive rebound to give the Royals a 58-57 lead at the 2:57 mark.
Meg Ingram (Greensboro, NC/Ragsdale) put W&L back in front with a nice drive and lay-in, but Rittenhouse tied the score with a single free throw with 54 seconds left on the clock.
The Generals missed two free throws with 31 seconds remaining, giving EMU a chance for the win in regulation. After Yoders missed a shot, Lamneck ripped down an offensive rebound and laid the ball in, putting the women up 61-59 with 17.3 showing.
But the visitors would not go home quietly, getting a bucket with four seconds left to tie the score and send the game into overtime.
Stephanie Rheinheimer (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) hit a big three pointer in OT. After a pair of Lamneck free throws, Rheinheimer got tripped on a drive and hit both of her tosses to put the women ahead by three, 68-65.
But the Generals answered with four straight points, grabbing the lead on an offensive putback with 2:06 to go.
That's when Rittenhouse nailed her jumper for the game's final points. The Royals turned on the defense again, withstanding three shots from W&L in the final 1:30 to claim the win.
EMU Coach Kevin Griffin was thrilled with the game.
"That's a huge win," he said. "W&L is a veteran team, a really good team. They won the ODAC last year and for as young as we are that's just a big win."
The women got 60 of their 70 points from freshmen and sophomores, lead by Lamneck's 15. She also hauled in 12 rebounds to post a double double. Rittenhouse had 13 and three assists while Yoders had 13 and seven rebounds off the bench.
One key in the game was free throw shooting, as EMU made six of their seven attempts over the final 8:05 of the contest, including all four in OT. The Generals missed their final four of the game, including three in the final 2:05 of regulation.
The Royals had 19 turnovers compared to W&L's 15, but had a 47-42 edge in rebounding. The women also put the clamps on the Generals' outside shooters, holding them to just 11% from three point range on 2-18 shooting.
Griffin said his team never gave up, even when they trailed in regulation and overtime, and their depth helped wear down the visitors.
"We made some mistakes," he said, "but we just kept fighting and got a great contribution from the bench. All but one of our players in uniform played at least 10 minutes and it seemed like some of W&L's shots were short late in the game."
Both teams shot 39% in the contest, but the Royals were 7-of-16 from long range and were 15-25 from the free throw line compared to 9-13 for Washington & Lee.
Felice Herman (Fairfield, Pa./Delone Catholic) led the Generals with 16 points and eight rebounds. Ingram finished with 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
The win gives EMU their longest winning streak of the season at three games and gives them some momentum as they head on a road trip this weekend. EMU, 7-5 overall and 5-2 in the ODAC, plays at Emory & Henry Friday night and Guilford on Saturday.
Despite leading by as many as six points in the first half, the Royals trailed most the second. W&L held its biggest edge at seven, leading 55-48 with 9:18 left.
EMU turned on the defense from there, holding the Generals scoreless for nearly six minutes. Sara Lamneck (Swoope, Va./Buffalo Gap) patiently scored the next five points of the game, getting the women within two.
After a Washington & Lee bucket with 3:33 to go, Kala Yoders (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO) connected on a big three-point play and then put back an offensive rebound to give the Royals a 58-57 lead at the 2:57 mark.
Meg Ingram (Greensboro, NC/Ragsdale) put W&L back in front with a nice drive and lay-in, but Rittenhouse tied the score with a single free throw with 54 seconds left on the clock.
The Generals missed two free throws with 31 seconds remaining, giving EMU a chance for the win in regulation. After Yoders missed a shot, Lamneck ripped down an offensive rebound and laid the ball in, putting the women up 61-59 with 17.3 showing.
But the visitors would not go home quietly, getting a bucket with four seconds left to tie the score and send the game into overtime.
Stephanie Rheinheimer (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) hit a big three pointer in OT. After a pair of Lamneck free throws, Rheinheimer got tripped on a drive and hit both of her tosses to put the women ahead by three, 68-65.
But the Generals answered with four straight points, grabbing the lead on an offensive putback with 2:06 to go.
That's when Rittenhouse nailed her jumper for the game's final points. The Royals turned on the defense again, withstanding three shots from W&L in the final 1:30 to claim the win.
EMU Coach Kevin Griffin was thrilled with the game.
"That's a huge win," he said. "W&L is a veteran team, a really good team. They won the ODAC last year and for as young as we are that's just a big win."
The women got 60 of their 70 points from freshmen and sophomores, lead by Lamneck's 15. She also hauled in 12 rebounds to post a double double. Rittenhouse had 13 and three assists while Yoders had 13 and seven rebounds off the bench.
One key in the game was free throw shooting, as EMU made six of their seven attempts over the final 8:05 of the contest, including all four in OT. The Generals missed their final four of the game, including three in the final 2:05 of regulation.
The Royals had 19 turnovers compared to W&L's 15, but had a 47-42 edge in rebounding. The women also put the clamps on the Generals' outside shooters, holding them to just 11% from three point range on 2-18 shooting.
Griffin said his team never gave up, even when they trailed in regulation and overtime, and their depth helped wear down the visitors.
"We made some mistakes," he said, "but we just kept fighting and got a great contribution from the bench. All but one of our players in uniform played at least 10 minutes and it seemed like some of W&L's shots were short late in the game."
Both teams shot 39% in the contest, but the Royals were 7-of-16 from long range and were 15-25 from the free throw line compared to 9-13 for Washington & Lee.
Felice Herman (Fairfield, Pa./Delone Catholic) led the Generals with 16 points and eight rebounds. Ingram finished with 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
The win gives EMU their longest winning streak of the season at three games and gives them some momentum as they head on a road trip this weekend. EMU, 7-5 overall and 5-2 in the ODAC, plays at Emory & Henry Friday night and Guilford on Saturday.