SALEM, VA --- The Royals were tangled in a back-and-forth affair in the second half of Thursday's ODAC Quarterfinal game, but a couple of key miscues in the final minute cost them in a 53-48 loss to Washington and Lee.  EMU's basketball women end the year with a record of 18-8.

W&L earned a 49-44 lead with 1:31 remaining, before the women made their run.  Center Jonae Guest (Dumfries, Va./Potomac) scored inside to cut the deficit to three, and the defense forced the Generals into a much-needed turnover.  As the women pushed the ball up the floor, however, Myneshia Walker (Freeman, Va./Brunswick) was whistled for a push off, handing possession back to W&L.

Walker then blocked a driving attempt from the Generals' Jackie Clifford, and Jess Rheinheimer (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) secured a rebound which touched at least four sets of hands.  After a timeout, EMU went right back inside to Guest, who connected again to cut the score to 49-48 with 31.5 left.

The women were forced to foul, and Paige Corvino put in both free throws with 19.7 to go.  Jazmine Carter (Fairfax, Va./Oakton) then travelled on the wing with 11.5 showing, and Corvino hit another pair of free throws to end the scoring.

The Royals had come out of the gates cold, missing their first five shots of the game.  Combined with a pair of turnovers, EMU fell into an 8-0 hole until Lindsey Krisak (Alexandria, Va./Edison) canned a jumper for their first points at the 5:10 mark.

Washington and Lee led 14-9 after the first period, but the women went to work quickly in the second.  Rheinheimer converted a three-point play on their first possession.  The defense held W&L to just seven points in the frame, and Rheinheimer capped the scoring with a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left to earn a 21-21 tie at halftime.

The Royals then took their first lead of the game on the first possession of the third, with Rheinheimer again hitting to make it 23-21.  The Generals answered, and a back-and-forth battle ensued.  Guest had a personal 5-0 run, flipping EMU to a 31-28 lead.  But Washington and Lee scored the final five of the period to lead 37-34 heading into the fourth.

Eastern Mennonite held the Generals scoreless for the first four minutes of the fourth, and Walker gave them the lead at 38-37.  The teams traded threes before a string of five missed shots allowed W&L to build a 47-43 cushion to set up the final minutes.

Defense was the name of the game for both sides, as W&L shot 32.8% compared to 29.1% for EMU.  The Royals ended up with 14 turnovers while their opponents committed only nine.

Rheinheimer finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Guest was outstanding with 14 rebounds and 12 points.  Walker scored seven in the first half and finished with nine.

Clifford led Washington and Lee with 13 points and four blocks.  Shelbi Hendricks added 10 boards and nine points.

Career of Jess Rheinheimer
Jess Rheinheimer, who was also named the ODAC Player of the Year and ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete, ends her career in rarified air, not only for the EMU program but also in the history of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.  The forward scored 1,567 points over her four years, ending No. 3 on EMU's career scoring list.  She also ends with 646 rebounds, putting her No. 11 in career rebounding.  The All-American is also the only woman in ODAC history to twice win the ODAC's awards as top player and top scholar.