FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. - The No. 1 seed Emmanuel College women's basketball team defeated the No. 8 seed North Greenville University, 73-71 on Monday night in the Conference Carolinas quarterfinals. With this win, the Lions will host the remainder of the Conference Carolinas Tournament on Thursday, March 7th and Friday, March 8th. The tournament Semi-Finals will kick off on Thursday at 5:30pm with No. 1 Emmanuel taking on No. 4 Mount Olive, followed by No. 2 Barton taking on No. 3 Belmont Abbey at 7:30pm.

After a short lived 2-0 lead, the Lions would struggle to get back on top again until the final minute of play. A sharp lead in shooting percentage paired with more scoring led the Crusaders to a 38-29 lead by halftime. After another 8 minutes of battle, the Lions aggressive play allowed them to tie up the game, 48-48. Determined to stay on top, however, the Crusaders would respond with 9 more points while holding the Lions down to 5.

In the final quarter, the Lions would capitalize on five steals to capture the momentum and close in on their opponent. Finally, with just twenty-four seconds left on the clock, Sophomore Breanna Locke would drive in and put up one last layup to make it a Lions lead at 73-71. The Crusaders would have one more chance to score, but Locke would force another turnover, locking in the win for the Lions.

Sophomore Hanna Grogan led all players with 23 points.

For more news on Emmanuel College Athletics, visit goeclions.com.