Franklin Springs, GA – The Emmanuel Women's Basketball team hosted Lees McRae this afternoon in Conference Carolinas play. The Lions got off to a strong start and held onto the momentum the rest of the way, earning a 73-56 victory. With the win, the Lions improve to 5-12 overall and 4-6 in conference action. 
 
The Lions jumped out to an early 5-0 lead behind hot shooting by Maddie Futch. Futch continued to shoot well, connecting from three-point range with 3:51 to play in the first to give the Lions a 12-6 advantage. The Lions shot 8-19 (42%) from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds in the quarter. After the first, the Lions led 19-10. 
 
In the second quarter, the Lions found their groove from three-point range, going 3-6 from beyond the arc. A three by Addie Penick with 7:24 to play in the half gave the Lions a 25-12 advantage. Midway through the quarter, the Lions increased their lead to 14 on a made three-pointer by Abby Crawford, 30-16. The Lions led by as much as 18 in the quarter and took a 37-21 lead into the break. 
 
After half, the Lions continued to control the pace of the game. A layup by Maddie Futch with 8:53 to play in the third pushed the Lions lead to 20, 41-21. In the third quarter, the Lions were 10-19 from the field (53%) and 2-2 from three-point range. Midway through the third, an 8-0 run by the Lions made up of a three by Penick and a jumper by Naomi Roberts gave Emmanuel a 58-33 lead. The Lions closed out the quarter strong to lead 60-35 heading into the final quarter.
 
In the fourth, the Lions continued to build on their lead getting up by as much as 30 points with 4:08 to play on a layup by Maddie Futch. The Bobcats would close out the game on a 16-3 run to make it interesting, but the Lions were able to come away with a 17-point victory, 73-56!
 
Three Lions ended the afternoon in double figures scoring, with Maddie Futch leading the way with 25 points. Abby Crawford contributed 18 points and Naomi Roberts added 16 to round out the Lions top scorers. Addie Penick led the Lions in rebounds (11) and assists (7), while Makenzie Caldwell added a block.
 
Next up the Lions will host Southern Wesleyan on Tuesday at 5PM. For more information on Emmanuel University athletics, visit goeulions.com.