FRANKLIN SPRINGS, GA – The Emmanuel Women's Basketball team opened up conference play this afternoon against Converse University. The Valkyries took the lead early, but the comeback cats were at it again, taking the lead in the 3
rd quarter and closing out the game strong to earn the 81-72 victory. With the win, the Lions improve to 3-1 on the season, 1-0 in conference action.
The two teams traded points and the lead early in the first quarter. Naomi Robets picked up where she left off against USC Aiken, grabbing the first bucket for the Lions.
Natalee Goff got in on the action, scoring 7 points in the quarter. The Valkyries took the lead late, 17-15 and pushed it to 20-15 to end the first. In the first quarter, the Lions shot 7-20 from the field (35%) and 1-4 from beyond the arc.
The second quarter saw the Valkyries push their lead to as much as 12 points, 36-24 with 1:16 to play. Layups by
Carmen Cabello-Rivera and
Kate Jackson cut the Converse lead to 8 heading into the break, 36-28. In the 2
nd, the Lions were 6-15 from the field (40%).
After the half, the Lions offense started clicking. The Valkyries got up by 12 early, but layups by Roberts and
Hannah Harris cut the Converse lead to 6, 43-37. Consecutive made three-pointers by Cabello-Rivera and a jumper by Harris put the Lions on top, 46-43 with 5:10 to play in the 3
rd. The teams would go back and forth the rest of the quarter, ending the 3
rd knotted at 53-53. In the third, the Lions shot 8-16 from the field (50%) and 7-10 from the charity stripe.
In the fourth, the Lions pushed ahead early with buckets by
Lizzie Teasley, Cabello-Rivera and Jackson to make it 62-53, Lions with 7:52 to play. Jackson continued to stay hot in the paint, scoring the next four points for the Lions to give Emmanuel a 66-55 lead with 6:48 to go. The Valkyries would respond well, cutting the Lions lead to 4, 66-62 with 5:09 to go, but Roberts, Jackson and Goff would make key plays late to give the Lions the 81-72 victory.
Five Lions finished the night in double figures scoring, with
Naomi Roberts leading the way with 19 points.
Natalee Goff added 17 points and 14 rebounds, while
Kate Jackson picked up 15 points.
Carmen Cabello-Rivera contributed 14 points, while
Hannah Harris had a double-double, with 12 points and 11 assists.
Next up, the Lions will host Young Harris in a Roar War battle on Tuesday at 1PM. At the game, we will be collecting non-perishable food items for our local food pantry. If planning to attend, please consider donating a few food items in lieu of paying the gate fee!
