Franklin Springs, GA – The Emmanuel Women's Basketball team hosted Erskine College tonight in conference play. The Flying Fleet got off to a strong start, outscoring the Lions 21-18 in the first quarter but the Lions responded well and controlled the pace of the game the rest of the way to earn a dominant 81-57 victory. With the win, the Lions improve to 10-13 on the season, 9-7 in conference action.
The Flying Fleet got off to a quick start, taking a 12-6 lead early, but the Lions responded well with key plays by Naomi Roberts and Ade'Jah James to cut their lead to 14-13 with 3:17 to play in the 1st. The Lions were 8-21 from the field in the quarter and trailed the Flying Fleet by three, 21-18 at the end of the 1st.
The Lions offense started the 2nd quarter on a 10-0 run, led by Abby Crawford to help give the Lions a 28-21 lead. Several Lions got into the action, including freshman Hannah Harris who made a key three with 4:13 to play in the quarter to put the Lions up by 9, 37-29. The Lions would push their lead to double digits to head into the half up by 10, 40-30.
In the third, Maddie Futch got into the action with three consecutive buckets to put the Lions up 46-32 with 7:50 to play in the quarter. The Lions got hot from beyond the arc in the quarter, with Addie Penick and Naomi Roberts connecting from downtown to extend the Lions' lead to 16, 54-38. The Lions led by as much as 21 in the quarter, shooting 53% from the field. At the end of three, the Lions led 64-45.
In the fourth, the Flying Fleet cut the Lions lead to 15 early, but the Lions responded well with key plays by several freshmen, including Carmen Cabello-Rivera and Aaliyah Anderson to push the lead back up to 25, 81-56. In the quarter, the Lions shot 8-17 (47%) from the field. The Lions came away with an 81-57 win.
Four Lions were in double figures scoring on the night, led by Naomi Roberts who had 20 points. Abby Crawford added 18 points, and 2 steals, while Ade'Jah James had 15 points and 6 rebounds. Maddie Futch led the team with 8 rebounds, adding 13 points and Addie Penick had a career high 10 assists.
The Lions will be back in action on Saturday as they host North Greenville University at 2PM for Senior Day. For more information on Emmanuel University athletics, visit goeulions.com.
