From Emory University Athletics

Junior Fran Sweeney totaled a team-high 11 points and the Emory women's basketball team used a strong rebounding effort Sunday afternoon in recording a win over Methodist University. The Eagles closed out a three-game home stand by raising their record to 4-1 following a 58-44 decision over the Monarchs who fell to 3-2.

Sweeney ended the afternoon hitting four-of-nine from the floor, including three-of-six from beyond the arc, in registering her fourth double-figure scoring effort of the year. Senior Khadijah Sayyid chipped in nine points as a result of sinking three triples in five attempts, while pulling down seven rebounds and coming away with a pair of steals, which ran her streak to 32 games with at least one theft to her credit. 

Methodist outshot Emory from the floor in the contest, hitting 39.1 percent (18 of 46) to 28.8 percent (19 of 66), but the Eagles made up for that by sinking eight treys while the Monarchs sank just one in as many tries. Emory also enjoyed a decided 48-31 advantage in rebounding, including a 26-8 margin on the offensive end of the floor that helped it to a 22-7 margin in second-chance points. Eleven of the 12 Eagles who appeared in the game found their way into the rebounding column including sophomore Dumebi Egbuna who paced the club with a career-high tying 10 caroms.

Holding an eight-point lead with 9:37 left in the third quarter following a bucket by MU's Ayanna Peques, Emory rattled off an 11-2 run, capped by a Sayyid triple, that gave it a 43-26 lead with 5:50 left in the stanza. However, the Monarchs battled back, capitalizing on six Emory turnovers over a three-minute span en route to registering a 13-1 spurt that cut the Eagles' cushion to five points with 19 seconds remaining. An Egbuna make from the charity stripe finished out the quarter with Emory holding a 45-39 edge. 

Emory ended any hopes of a Methodist fourth quarter comeback by holding the visitors scoreless for the opening 7:40 of the frame, while recording 10 unanswered points, sparked by junior Shellie Kaniut and Sayyid hitting three pointers in that stretch, to balloon its margin to 55-39 with 2:42 remaining. A three pointer by Sweeney later in the quarter allowed Emory to register its second 17-point lead on the afternoon.  

Emory trailed by an 8-7 margin with 3:14 left in the first quarter before closing out the frame on a 11-2 charge, highlighted by triples by Sweeney and Sayyid, to claim an 18-10 lead after the opening 10 minutes of action. Emory stayed ahead of the Monarchs in the second quarter, using strong bench play that saw its reserves total 10 of the team's 14 points in staking claim to a 32-22 lead at the break. Sweeney picked up eight points in the opening half while freshman Ashley Oldshue bolstered the scoring attack, accounting for all six of her points in the first 20 minutes.