The 2007-08 Emory women's basketball team recorded its second winning campaign in the last three years, winding up with an overall record of 14-11, a four-game improvement from the previous year.   In addition, the ever-improving Eagles of head coach Christy Thomaskutty roared back from a 0-4 start to post a 7-7 won-lost ledger in University Athletic Association action, the most victories in league play since the 1999-2000 season.

To say the least, Emory played a formidable schedule, taking the court 11 times against six teams (4 UAA opponents, 2 non-league foes) that earned berths to the NCAA Tournament.  In the Massey Ratings, the Eagles were ranked 49th nationally and endured the nations' 23rd-toughest schedule.  D3hoops.com had Emory's slate of games ranked as the fourth most difficult among Division III squads.

Emory claimed three wins over opponents who were ranked among the top 25 at the time of the meetings -- at No. 17 Rochester (59-56) and at home against No. 21 New York University (80-68) and No. 23 Washington University (68-66).

Also highlighting the season were the following team accomplishments:

** Leading the UAA in scoring in overall play (68.0 ppg) while ranking second in conference outings (65.4 ppg).  The Eagles' 68.0 per-game average was the highest mark during Coach Thomaskutty's five-year tenure.

** Shattering the school seasonal record with 151 three-point field goals.  The previous standard was 119 set during the 2006-07 campaign. 

** Establishing a school seasonal record with a UAA-leading 38.0 percent mark from three-point range, good for the No. 7 position nationally.  In conference affairs, Emory shot even better from distance, knocking down a loop best 39.1 percent.

** Leading all UAA clubs in steals in both overall (10.2 spg) and league (9.86 spg) action.

** Holding down the No. 2 spot on the UAA list in free throw shooting (72.0%) in overall play.

** Tying the school single-game standard with 12 three-point field goals against NYU (Feb. 1, 2008)

** Tying the school single-game record by draining 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from beyond the arc against Carnegie Mellon (Feb. 22, 2008).

Individually, junior Lora Turner led the team in both scoring and rebounding for the second consecutive season, tossing in career-high 14.3 points while snaring 6.5 boards per outing.  Turner landed First Team All-UAA honors, the first Emory cager to receive such recognition since 2001-02, and finished among the top 10 UAA performers in numerous statistical categories in overall play including scoring (4th), rebounding (7th), field goal percentage (1st, 52.5%), free throw percentage (4th, 72.7%) and offensive rebounds (2nd, 3.08).  The 5-foot-11 frontliner either led or tied for the team lead in scoring in 14 contests and recorded 21 games of double-figure scoring including five efforts of 20 or more points.  She notched a career-high 25 points in a 70-66 overtime win against eventual NCAA Tournament participant Piedmont College and in the process set an Emory single-game record when she sank all 15 of her free throw opportunities.  She finished as the team's top rebounder in 14 affairs including a career-high 16 carom showing against Montclair State in a 55-54 win.  Turner registered three double-doubles during the year, boosting her career total to seven.  At the conclusion of the '07-08 season, Lora held down the No. 8 spot on the school's all-time scoring list (893 pts.) and was 11th in rebounding (454 rebs.).

Junior Erica Kaplan, a starter in 24 of 25 games, ended up shooting her way to a second-team berth on the All-UAA Team.  The 5-foot-7 Kaplan, the team leader in minutes (27.8 mpg), was second on the team in scoring (10.5 ppg) while topping the squad and placing fifth among UAA players with a 36.7 percent mark from three-point range (40-of-109).  Kaplan's 40 three-pointers tied her for eighth on the school's seasonal ladder while her percentage was good for 10th place.  The Eagles' top point producer in seven contests, Kaplan registered 12 double-figure scoring performances including two showings of 20 or more points, one of which was a season-high 25 point afternoon in sparking the team to a 64-61 win at NYU.  Already established as one of the UAA's top free throw shooters, Kaplan hit a league-leading best 86.4 percent (57-of-66) from the charity stripe in overall play and was successful on a mind-boggling 91.1 percent (41-of-45) in conference action.  Kaplan was a factor on the glass as well and wound up leading the Eagles in rebounding in six outings while holding down the No. 2 spot on the team  (5.0 rpg). 

Sophomore LeShonda Lillard made a big impact in her first year with the program after transferring from Mercer University.  Directing the Eagles' offense from her point guard position, the 5-foot-6 Lillard started 23 of 24 games and averaged 9.8 points (third on the club) and a team-best 2.92 assists per game, good for sixth place among UAA players.  Lillard, an honorable-mention pick to the All-UAA Team, was the squad's leader in assists on 13 occasions and managed to score in double figures in 14 games including a pair of season-high 18-point games against Washington University (Jan. 18) and NYU (Jan. 27).  While Lillard made her presence known on the offensive end of the floor, she proved to be a formidable defender, racking up a team-leading 57 steals, fourth on Emory's seasonal chart.  Lillard finished with steals in 20 outings, including 18 of two or more thefts, and her 2.38 per-game average ranked her second on the UAA chart.

The lone senior on the team, Kristen Brown enjoyed a solid campaign, seeing action in all 25 games, 23 in a starting capacity, and finishing fourth on the squad in scoring (6.2 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.8 rpg).  The 5-foot-11 Brown's knack for hitting mid-range jumpers gave Emory a boost on numerous occasions while her play on the boards enabled her to claim team rebounding honors in six games.

All-University Athletic Association
Lora Turner                              First Team                    Florence, AL
Erica Kaplan                            Second Team               Commack, NY
LeShonda Lillard                      Honorable Mention       Bloomington, IN

CoSIDA Academic All-District
Lora Turner                              (Third Team)                Florence, AL

UAA Player of the Week
Erica Kaplan                            Dec. 17, 2007              Commack, NY
Lora Turner                              Feb. 19, 2008              Florence, AL