EMORY 2009-10 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL RECAP

The 2009-10 Emory women’s basketball team faced a rebuilding project as it entered the season having to replace four starters from the previous campaign along with a senior class that combined to play close to 400 games during their careers.

And while the Eagles finished with an overall record of 10-15 (3-11 UAA), the team did see a number of young players develop their skills, laying the foundation for a bright future. 

After dropping their two opening games of the campaign, the Eagles regrouped and rattled off six wins in their next eight outings.  Included in that stretch was a four-game winning streak, the highlight being an outstanding defensive effort in a 60-50 UAA win against Rochester (Dec. 5).  The 50 points surrendered to the Yellowjackets would prove to be a season low by an opponent while their 31.6 percent mark from the floor was the low by a league foe.  Following the win over UR, Emory would close out the 2009 portion of the schedule with non-conference victories against Spelman College, Birmingham Southern and Piedmont College.

2010 saw the Eagles come out on the short end of home UAA affairs against Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve.  However, the Eagles upped their overall mark to 8-6 after they notched an overtime win at Agnes Scott along with another victory over Piedmont.  From that point, the rigors of the UAA took its toll on Emory, with the team winning just two of its last 11 encounters. However, one of those wins came at Brandeis (Jan. 24) when the Eagles, trailing by a 57-48 margin with 5:43 left in the game, went on an amazing 20-1 scoring spree that put them up by 10 points with less than a minute to play. Emory was bolstered in that game by draining a season-high 11 three-point field goals, tying the third-highest single-game mark in school annals.

Statistically, Emory finished with 82 blocked shots, good for the No. 2 spot on the school’s seasonal chart while its 3.3 blocks per contest was also good for the No. 2 position.  The Eagles ranked No. 2 among UAA teams in steals in both overall (9.9 spg) and conference outings (10.2 spg).  Emory finished the year with 14 games of 10 or more steals. 

Whitney Martin was one of three seniors on the Emory squad, and she enjoyed a fine season, earning All-UAA Second Team honors after starting all 25 games and leading the team in scoring (11.4 ppg), rebounding (6.2 rpg), blocked shots (24) and steals (43).  A double-figure scorer on 16 occasions, she either led or shared for team scoring honors in nine games. Career-wise, she played in 96 games, 56 as a starter, and finished No. 2 all-time at Emory with 87 blocked shots.  In addition, she held down the No. 12 slot in career rebounds (497) and was 17^th in both points (646) and field goals.

Keenan Whitesides came through with a solid campaign, starting 23 of 25 games, and finishing second on the squad and tied for 23^rd among UAA players in scoring (8.4 ppg).  A double-figure scorer on 10 occasions, she connected on a team-high 45.4 percent of her field goal attempts, good for the No. 4 position on the UAA ladder.  Career-wise, she played in 76 contests and finished 10th all-time at Emory with a 44.6 percent mark from the floor, knocking down 145-of-325 opportunities.

Rounding out the trio of seniors was Mary Smith. The Houston, Texas, native started 15 of 25 affairs and averaged 5.2 minutes while logging 23.7 minutes of action per contest.  During her four-year career, she appeared in 99 games, tying for the seventh spot on the school’s all-time ladder, and averaged 18.3 minutes and 4.4 points per game.