Emory senior Hannah Lilly scored a game-high 17 points for the second straight day and the No. 10-ranked women's basketball squad remained perfect on the year after posting a victory over Randolph College Saturday afternoon in its final game of the St. Petersburg Classic hosted by Eckerd College (FL).   The Eagles upped their record to 9-0 following a 66-42 decision over the WildCats who slipped to 8-3.

Lilly knocked down six-of-11 field goal opportunities, including five of her eight attempts from three-point range, in notching her eighth double-figure scoring game in as many outings.  Senior Selena Castillo rounded out the team's double-figure scorers with 11 points while leading the Eagles' effort on the glass with a career-high tying nine rebounds.   Senior Savannah Morgan aided in the win by totaling seven caroms and dishing out seven assists.  

Emory's defense rose to the occasion once again, holding Randolph to just 27.6 percent (16-of-58) from the field, an opponent low this year, while badgering the WildCats into 33 turnovers that led to 27 Eagle points.  Castillo, along with sophomores Ilene Tsao and Khadijah Sayyid, all recorded three steals as Emory totaled 12 thefts, the eighth outing of double figures in that category this season.

With both teams struggling to find the mark from the floor during the opening 20 minutes of action, freshman Shellie Kaniut scored all nine of her points in helping Emory to a 29-19 advantage at the break.  After trading baskets within the opening 30 seconds of the second stanza, Lilly hit back-to-back triples over a 27-second span, fueling a 12-0 blitz that saw Emory hold Randolph scoreless for nearly seven minutes as it stretched its cushion to 43-21.  The closest the WildCats would get from that stage was 18 points with 11:16 on the clock.  Emory would lead by as many as 25 points, 62-37, with 2:52 remaining following a 7-2 spurt that was started by Lilly's final triple of the afternoon and capped by a bucket by Castillo. 

The 9-0 start represents just the second time in school annals that an Emory team has won its opening nine games, joining the 1994-95 squad to achieve that distinction.  The verdict over Randolph also allowed the Eagles to tie the program's second-longest winning streak.

Emory returns to action on Dec. 31 when it closes out the calendar year with a New Year's Eve matinee at Piedmont College starting at 2:00 pm.