Freshman Shellie Kaniut led four Emory double-figure scorers with a season-high 15 points but it wasn't enough as the No. 19-ranked Eagles dropped a tough University Athletic Association contest at Chicago. Emory saw its overall record fall to 15-4 (4-4 UAA) following an 86-76 setback to the Maroons who upped their overall slate to 11-8, 5-3 in the league.
Kaniut ended the evening sinking six-of-11 from the floor en route to registering her sixth double-figure scoring effort of the season. Senior Gabi Whitmer and sophomore Khadijah Sayyid each posted double-doubles with Sayyid coming through with a career-high 14 points and 10 rebounds while Whitmer tallied 14 points on seven-of-11 field goal shooting along with 11 boards. Senior Savannah Morgan rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points while chipping in seven assists and four steals.
Emory ended the night hitting 37.8 percent (34-of-90) from the field with the squad's 90 attempts from the floor representing the third-highest total in program history. Chicago converted 57.8 percent (26-of-45) of its opportunities including 43.4 percent (10-of-23) from three-point range compared to the Eagles' 23.8 percent (5-of-21). Emory did enjoy a decisive 44-35 edge in rebounding including a 27-4 bulge on the offensive end. The Eagles harassed UC into making 33 turnovers while finishing with 20 miscues of their own.
Trailing by a one-point margin at the start of the second half, Emory punched Chicago with an 8-0 blitz, four points coming from Sayyid, propelling it to 46-39 advantage with 17:50 left. Emory then hit a drought that saw the Maroons go on a 21-2 scoring charge over a six-minute stretch which gave the home team a 60-48 cushion with 11:33 remaining. UC's Claire Devaney scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in that run, ending the contest going nine-for-nine from the floor. Emory clawed back into contention on the strength of an 11-5 spurt, with Sayyid and Whitmer each scoring four points, to draw to within a 65-59 count with 5:33 on the clock. The Eagles trailed by six points with 4:11 remaining following a big three pointer by Kaniut, but UC regrouped to score six unanswered points to take a 12-point lead , 76-64, with 2:50 left. A basket by Whitmer cut the gap to nine points with 44 ticks on the clock, but UC sank seven-of-eight from the charity stripe down the stretch to seal the win.
In a closely played first half, Chicago held a 20-13 lead with 10:53 left in stanza before a 12-2 Emory spurt, keyed by five points from Morgan and four by Kaniut, pushed the Eagles ahead by a 25-22 margin with 9:08 remaining. The Maroons responded with a 9-2 run , capped by a three pointer from Caitlin Moore to assume a 31-27 edge. A triple by freshman Fran Sweeney followed by a bucket by sophomore Ilene Tsao enabled the Eagles to reclaim the lead at 32-31 but a couple of treys by Julie Muguira over the final 1:35 helped Chicago to a 39-38 lead at the break. Kaniut scored 10 points to lead the Emory scoring attack, hitting four-of-seven from the field, while Morgan added seven points. UC shot 57 percent (13-of-23) from the floor to Emory's 36 percent (16-of-44) but turned the ball over 20 times to the Eagles' 11 miscues.
Emory returns to action on Sunday afternoon n (Feb. 9) when it plays at No. 2 Washington University.