The Emory University women's basketball team returned to the court Wednesday night for the first time since February of 2019, falling to LaGrange College on the road 66-57 in the season opener.
Senior Anna Arato and Tori Huggins were two of four Eagles that reached double figures as the duo combined for 26 with 13 points each. Huggins grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with two blocks while Arato added six boards and shot 6-for-12. Freshman Morgan Laudick and junior Claire Brock provided 22 points off the bench with Laudick recording 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting including a pair of triples. Sophomore Charlotte Lowndes finished second behind Huggins with eight rebounds and had five points.
For the Panthers, Jalaya Lewis netted a game-high 17 points as she went 4-for-10 from the floor but was 9-for-11 from the charity stripe. Gracie Brunel and Ema Turner both chipped in with 10 points each to round out the double-figure scorers for LaGrange. Lewis was second on the team with six rebounds and was one of four starters with two or more steals, making three thefts as the Panthers forced 20 Emory turnovers.
The Eagles shot better from the floor, posting 38.6 shooting percentage, converting 22 of 57 attempts compared to LC's 20-for-57 tally. The Panthers however had a better night at the free throw line, going 22-for-34 whereas Emory made just 10 in its 20 trips to the line.
Emory opened up with a 16-10 advantage through the first quarter with Huggins scoring seven of her 13 points. The Panthers chipped away in the second but the Eagles still went into the locker room up two, 29-27, at the half. The final 20 minutes proved to be the difference as LaGrange outscored Emory 39-28 across the final two quarters including a 23-16 edge in the fourth.
The Eagles will be back in action this Saturday and Sunday with games against No. 25 Millsaps and Birmingham-Southern at the Richard Dardene Memorial Classic in Birmingham, AL.