The Emory women's basketball team concluded the 2015-16 season with an overall record of 13-12, the program’s fourth winning campaign over the past five years.

The Eagles opened their campaign by splitting a pair of road contests, defeating intra-city foe Oglethorpe University,  65-69, before coming out on the short end in the first of two meetings against eventual NCAA Tournament participant Birmingham Southern.  Emory then rattled off three straight home wins, including decisions over South Region foes Piedmont College and LaGrange, who would combined for a 38-17 season record. The Eagles continued their winning ways with victories at Sewanee and Agnes Scott, which sent the squad into winter break with a 6-1 slate.

Coming out of the Christmas holidays, a trip to the Berry College Classic awaited head coach Christy Thomaskutty and her club, which resulted in a split of two games.  Birmingham Southern, who would finish the season, 25-4, recorded an eight-point triumph in the opener, before Emory bounced back the following day for a decisive 19-point verdict over the host Vikings.  Emory’s last two non-conference dates were played at the Woodruff PE Center and proved to be successful endeavors as the Eagles bested eventual NCAA Tournament participant Maryville College, 59-51, before rolling by Rhodes College by 24 points, their largest victory margin of the year.

Emory finished UAA action with a deceptive record of 4-10.  The Eagles engaged in a number of hotly-contested affairs, with five of their league setbacks being by six points or less.  Emory did come through with wins in its final two home outings of the year, a 65-59 decision over No. 14 New York University, followed by 64-48 Senior Day triumph over Brandeis. The wins over the Violets and Judges atoned for three-point losses at those schools earlier in the year. All totaled, Emory played 11 games against six NCAA Tournament teams.

Emory wound up the year as the UAA’s most proficient three-point shooting team, knocking down 34.3 percent (150 of 437) from beyond the arc, good for 32^nd place among all Division III programs. The Eagles claimed three of the league’s top 12 three-point shooters, led by junior Fran Sweeney whose 38.6 percent effort (51 of 132) was fourth on the UAA chart and 42^nd nationally. Emory also paced the conference in steals average with an 11.2 per-game showing, good for the No. 52 position nationally.

Junior Shellie Kaniut played her way to Second Team All-UAA honors, closing out the season as the squad’s leading scorer with a 9.8 points per game average. A starter in eight of her 25 appearances, she totaled 12 games of double-figure scoring and paced the team’s scoring attack on four occasions.  In league affairs, she ranked 19^th in scoring at 10.3 points per contest.  She made her mark on the defensive end of the floor as well, registering a team-high 57 steals that saw her produce 17 contests of two or more thefts.  Her 2.3 steals-per-game average ranked fourth among the UAA leaders.

Khadijah Sayyid’s final season in an Emory uniform saw her place third on the team in both scoring (8.6 ppg) and rebounding (4.2 rpg).  Named to the All-UAA Honorable Mention Team, Sayyid scored 10 or more points in eight contests, and led the squad in scoring on eight occasions.  Her high-energy defensive style aided in her registering 52 steals, second on the team, and her 2.1 per-game mark in that department was fifth among UAA players.  She capped off her four-year career third all-time at Emory in steals (223), fifth in steals average (2.2 spg), ninth in three-point field goals (96) and 16^th in total points (833).

One of three seniors on the team, Ilene Tsao was solid at both ends of the floor, directing the team’s attack from her point guard spot while playing a key role in the Eagles’ defensive efforts.  A starter in 19 of her 24 appearances, Tsao stood second among UAA players with a 4.5 assists-per-game average.  She doled out 108 assists, tying for ninth on the program’s seasonal chart, while also chipping in 7.8 points per contest. Her 38 steals were fourth on the squad, and her 1.6 per-game effort in that category placed 12^th on the league ladder. Tsao closed out her career by playing in 95 games, 49 as a starter, and finished seventh on the school’s all-time ladder with 249 assists and 12^th with 127 steals.

Junior Michelle Bevan started 18 of 20 games and earned Honorable Mention All-UAA acclaim, ending the year No. 2 on the club in scoring in overall action (9.5 ppg) and third in league outings (9.6 ppg). Bevan, whose 45.1 percent (78 of 173) mark from the field led the team and ranked ninth in the league, scored in double figures in nine games and recorded the Eagles’ top two individual scoring games of the year, 21-point outings vs. Rhodes College (Jan. 4) and Carnegie Mellon (Jan. 22).  She was second on Emory’s score sheet in rebounding in both overall (4.3 rpg) and league (4.7 rpg) contests with her conference mark 21^st among UAA performers.

Junior Fran Sweeney gave Emory a boost offensively with her three-point shooting resulting in a team-leading 51 triples, good for a seventh-place tie on the school’s seasonal chart.  Sweeney, the lone Eagle to start all 25 games, was fourth among UAA players in treys per game and her team-high 38.6 percent (51 of 132) from distance placed eighth in the conference and 11^th on the Eagles’ seasonal list. She ended the year averaging 8.4 points per game.

Sarah Arington rounded out Emory’s senior class with the Cincinnati, Ohio, native playing in 20 games.  During her four years, she took to the court in 86 games, 24 as a starter.

 

Honors and Awards