Junior Ashley Oldshue and sophomore Erin Lindahl each totaled 17 points, but it wasn't enough as the Emory women's basketball team came out on the short end of a Sunday afternoon home decision to Washington University. The Bears boosted their overall record to 13-5, 4-3 in the University Athletic Association, following a 78-64 outcome over the Eagles who dipped to 10-8 overall, 4-3 in the league.
Lindahl sank five-of-10 field goals, including three three-point field goals in five attempts, and was successful on four free throws in six tries en route to her 12th double-figure scoring effort of the year. Lindahl also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of campaign. Oldshue hit seven-of-16 field goal opportunities and converted three from the charity stripe in registering her 13th double-digit outing of the season. Junior Azzairia Jackson-Sherrod rounded out the squad's double-figure scorers with 16 points, knocking down eight field goals in 13 tries.
Entering the final quarter trailing by nine points, Lindahl drained a pair from beyond the arc in helping draw the Eagles to within five points with 9:11 remaining. However, the Bears countered with a 9-2 spurt over the next 4:11, which saw Emory hit just one-of-seven field goal attempts, in claiming a 65-53 cushion with 4:24 on the clock. The Eagles managed to whittle the gap to eight points with 2:04 left after a pair of Lindahl charity tosses, but WU accounted for 10 of the game's final 14 points in earning the win.
Emory ended the game shooting 43.9 percent (25-57) from the field while the Bears finished with a mark of 43.1 percent (28-65). Free throw shooting figured in the result with the Eagles successful on just 52.4 percent (11-21) compared to WU's 94.4 percent (17-18). Natalie Orr was Wash U's top scorer with 17 points and paced all players with 12 rebounds.
Emory got off to a good start, sinking five of its first eight field goal tries in taking an 11-4 lead with 6:12 left in the first quarter. The Bears closed out the frame on a 13-3 run to take a 17-14 advantage after the opening 10 minutes, with Jackson-Sherrod scoring six points for the Eagles. WU maintained its lead during the entire second quarter, leading by as many as seven points on four occasions before taking a 33-29 lead into the break. Jackson-Sherrod paced the Eagles with 12 points while Natalie Orr was WU's top scorer with 13 points.
The Eagles stayed within striking distance for most of the third quarter, drawing to within two points on a number of occasions, the final time with 4:42 left in the stanza after a bucket by Oldshue. Wash U closed out the frame on a 9-2 run, with Oldshue accounting the Eagles' points, boosting it to a 52-43 edge heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
Emory returns to action on Friday (Feb. 2) when it plays at the University of Chicago.