A 34-point scoring barrage from the trio of seniors Allison Chernow, Erin Lindahl and sophomore Tori Huggins in the final stanza were not enough to overcome a 17-point fourth quarter deficit as the 19th-ranked Oglethorpe University Stormy Petrels upended the Emory University women's basketball program, 76-72, in a wild one Tuesday night at the Dorough Field House in Brookhaven, GA.
Trailing 60-43 with 7:06 minutes remaining, the Eagles began their spirited comeback with a quick 11-0 spurt out of a timeout as Lindahl and Huggins drained back-to-back threes followed by a Huggins layup and another three-ball from Huggins which cut the OU margin to six at 60-54 with 5:06 left to play.
After trading scores on the next couple possessions, the Eagles went on another impressive run within the final minute of action, erasing a nine-point deficit. Chernow and the Eagles took advantage of a sequence which featured a foul called on a rebound attempt followed by a technical foul issued to the Oglethorpe bench as she sank all four free throws prior to making a driving layup on the ensuing in-bounds play to bring the Eagles to within two at 68-66 with 38 ticks on the clock. After a pair of free throws by OU's Nikki Reed, Lindahl converted a layup plus the and-one to keep Emory afloat. Two more from the charity stripe though from Sydni Donovan made it a three-point game but Chernow drained a three the next time down the court to tie the game at 72 with 16 seconds left.
A foul by junior Molly Weiss on the next play sent Morgan Grindle to the line where she made both, giving Oglethorpe a 74-72 lead with 15 seconds to go. With tough defensive pressure being applied as Emory crossed midcourt after the free throws, the Stormy Petrels stripped Lindahl of possession before she was able to put up the game-tying attempt, allowing Reed to make the fast break layup on the other end right before the buzzer to seal the four-point win.
Huggins finished the night with a team-high 21 points with eight rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench. Lindahl and Chernow each had 12 points during the final period as the duo ended with 18 and 14 points, respectively. Weiss chipped in with 10 points in a reserve role to round out the Emory double-digit scorers, her second contest with 10 or more points this year.
Despite shooting 11-for-21 (52.4%) in the fourth quarter, the Eagles finished the game with a 39.3% shooting clip. Oglethorpe held the edge in rebounding 46-29 including 17 on the offensive glass. Emory turned the ball over 18 times whereas the Stormy Petrels coughed it up on 15 possessions.
Emory looks to rebound its next time out when the team hosts Huntingdon College Saturday afternoon at the WoodPEC. Opening tip is slated for 2:00 PM.