In its annual Think Pink game, the Emory University women's basketball team handily defeated Carnegie Mellon University by a score of 77-62 Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, GA.
With the win, the Eagles record moves to 15-8 overall and 8-5 in UAA conference play which is now good for sole possession of second place in the conference. With the loss, CMU falls to 11-11 and 5-8 in the UAA.
Junior Claire Brock led the Eagles in scoring with 15 points and pitched in three rebounds and an assist as well. Senior Anna Arato was a steady presence for Emory on the court scoring 11 points and pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. Senior Kennedy Cater served as the conductor for the Eagles offense as she turned in a season-high six assists. Off the bench, sophomore Izzy Munson contributed eight points to go along with three assists and two rebounds. For the Tartans, Catherine Or led all scorers with 30 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Emory's bench played a massive role in the game as they hit big shot after big shot and outscored Carnegie Mellon's bench by 19 points. The Eagles lived up to their reputation on defense, forcing the Tartans into 24 turnovers which led to 21 Emory points. The Eagles shot a tidy 47.5% from the field and 33.3% from behind the arc.
Carnegie Mellon opened the game with a quick two points from Or but Emory responded on the next possession with a jump from junior Mariane Auza and did not look back from there as that was the only point in time where they trailed all afternoon.
An 8-0 run early in the first quarter opened things up for the Eagles and allowed them to take a comfortable 21-12 lead into the second quarter. Brock opened the second with the hot hand, scoring the first five points for the Eagles including a crafty and-one layup on a fast break.
Emory carried a 44-30 lead into halftime and didn't miss a beat in the opening minute of the second half with Auza and Cater hitting back-to-back free throws to extend the Eagle lead. The Tartans would cut the Eagles lead to within eight stretching between the third and fourth quarter but Emory would let it get no closer than that the remainder of the game as the Eagles cruised to the 15-point victory.
The Eagles will play their last regular season game of the year against the Rochester Yellowjackets on Saturday, February 26th at 4:00 PM in the Woodruff PE Center. Prior to the start of the game, Emory will honor its three-member senior class of Arato, Cater and Tori Huggins.