With an offensive putback at the 12:41 mark in the second half, senior聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) scored her 1000th point, becoming just the 12th EMU woman to break the barrier.聽 High school teammate聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) also tied her career high with 10 assists in the win.

Eastern Mennonite’s women haven’t lost a basketball game in Yoder Arena since Jan. 7, 2013, in a 54-49 loss to Elizabethtown.

Randolph proved to be a handful in the first half, as the visitors connected on their first six field goal attempts and traded leads early.聽 The Royals eventually worked out to a seven point lead at 32-25, but the WildCats had a chance to grab the lead at halftime when they got the ball after an EMU turnover with the shot clock turned off.

Brown picked out a key steal with 10 seconds left before she eventually assisted聽聽(Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) on a buzzer-beater on an inbounds play, giving the Royals a slight 39-36 cushion at the break.聽 Despite entering the game with a 38% shooting clip, Randolph shot a lights out 56% in the first 20 minutes, including 5-for-6 from long range, to put a scare into EMU.

The Royals took off in the second.聽 Holding a 44-40 lead with 17 minutes to play, the women clamped on the defense which got their transition game going.聽 EMU scored 13 unanswered points to blow open a 57-40 edge, capped by a Sykes layup with 14:16 left.

A minute and a half later Sykes got her big bucket to crack 1000 points and the women cruised.聽 Randolph would get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way to the 78-63 final score.

Eastern Mennonite stifled their guests in the second half to just 30% shooting.聽 For the game, the Royals finished with a 48% to 41% shooting advantage.聽 The women also hit on 10-of-21 attempts from three point range.

Rheinheimer scored a game high 27 points as she was 5-for-6 from outside.聽 She also had six rebounds.聽 Sykes had yet another double double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.聽 She has scored 1004 points in her career.

聽(Covington, Va./Covington) was good for 12 points and six boards.聽 Brown had three steals to go with her 10 assists.

Taylor Samuels hit four triples to lead Randolph with 18 points.聽 Jensen Hoover finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Eastern Mennonite takes a 17-3 record into next Wednesday’s ODAC date at Shenandoah University.聽 Start time in Winchester is at 6:00pm.

The two teams went back and forth with each other for most of the first, with Hollins still holding a 24-22 lead with 4:30 to go in the frame. Eastern Mennonite then owned the final minutes of the half, forcing four turnovers during the span and closing on a 14-2 tear. With a 36-26 lead at the break, the Royals were ready to roll in the second.

EMU scored the first seven points after halftime to build up a 43-26 cushion and they never looked back. The closest they let Hollins the rest of the way was 14 points as the Royals out-scored their hosts 48-31 over the final 20 minutes.

Although shooting percentages were fairly close, Eastern Mennonite won the game on the glass and with defense. The women had 20 offensive rebounds and a 48-37 domination of the boards. They also picked out 13 steals and forced 22 Hollins turnovers for a +11 turnover margin.

聽(Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) led the charge with 23 points, seven rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists.聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) racked up her fifth double double of the year with 14 points, 14 rebounds and three steals.

聽(Goshen, Ind./Bethany Christian) hit four triples and finished with 12 points.聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) had eight points, five assists and three steals.聽聽(Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) did all the little things and came up with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Jewellanna Parfitt and Britney Campbell each scored 17 for Hollins.

The Royals come back home to host Washington and Lee Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Yoder Arena. The surprising Generals are also 10-2 overall with a 3-1 ODAC record.

Her previous high had been 29 points, which she set in Tuesday’s win at Christopher Newport. 聽The program record for points in a game is 58, set by recent Hall of Honor inductee聽聽in 2001. Rheinheimer also picked up her fourth double double of the season with 10 rebounds.

The Shorewomen (4-7) caused fits for EMU’s offense when the two teams met last year in Chestertown, Maryland. They held the Royals to 34 percent shooting in that game, although Eastern Mennonite still snuck out with a 58-55 win. It looked like the same story was unfolding Saturday afternoon in Harrisonburg as the teams were locked in a low-scoring first half.

But defense and Rheinheimer changed the tide in the final minute of the frame. The Royals forced two turnovers and scored the final six to push the lead to 33-25, which was the biggest of the game at that point. Rheinheimer was front and center, hitting a jumper with 26 seconds left before stealing the ball on the defensive end, dribbling across half court and drilling a buzzer-beating three pointer from 40 feet.

The momentum carried into the second as Rheinheimer put on a show. The junior hit 10 of her 11 shots in the final half, including a trio of threes, and she dumped in 26 of EMU’s 39 points. Rheinheimer was so dominant that her teammates didn’t score consecutive points until she left the game in the final minutes.

The women had a modest 41-to-30 percent聽advantage in shooting, but picked out a huge edge with 12 steals. Washington had 19 turnovers compared to just eight for EMU.

Along with her double double, Rheinheimer tied for the team high with three steals and added two blocked shots.聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) scored 11 in the first half and finished with 14 points, seven boards and three steals.聽聽(Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) added six rebounds, four assists and three steals.聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) also had four assists.

Emily Hubley led the Shorewomen with 20 points, including 16 of the team’s 22 in the second half. Kelly Sugalski had nine rebounds and six points.

After extending their home winning streak to 23 games, the Royals hit the road for two games next week. First up is a Wednesday date at Old Dominion Athletic Conference聽rival Guilford College. The Quakers have beaten EMU in theconference tournament the past three years. Game time in Greensboro, North Carolina聽is 6 p.m.

The Royals improve to 6-1 as they get a few days off for final exams. 聽The women have now won 22 straight at home. Ferrum, an injury-hampered team which was picked to finish second in the USA South, slips to 2-3.

Eastern Mennonite had a 4-0 lead just 20 seconds into the game, as聽聽(Covington, Va./Covington) buried a pair of long jumpers.聽聽(Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) then scored the next eight, including a pair of three pointers, as the women led 12-0. Ferrum got their first bucket at the 16:19 mark, but the Royals scored the next 14 points, including four more triples, to blow open a 26-2 cushion just 8:33 in.

The Panthers rebounded with a 13-2 run to get within 28-15. EMU stayed hot from outside, however, and never let their visitors back to within single digits.

The Royals hit 10-of-13 three pointers in the first half and led 46-31 at the break.聽 They finished 12-of-27 for the game, but still out-shot Ferrum 49 percent to 44 percent. EMU also had a 36-30 edge in rebounding.

Rheinheimer was unstoppable and led the charge with 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.聽聽(Goshen, Ind./Bethany Christian) drained 6-of-9 three pointers and finished with 18 points and two blocks.聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) came in with 10 points and Moore charted nine.

聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) had the eye for the open shooter and racked up 10 assists, easily breaking her career best for a game. She now has 17 assists over EMU’s last two outings, as the senior had seven handouts in Tuesday’s 81-76 win at Randolph-Macon.

Zarkia Mattox led Ferrum with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench. Jacole Hairston scored 14 while Kemani Crawford added 12 points and seven boards.

EMU has the week off before playing next Saturday at The Apprentice School.聽 Game time in Newport News, Va., is 2 p.m.

The Royals shot 55% from the 3-point line and were led from downtown by聽聽(Freeman, Va. / Brunswick)and聽聽(Covington, Va. / Covington), who each made four treys.聽聽(Dumfries, Va. / Forest Park) was a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc, helping the Royals shoot 53.8% on all field goals in the game.

聽(Manheim, Pa. / Lancaster Mennonite) tallied her second double-double of the season, scoring ten points and ten rebounds. Defensively, she also blocked two shots in the game.

The Wasp’s Karina Farr led all scorers with 18 points and also added ten rebounds. Emory & Henry shot close to 35 percent from the field.

The two teams were tied at 13 with 12:32 to go in the first half. But the Royals would go on a 21-7 run over the next eight minutes to go up 34-20 with four minutes to go in the half. The Royals led 42-26 at halftime and would never allow the Wasps within 14 for the rest of the game.

The Royals now head to Randolph-Macon for a 7 p.m. tilt on Tuesday, December 2.

The non-stop first half was played to EMU’s tempo and they led most of the way.聽 However, the Eagles kept pace by hitting 7-of-14 three pointers.聽 The Royals used nine offensive rebounds in the frame to lead 41-37 at halftime.

The women had to lead up to as many as seven early in the second before BC came storming back.聽 Holly Morgan’s fifth triple of the game tied the score at 58-58 with 10:41 to go.聽 (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) answered with a long ball to put EMU back up by three, but the Eagles kept charging and finally took a 64-63 lead with 6:30 left.

The Royals answered quickly with back-to-back buckets, triggering an 8-0 run to re-take the lead at 71-64 and forcing a BC timeout with 4:53 to play.聽 Another free throw and the women had the lead up to eight points at 72-64.

The defense held the Eagles scoreless for a key stretch of 3:51 to get some breathing room.聽 BC then scraped back within five points with two minutes to play before the home team was forced to foul.

Eastern Mennonite made eight straight free throws to balloon the lead to the biggest of the night at 83-71.聽 BC got a late bucket to provide the final 10-point margin.

The Royals out-shot their hosts 48% to 43%, and dominated the boards, 43-30.聽 The women also grabbed 13 offensive rebounds.聽 The free throw line was also a difference-maker, where EMU went 19-26, compared to just 8-9 for the Eagles.

(Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) proved her All-ODAC status by stepping up her play in the rivalry game.聽 She had game highs of 23 points, eight rebounds and three steals.聽 The power forward also dished out four assists.聽 (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds.聽 Steph Rheinheimer canned three triples and finished with 11.

(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) added 10 points.聽 (Bristow, Va./Brentsville District) had a game high five assists and (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) had three steals.

Morgan finished 6-for-12 from outside and led Bridgewater with 20 points and four assists.聽 Cassidy Burkholder added 16 counters.

The Royals have now won three in a row to improve to 12-4 overall and 6-1 in the ODAC.聽 They enter a huge two-game home stand, welcoming two of the ODAC’s other top teams into Yoder Arena.聽 That stretch starts with Guilford College this Saturday at 2:00pm.聽 The Quakers have won the last two ODAC Championships.聽 Randolph-Macon visits next Tuesday.

Jess Rheinheimer (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) nailed a pair of three pointers as EMU jumped ahead 10-0 just 2:09 into the contest. The host Mounties eventually tied the score at 13-13, but the Royals exploded on a 25-9 run over the final 6:04 of the half to lead 43-26 at the break.

Mt. Aloysius got within 11 points at 45-34, but the women kept control in a second half void of any large runs. The Royals led by as many as 21 before the Mountie bench ended the game on a 9-2 run for the final margin.

Eastern Mennonite had a 43-to-35 percent shooting edge, including making 7-of-17 three pointers. Even though MAC only committed 17 fouls, the Royals turned that into 27 free throw attempts, making 17. The women also had a 47-41 advantage on the boards.

Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) led a balanced attack with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists. This is the third time in the past four games that Ygarza has tied her career high with six helpers. Rheinheimer finished with 12 points and a game high nine rebounds. Alisa Brown (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) added 12 and three steals. Point guard Keyla Baltimore (Bristow, Va./Brentsville District) had 10 points and six assists.

Off the bench, Shakeerah Sykes (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) was good for nine rebounds and eight points. Nora Osei (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) scored nine points.

Mt. Aloysius’ leading scorer, Becky Bard, scored a game high 20 points, but needed 23 shots to do it.

Eastern Mennonite improves to 7-2 with the win. The women have one more game before the Christmas break, playing at Washington College on Tuesday. Game time in Chestertown, Md., is 6 p.m.

Both teams entered the game at 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, but Eastern Mennonite took over sole possession of first place in the league with the win.

EMU’s women opened the game with a three pointer from (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite), but the WildCats scored back-to-back buckets for a 4-3 lead. The Royals responded with a 14-4 run over the next three minutes, zipping ahead 17-8.

Randolph got back within five points before the women put on the defensive clamps. EMU held their visitors scoreless for a span of 4:33, tallying 14 unanswered points to blow open a 37-17 cushion with 7:29 left in the period. By halftime, the Royals led 49-31.

The WildCats got within 15 two times midway through the second half, but the home team pushed back out to their biggest lead at 81-54 with 4:47 left to play. The teams emptied their benches from there, as EMU cruised to the 23-point win.

Although the overall shooting percentages were close, the Royals did a ton of damage by going 7-for-17 from three point range. Randolph was just 3-15. EMU also dominated at the free throw line, going 22-29 compared to the WildCats’ 9-16. The women also had a 49-40 edge in rebounding, including 18 offensive boards.

After scoring the game’s first points, Rheinheimer led all players with 17 and added six rebounds.聽 (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) had 15 points, six assists and six rebounds. It was the forward’s second straight game tying her career high with six handouts. (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) hit three triples and added 15 points and three steals.

(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) had 11 points. (Bristow, Va./Brentsville District) did a bit of everything with eight points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. (Damascus, Md./Damascus) was good for nine points and a game high eight rebounds.

Brie Holden led Randolph off the bench with 11 points. Abigail Bullins had nine points and five assists.

The Royals hit the road to wrap up their first-half schedule with three games. That stretch opens with a tough contest at Ferrum this Saturday at 2:00pm.

The Royals take over sole possession of first place in the ODAC at 13-1, while Guilford slips one step back at 12-2. Based on two head-to-head wins, EMU also holds the tie-breaker over Guilford should the two teams finished the regular season tied.聽 Each has two games left before the ODAC Tournament.

Saturday in Harrisonburg, the Royals turned on their defense and never trailed.聽 They held GC to just two field goals over the opening 12:07 of the game and led 17-7 when (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) converted a three-point play at the 8:09 mark.

The Quakers got within three points at 18-15, but Eastern Mennonite closed the half on an 11-2 surge, capped by a pair of (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) three pointers.

EMU led 29-17 at the half after holding Guilford to just 21% shooting and grabbing 15 offensive boards.

A hot start to the second half pushed the Royals’ edge to 17 points at 37-20, to make a combined run of 19-5 with the end of the first.聽 Even after a small GC run, Eastern Mennonite had the lead back at 50-33 after a (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) bucket with 4:36 to play.

With the big lead, EMU slowed down over the final minutes and the Quakers closed on a 14-4 surge, but it was much too late.

Both teams showed a lot of defense in the game, with both offenses shooting just 31% from the floor.聽 The Royals made the biggest difference on the boards.聽 They grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and had 53-45 advantage over the best rebounding team in the ODAC.

Yoders provided Eastern Mennonite with their inside presence, co-leading the team with 12 points and two steals.聽 Rheinheimer gave the outside punch, going 4-for-9 from three point range for 12 counters.

(Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) had a team high nine rebounds.聽 Brown, (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) and (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) each added seven points.

Gabby Oglesby (Winston-Salem, NC/Mount Tabor) had a double double for Guilford, topping all players with 13 points and 11 rebounds.聽 Jaclyn Nucci (Gambrills, MD/South River) grabbed 10 rebounds and four steals.

The Royals, 17-5 overall, have now won 10 in a row, which is tied with the 1987-88 team for the second-longest streak in program history.聽 In 1984-85, the Royals won 12 straight.聽 They head into the final week of the regular season with a big road game at rival Bridgewater Tuesday night.聽 The Eagles are tied for third in the ODAC at 10-4.聽 EMU won the previous meeting this season, 57-48, on Jan. 24 in Harrisonburg.

After a tight start to the game, the Royals blew open a big lead.聽 The women used a 12-5 run to build up a 27-18 cushion.聽 Then after a Hornet bucket, EMU turned on the defense, forcing four turnovers and a missed shot.聽 In less than two minutes, the Royals scored nine unanswered points to explode the lead to 36-20.

Lynchburg surged over the final minutes of the half to get within 38-31 at the break, but the women gained momentum right back at the start of the second.聽 EMU got an offensive put-back from (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) to open the frame, then back-to-back steals and layups from (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) and (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) to push the lead into double figures.

The Royals dominated the second half, and pushed the lead up to 21 points when (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) made the score 61-40 with an offensive put-back with 7:59 to go.聽 It was coasting from there, as EMU’s defense won the day.

The women forced a whopping 27 turnovers and had a 56% to 41% advantage in shooting.

Seven players scored between seven and twelve points in a balanced attack for EMU.聽 Ygarza had 12 counters, five rebounds and four assists.聽 (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) also scored 12.

Baltimore finished with 11 points and three steals, while Brown added nine tallies and four steals.聽 (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) also had four picks.

Now 9-5 overall and 5-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, EMU stays in a first-place tie with Guilford and Bridgewater.聽 The Royals play on the road Tuesday, travelling to Ashland to take on Randolph-Macon.

The under-sized Maroons came out in a zone defense and frustrated EMU early on, leading 14-12 at the 10-minute mark.聽 But a (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) three pointer gave the women the lead and turned the momentum.聽 A quick 8-0 run turned into a lead the Royals would never relinquish, as they closed the half on a 25-11 run.

The streak continued in the second half, with a (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) layup at 8:02 creating the largest lead of the game at 67-39.聽 The bench players finished on the floor, as the women coasted to an impressive 24-point ODAC win.

Roanoke limited EMU’s inside game with the zone, but the outside players picked up the slack.聽 The Royals, who shot 48% from the floor including 7-for-16 from long range, had three players finish in double figures.聽 (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) put in 13 points in the first half and finished with 15 and three steals.聽 (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) shot 6-of-8 from the floor and added 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Steph Rheinheimer was good for 13 points with five boards and a two blocked shots.聽 Freshman (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) also had three steals, while Baltimore dished out a team high four assists.

Eastern Mennonite had a dominating 48-24 edge in rebounding, including 17 offensive boards.聽 (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) led the strong team effort with six rebounds.聽 She added six points, three assists and two steals.

The Royals have a week off for exams before their next game on Dec. 15, playing at Delaware Valley at 3:00pm.

Coach Kevin Griffin knew he had a talented crew last winter, but with just three upperclassmen on the roster, Griffin didn’t expect the explosion of wins his team earned.

“I was very surprised considering how young we were and what we had lost,” he said.聽 “Things just sort of fell into place.”

This year the eighth-year mentor returns his top six players, including all five starters. 聽Griffin acknowledges that returning core triggers an extra layer of pressure.

“It means that expectations are high from ourselves and from others,” said Griffin.聽 “And it means that we do have experience, which is why those expectations are so high.聽 I think everybody expects we’re going to be good and so there’s a pressure.聽 Our schedule is a lot tougher this year, but I think that pressure and schedule can be a good motivator.聽 At the end of the day it’s basketball and we just need to go play, try to improve and see what happens.”

The Royals return three All-ODAC performers, each of who are entering their junior seasons this year.聽 Forward (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) exploded to a team-best 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, all the while coming off the bench.聽 She was named All-ODAC First Team and All-South Region Third Team by D3hoops.com.

Whether or not Ygarza starts this year doesn’t appear to be an issue to either the player or the head coach.

“The only planned change is that Bianca plays more,” Griffin said of his dynamic player who averaged 22.9 minutes last year.聽 “It’s hard to define her role.聽 She just finds a way to score, and finds the ball and rebounds.聽 We need to find more ways to get her the ball and more minutes without wearing her down.”

(Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County), the ODAC Rookie of the Year two seasons ago, landed on the All-ODAC Second Team as a sophomore, averaging 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.聽 Small forward (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) hit 39% of her three-point shots and earned Third Team honors with 11.3 points per game.

Starting guards (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) and (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) return, as does (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park).聽 Baltimore transferred to EMU last year after one season at Bluefield and ended up among national leaders with a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.聽 Brown scored 6.7 a game and became a harassing defender, while Sykes contributed 6.2 points and 4.8 boards in her first season.

(Bassett, VA/Bassett) will be the lone senior on the team this time around and is joined by sophomores (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) and (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County).聽 Osei had 3.7 rebounds a game as a reserve frontliner, while Patterson tantalized fans with flashy offense and defense in just eight games early in the season.聽 Sharpshooting (Goshen, IN/Bethany Christian) hurt her knee in the offseason and will spend this year out of uniform as a student assistant.

Griffin said the experience of his returners is evident.

“Hopefully they are smarter and are more confident and more skilled and realize the opportunity that is in front of them,” he said.聽 “I do think we’re in better shape and the confidence of some of the kids that played a lot last year is a lot higher, either because they put in a lot of work (in the offseason) or because they played a lot last year.聽 So it’s made a difference in how they’ve played at the start of practices.”

Adding to the returning core, Griffin brought in another athletic recruiting class to give his team much-needed depth for their up-tempo style.聽 Two of the newcomers are younger sisters of All-ODAC honorees for the Royals.

“I think that (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) will help us athletically,” Griffin said, “with her ability to defend and her strength.聽 (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) will help as an athlete and can really shoot the ball.聽 And (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) does a lot of things well.聽 She can score and has a very high basketball IQ.”

Other new players include: (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial), (Stuarts Draft, VA/Stuarts Draft), (Woodbridge, VA/Garfield) and sophomore Belmont Abbey-transfer (Dale City, VA/Forest Park).

Griffin said that new wave of faces will pay dividends throughout the year.

“I hope we can just play faster,” he said.聽 “We should have someone to provide relief at every position so some of those kids aren’t playing as many minutes, which will be really helpful come January and February.”

Despite all the returners and talented newcomers, Griffin still needs to replace one key aspect 鈥� leadership, which had been provided by now-graduated Marla Young.

“I don’t think we’re going to (replace Young’s leadership),” said Griffin.聽 “It will be by committee.聽 What Marla brought you can’t measure in terms of statistics.聽 In terms of a person and vocal leader, we’re sorely going to miss her.聽 Just her work ethic was an example for everyone.聽 I’m hoping some of our returners will step up and be a little more vocal.聽 I think they will lead by example in terms of work ethic and recognize the value of what Marla brought and fill that void.”

That leadership void will be tested early, as the Royals start the year with a very tough stretch of six games, including contests against tradition powers Kean and Ferrum, nationally-ranked Mary Washington and potentially Messiah, as well as at ODAC heavy weights Virginia Wesleyan and Guilford.聽 The Marlins tied EMU with an ODAC-best record of 17-3 last year, while Guilford finished third before winning the ODAC Tournament.

Both Eastern Mennonite and the Quakers received votes in the two “official” preseason national polls from D3hoops.com and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Griffin said the impressive non-conference slate should benefit his women.

“I’m hoping what takes place there is that we find ourselves,” he said, “and that we are tested but not crushed, so that when we hit the rest of our league schedule we are prepared.聽 We have talked a lot about preparation this year, so the point is that 1) we needed games and 2) we needed to be better prepared.”

The Eastern Mennonite women open the year at the Messiah Tip-Off Classic, taking on Kean on Nov. 16, followed by either Messiah or Methodist the following day.聽 The Royals host Ferrum on Nov. 24 for their home opener.

For the first time since the opening tip, the Eagles tied the score at 62-62 with a Jenny Logan (Luray, VA/Luray) three pointer with just 45 seconds left.聽 But EMU stayed calm and worked the ball inside to Kala Yoders (Myerstown, PA/ELCO), who put in a layup with 29 seconds left to put the women back up by two.

Looking for another tie, BC tried to go inside, but Stephanie Rheinheimer (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) picked off a pass in the lane and was quickly fouled by the Eagles.聽 With 15 seconds remaining, the sophomore netted both free throws, sandwiched around a BC timeout, to give Eastern Mennonite a 66-62 lead.

After an offensive rebound, Jessica Mullen (Purcellville, VA/Loudoun Valley) nailed a triple for the Eagles with less than a second to go, but that was it as EMU escaped with the one-point win.

To start the game, the Royals scored the first four points and led by as many as nine in the half.聽 Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) put in a layup just before the break to give EMU a 31-23 edge at intermission.

A Rheinheimer three and free throw from Yoders gave the women their biggest lead of the game at 35-25.聽 After point guard Keyla Baltimore (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) sat for a few minutes with an injury, Bridgewater responded and cut the lead to two at 37-35, but EMU came right back and put the edge back to as high as nine points.

The Eagles used a 15-6 run over 6:30 to tie the game with Logan鈥檚 three-pointer, but Eastern Mennonite had the final say in the rivalry win.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 play great and we didn鈥檛 play awful,鈥� said EMU Coach Kevin Griffin.聽 鈥淭hat鈥檚 indicative of an EMU/Bridgewater game.聽 But when push came to shove our girls made plays.聽 Even after Jenny Logan hit that three, we played with poise and kept battling.鈥�

Four Royals scored in double figures, led by Ygarza who had her sixth double double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.聽 Yoders was right behind with 12 points, nine boards and a career best five assists.

Rheinheimer finished with 10 points and six assists.聽 She was also key down the stretch, assisting on Yoders鈥� go-ahead bucket, then getting the steal and clinching free throws.

Alisa Brown (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) added 10 points and Marla zumFelde (Goshen, IN/Bethany Christian) poured in eight points in just eight minutes of playing time.

鈥淢arla gave us some good minutes,鈥� Griffin said of his freshman.聽 鈥淪he鈥檚 getting better and getting more comfortable.鈥�

Baltimore had a quiet night offensively, but made her mark on defense.聽 She helped hold Mullen, the reigning ODAC Player of the Week, scoreless in the first half.聽 Mullen didn鈥檛 score until after Baltimore rested in the second with her injury.聽 She did finish with 18 points to lead Bridgewater.聽 Logan chimed in 15 and Katelynn Hottinger (Linville, VA/Broadway) was good for 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Eagles had a 41-34 edge in rebounding, but also committed 18 turnovers to just 12 for EMU.聽 BC also out-shot the Royals, 47% to 37%.聽 Eastern Mennonite made up the difference by hitting six three pointers and going 14-20 from the free throw line compared to 4-10 for BC.

The win is the eighth in a row for the young Royals, as they improve to 14-1 overall and 11-1 in the ODAC.聽 EMU is also 10-0 at home this season, and hasn鈥檛 lost in Yoder Arena since Nov. 29, 2010.聽 That game was a 62-42 decision to Bridgewater.聽 Since then, the Royals have won 18 in row at home.

Next up is a home date with Randolph College this Friday night.聽 Game time is 7:00pm.