The Maroons were on fire in the first half, hitting 6-of-11 three pointers to grab a 37-28 lead at the break.

Sophomore Danielle Rittenhouse keyed EMU’s second half comeback and finished with a game high 21 points.

Roanoke led by 11 a number of times in the second, including after three-point play from Nicci Moats with 14:26 remaining. But that’s when the Royals found their lightning in a bottle.

EMU started forcing turnovers, getting to the free throw line and getting the breaks. Danielle Rittenhouse (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) canned a triple with 11:12 to go, completing an 11-0 run which tied the score at 48-48.

The Maroons regrouped and the teams traded leads for the next nine minutes before the Royals’ defense again took over.

Trailing 61-60 with 2:25 left, EMU put the clamps on Roanoke and didn’t allow another point.

Rittenhouse hit her third three pointer of the afternoon to put the women back ahead at 63-61. The Maroons turned the ball over on six straight possessions and the Royals went 5-for-6 from the free throw line over the final two minutes to seal the upset.

Eastern Mennonite forced the Maroons into 26 turnovers in the game, including 15 in the second half. They also limited RC to 29% shooting in the second, including 0-4 from long range.

The Royals had just 18 turnovers and made the edge in the game by going 19-26 from the free throw line. Roanoke was 11-16 from the stripe.

Rittenhouse scored 14 in the second half and led all scorers with 21. She hit 6-of-10 shots, including 3-of-6 from long range. Rittenhouse was also 6-6 in free throws.

Kala Yoders (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO) had 12 points and Sara Lamneck (Swoope, Va./Buffalo Gap) added 11 and four assists. Each of the three women had a pair of steals.

Moats finished with 15 rebounds and 9 points for the Maroons. Jordan Gholson added 17 points and 9 rebounds.

The win pushes Eastern Mennonite to 12-9 overall and 10-6 in the ODAC. The Royals also take over fourth place in the conference with the key win. Roanoke slips to 12-6 and 11-3.

The Royals have a week off before taking on Virginia Wesleyan on the road next Saturday. Game time for the women’s final regular season road game is 4 p.m.

Brittany Snyder was deadly from the floor as she nailed three of her six three pointers and scored 16 points during the recent game win over Bridgewater.

Ideally, Brittany Snyder would be ²ÝÝ®ÉçÇø’s featured scoring threat.

The petite shooting guard has a quick release and lots of touch, especially from 3-point range. But Snyder has a thyroid condition that can instantly sap her energy, making her a game-time decision every time the Lady Royals play – or practice – since it was diagnosed in December 2008.

"It’s really tough," said Snyder, a Riverheads High School graduate. "Some days, I come in here and I’m feeling good, and then I get going and then I just crash at practice, and it’s just no good. Sometimes, I’m hovering over the trash can."

Tuesday night was not one of those nights.

Snyder leads in scoring

Snyder – a 5-foot-6 junior who missed EMU’s Jan. 2 win over Hollins with one of her "bad days" – came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points and lead the Royals to a 68-55 win over Bridgewater College in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference women’s basketball game at Yoder Arena marred by 43 turnovers and 35 fouls.

"Brittany, who didn’t play on Saturday, came out and hit some big shots tonight," EMU coach Kevin Griffin. "This a kid who sometimes can play, sometimes she can’t. Tonight was her night and she buried some shots."

Danielle Rittenhouse during a 12/5 game against Virginia Wesleyan.

Eastern Mennonite – 9-0 overall, 5-0 in the ODAC and off to its best start ever – also got contributions from Melissa Lewis and Danielle Rittenhouse.

Lewis, a nimble senior point guard and Stuarts Draft grad, added 15 points, and Rittenhouse, a freshman guard, added 11.

Lewis also made eight of nine free throws – including 4-for-4 in the final 1:03 – to help the Royals secure the win. Snyder went 5-of-6 from the line and made three of six from 3-point range.

"We say go get to the free-throw line," Griffin said. "That gives us a chance to rest, gives us a chance to set our defense, and it gets the other team in foul trouble."

All of those things were true Tuesday.

Fouls make trouble for BC

Melissa Lewis during the EMU Tip-Off Classic in late November 2009.

After having just three fouls in the first half, Bridgewater (3-4, 1-3) picked up 16 in the second, including one behind the 3-point line on Snyder with 10:09 to play.

Snyder, a 73-percent free-throw shooter, made all three to push the Royals’ lead back to double digits.

"We started getting out of position," said 6-1 BC freshman forward Jackie Buckley, who led the Eagles with 14 points and 11 rebounds. "In the beginning, we were playing really good defense. We were cutting them off, and in the second half, we didn’t give them that step, and they got around us and we lost position."

EMU extended its lead to a game-high 16 twice with under a minute to go after Bridgewater kept it within 10 for most of the game.

"I still have good days and bad days," said Snyder, who also is nursing a sore thumb and wrist – both of which are discolored and swollen. "But right now, I’m having more good than bad, so I’m thankful for that."

Learn more about the 2009 Lady Royals:

• Women’s basketball home
• Season schedule
• Head coach Kevin Griffin
  

]]> /now/news/2009/rittenhouse-commits-to-basketball-at-emu/ Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0000 http://www.emu.edu/blog/news/?p=1959 By Jeffrey Reinhart of

Danielle Rittenhouse, who helped Lampeter-Strasburg High School reach the PIAA Triple-A girls’ basketball state championship game this past winter, has committed to EMU.

The Royals, who compete in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, are a Division III program, and are coached by former Lancaster Mennonite assistant coach Kevin Griffin, who led EMU to a 13-13 overall record in his fourth season on the bench this past season.

(Photo courtesy of lancasteronline.com)

The Royals went 8-12 in conference games and lost in the conference quarterfinals.

Rittenhouse, a 5-7 guard, overcame some nagging injuries to have a standout senior season for L-S. She averaged 13.7 points a game (second-best on the team), hit 14 3-pointers and was a solid rebounder and defender for the Pioneers, who went 29-4 overall after winning the Section 3 title, reaching the L-L League semifinals, advancing to the District 3 Triple-A championship game for the first time in school history, and then reaching the state title game, where L-S dropped a 68-45 decision to Archbishop Carroll.

EMU competes in the ODAC along with Roanoke, Virginia Wesleyan, Bridgewater, Washington & Lee, Guilford, Lynchburg, Emory & Henry, Randolph, Hollins and Randolph-Macon, which eliminated the Royals in the playoffs last season.