EMU Women’s Basketball traveled to Greensboro, N.C., to take on the previously unbeaten Quakers of Guilford College. With an impressive offensive showing led by graduate student Kayla Surles’s 32 points and Mya Hamlet’s 14 points, the Royals defeated the Quakers 78-69 giving them their first conference win of the season.
“A victory over a very high quality team has definitely given us confidence,” Coach Jenny Posey said. “I believe we are capable of great things this season.”
Surles’s season-high 32 points came on an efficient 11-18 from the field, including 3-6 from behind the arch and a perfect 7-7 from the foul line. She added four assists and three rebounds in her showing. Hamlet also was a key contributor in her return to the lineup. She was 5-7 from the field with one three pointer and also a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line.
Coach Posey said, “Surles was fabulous in the game with 32 points and having Mya Hamlet back on the court gave us that extra scoring punch we needed to finish out the game.”
Junior Jayla Gray was just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Caris Lucas also added nine points along with six rebounds.
The Royals got off to a hot start with a 12-2 run to start the game, but the Quakers quickly cut the margin in half. The Royals responded and Lucas ended the quarter with a three pointer to give the Royals a 21-10 lead after one quarter.
The dominant first frame by the Royals proved to be the difference in the game as there wasn’t much separation between the two following the first quarter. The Royals went into the break with a comfortable 38-26 lead after a back and forth second quarter. A last second three-pointer by Surles to end the half gave the Royals momentum going into the break.
Coach Posey expressed the importance of staying in control despite the variety of defensive pressures Guildford threw at them. “We handled whatever they threw at us with a fearless composure that allowed us to attack them and get high quality shots which led to great scoring production,” she said.
In the third quarter, the Quakers fought back, cutting the lead to five points on a couple of three pointers. The Royals didn’t give in and responded with a 7-3 run in the final two minutes of the quarter to lead 52-43 after three.
The Royals did what they could in the final quarter to hold off a Quaker comeback. Guildford cut the lead to seven points with just over a minute left, but the Royals answered with a six point run of their own in the final 46 seconds to secure the win. The fourth quarter was the highest scoring quarter of the game with both teams putting up 26 points.
You can next find the Royals in action this Saturday, Dec. 9, as they take on Roanoke College at home at 2:00 p.m.
