The Observer, March 2, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 19
Emory's Turner too much for Lady Spartans in season finale
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The women's basketball team ended its 2006-2007 season on a disappointing note last Saturday against Emory, losing to the Eagles 66-58.
Despite a solid start in the first half, the Spartans (9-16, 1-13 UAA) ran out of gas in the waning minutes as the Eagles (10-15, 2-10), led by sophomore Lora Turner, capitalized on several Spartan mistakes by making key baskets and free throws down the stretch to seal the game.
Notwithstanding the poor finish, it was an entertaining and exciting game and was complemented nicely by an enthusiastic crowd.
The Lady Spartans showed promise early, as they were sparked by a pair of Dana Dempsey three-pointers in the first two minutes of the game. Case jumped out to an early edge, but that was quickly countered by a 12-2 Emory run, giving the Eagles a five-point lead with about 13 minutes to play in the first half. The game was tightly fought for the majority of the first half with no team extending its lead by more than two points until Mary Herendeen, Colleen Martin, and Ashleigh Tondo knocked down baskets to give Case a 36-33 edge going into halftime.
"Our game plan going in was to play harder than them," said Martin. "We knew they would come out with a lot of emotion since it was their senior day, and our goal was to minimize any momentum they might have had." The team's success in the first half was largely due to its ability to control the glass and keep Emory's leading three leading scorers in check for the first half. Not a single player had more than eight points.
The Spartans clung to a narrow lead through the first three minutes of the second half before Emory exploded, going on an 18-0 run to give the home team a 55-42 lead with slightly less than 11 minutes left in the contest. The run was sparked by Turner and Erica Kaplan, who helped the Eagles make seven of eight field goals during that five-minute span. Case did not help the situation as it managed only five field goal attempts during the run and turned the ball over four times. For the game, Emory outscored Case 24-9 on points off turnovers.
Fortunately, Case was not ready to roll over and simply hand the game to Emory. Showing a substantial amount of courage and resiliency, the team rallied with a 14-0 scoring run of its own, capped by a Tondo lay-up that gave the Spartans a 56-55 lead with just under four minutes to play. From that point, the Spartans battled valiantly but were only able to muster two points in the final four minutes, giving Emory its 10th win of the season with a final score of 66-58.
Turner, Kaplan, and Beth Bergmann led the Eagles with 22, 16, and 11 points, respectively.
"They had a few main players we wanted to key on and keep from scoring, but they ended up scoring too many," said Martin. The Spartans also had three players reach double figures. Herendeen finished with 13 points while Dempsey went for 11 and Ashley Horton finished with a double-double, notching 10 points and 12 rebounds.
It was the final collegiate game for seniors Dempsey and Maria Jackson, who by all measures have had successful careers.
"They were a huge part of this team," said Martin. "We are going to miss their leadership on the court as well as their personalities off the court. We also have to look at this as an opportunity for new leaders to step up and take the team to a new level next year."
The Spartans should be a bit deeper next season with nine players returning, all of whom logged minutes for the team this year.
