Royals To Play Winner of GC/BC Game 

SALEM, Va. --- Eastern Mennonite took over midway through the first half of the ODAC Quarterfinal game Thursday and came away with a 63-55 win over Roanoke.  The Royals advance to the Semifinals and will play Saturday against either #3 Guilford or #6 Bridgewater at 3:00pm.

The first 12 minutes of the game were relatively even before EMU's interior presence took over.  The women powered to a 16-3 finish to the half, leading 39-27 at the break.

Eastern Mennonite shot 53% from the floor over the first 20 minutes, compared to 33% for RC.  Bianca Ygarza hit all nine of her shots in the first and had 18 at halftime.  Kala Yoders added another 10 points inside for the Royals.

The women kept on top in the second, pushing the edge to as many as 16 at 55-39 after a Shakeerah Sykes layup with 9:14 to play.  That's when the Maroons made their comeback.

Roanoke ignited on a 12-2 run, including nine straight points, to slice the lead to 57-51 with 4:31 remaining.  As the tension rose, neither team scored for nearly two minutes.

Finally Yoders hit a tough jumper in the lane to end RC's run and settle the Royals down.  The Maroons turned the ball over and Ygarza followed with a bucket, getting an assist from Yoders.

The 4-0 spurt put the lead back in double digits, 61-51, with 1:57 to go.  After the teams traded free throws, the final minute passed almost anti-cathartically.  But as the seconds ticked off, they sealed the 63-55 win for Eastern Mennonite.

Ygarza, an All-ODAC First Teamer, finished with a game high 22 points.  She also broke the EMU and ODAC Tournament record for field goal percentage, by going 10-for-10 from the floor.  The forward added seven rebounds.

Yoders, named All-ODAC Second Team on Wednesday, chipped in 15 points, and was one of four different Royals with three assists.  Alisa Brown also hit double figures with 10 points and had three assists.

Keyla Baltimore and Stephanie Rheinheimer each had three assists as well.  Baltimore pulled down a team high nine rebounds.  Rheinheimer had eight points and seven rebounds to help celebrate her All-ODAC Third Team honors.

All-ODAC Third Teamer Paxton Gwin led Roanoke with 18 points and nine rebounds.  Tatum McKee finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three blocks.

The Royals are now 22-3 as they await their Semifinal game on Saturday.

This release is courtesy of Eastern Mennonite's sports information department.