Women's basketball tops Wesleyan

Junior forward Amanda Renalds scored 17 points to move into 10th place on the all-time scoring list as the women's basketball team defeated Virginia Wesleyan College 70-58 in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference game Wednesday night.

EMU (16-8, 12-7 ODAC) jumped out to a 22-12 lead with 4:20 remaining in the first half with Renalds scoring 15 of her 17 points during the first 16 minutes. VWC (10-13, 8-10 ODAC) responded with a quick 7-0 spurt, including five by sophomore guard Michelle Dove, to cut it to 22-19 with 2:52 remaining in the half. EMU would take a 30-22 lead into the locker room at the half.

In the second period, EMU led 34-24 with 17:25 when Virginia Wesleyan made another push to get back into the game. This time, the Marlins put together an 11-2 run including eight points by Dove to close to 36-35 with 14:16 remaining in the game.

The Lady Royals stayed in front while the score remained tight until the Marlins tied it up at 45-45 with 8:09 remaining. It marked the first time EMU lost the lead since VWC led 7-6 early. With EMU holding onto a 57-55 lead with 4:43 left, the Lady Royals went on a 6-0 run to grab a 63-55 advantage with 2:57 remaining. They sealed the victory at the free throw line, recording the 70-58 win.

Renalds registered her ninth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds along with four assists and two blocks. She raised her career point total to 962, moving into the top 10 and inching closer to the 1,000-point mark. Teammate Stephanie Mathews is also closing in on 1000 career points, scoring 13 against Virginia Wesleyan to raise her total to 943. She also had nine rebounds and three steals.

Seniors Shantee Bryant and Regina Sours celebrated the final home game of their EMU careers with solid outings. Bryant scored 11 points and added three rebounds and four assists. Sours scored eight points along with four rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.

EMU will close out the regular season at Bridgewater College on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. before advancing to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament in Salem, Va. on Thursday, Feb. 24.