HARRISONBURG, Va. (EMU Athletics) – The EMU Women’s Basketball Royals took to the home court at Yoder Arena on Wednesday, hosting Virginia Wesleyan for Rowdy Royals and the Green Bandana game. Trailing by seven after three quarters, the Royals rallied in the fourth to catch the Marlins by the final of 68-64.

Laila Glymph, the fifth-year captain from Culpeper, led the Royals with her third double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and collecting 11 rebounds. Grace Burke, Jeriyah Osborne, and Jayla Gray joined Glymph in double figures, tallying 14, 13, and 10 points, respectively.

Keagan Schwab guided the Marlins with 18 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field.
With the win, EMU has clinched back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time since the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

Records: EMU 10-11, 2-10 ODAC | Virginia Wesleyan 5-14, 1-11 ODAC
Highlights
First Quarter
The Royals got out of the gates first, notching the first five points of the game with a Lauren Townsend floater and a Glymph three-pointer. EMU led 13-7 when the Marlins staged a 13-0 run over 3:49 of game action to go up 20-13. Burke stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer with six seconds left to get EMU within four at 20-16.

Second Quarter
Brianna Long opened the second quarter with a basket for Virginia Wesleyan, but EMU countered with back-to-back buckets from Osborne. Jazmyn Taylor put home a layup to give EMU a 30-28 lead, but that narrow cushion was short-lived as the Marlins reeled in five points at the end of the half to go out front 33-30 at recess.

Third Quarter
Gray opened the second half with a free throw as the two teams went back-and-forth in the third. The Royals got as close as four, but the Marlins continued to find answers. Ultimately, the visitors from Virginia Wesleyan entered the final 10 minutes with a 51-44 lead.

Fourth Quarter
Virginia Wesleyan led by six with 7:46 remaining when the Royals’ offense roared to life. Burke got things going with a three-pointer, followed by layup from Glymph and back-to-back Gray free throws with 5:55 left as EMU took their first lead since late in the second quarter. With the scored tied at 58, Jayda Jones drilled a clutch three-pointer to bring the Yoder Arena crowd to life and put the Royals out front 61-58. The Marlins quickly pulled back within one, but Glymph responded with back-to-back driving layups to give the Royals a two-possession lead, 65-60. From there, EMU made their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Statistical Leaders
Scoring: Glymph (18)
Rebounds: Glymph (11)
Assists: Townsend (5)
Steals: Gray (3)
Blocks: Gray (1)

What’s Next
The EMU Women’s Basketball teams looks to take their positive momentum on the road when they play at Ferrum this Saturday, Feb. 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

— EMU Athletics —