Box Score THE BASICS
Score: Ave Maria 66, Emerson 59
Records: Emerson Lions (1-2) ; Ave Maria Gyrenes (6-0)
Location: Boston, Mass. (Brown & Plofker Gym)
Date: Sunday, November 19, 2017
The Lead: Junior Natalie Busch (Weybridge, England) contributed a career-best 17 points to go along with six assists and two blocks for the Lions as the Emerson women's basketball team were edged out 66-59 by the visiting Ave Maria Gyrenes to wrap up the final day of the Tip Off Classic on Sunday afternoon.
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Emerson: Natalie Busch
- Ave Maria: Lauren Gillingham
- Mt. St. Mary (N.Y.): Katie Smith
- Middlebury: Sarah Kaufman
- Middlebury: Alex Huffman
- Tip Off Classic MVP: from Middlebury, Colleen Caveney
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Busch finished the day going 6-for-15 on the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line to go along with a pair of steals and six assists.
- Senior Maya Savino (Killingworth, Conn.) also put up double figures with 13 points, while freshman Sam Boyle (Scotts Valley, Calif.) pulled down eight rebounds.
- Sarah Miller paced the Ave Maria offense with 17 points, while Lauren Gillingham produced a double double with 10 points along with 15 boards and six assists.
- Amanda Kasprzak had two steals and two blocks and Mallory Burton also had a pair of blocks.
- Emerson finished 33.8% from the hardwood on 22-of-65 shooting, while Ave Maria made 35.1% of its shots from the field (26-of-74).
- The Lions beat the Gyrenes beyond the arc, making 37.5% of its shots to Ave Maria's 23.1%, while the visitors bested the Lions on the free throw line, going 73.5% from the charity stripe with Emerson shooting 60%.
- Ave Maria beat Emerson on the glass (54-42) and points within the paint (22-18), while Emerson recorded 18 assists to Ave Maria's 13.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Emerson got its offense going in the early minutes of the first frame and gained a nine point lead of 17-8 over Ave Maria at the 4:34 mark on a jumper from Busch.
- Ave Maria used the next three minutes of the quarter to erase Emerson's nine point lead and closed within one at 17-16 before Sarah Miller put up a lay-up to give the Gyrenes their first lead at 18-17 with 47 seconds to play.
- The Lions used a trey from junior Charlie Boyle (Scotts Valley, Calif.) with 28 seconds on the clock edged them in front 19-18 to close out the quarter.
- Ave Maria canned 22 points within the second quarter as Emerson found themselves in a six-point hole at the half at 40-34.
- A triple from Gillingham propelled Ave Maria to its first substantial lead over Emerson of seven at 28-21 at 5:29 and were able to maintain the seven point advantage until the 3:50 mark.
- Sophomores Quinn Madden (Mokena, Ill.) and Kate Foultz (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) drained back-to-back shots from beyond the arc to put the score margin at one at 33-32.
- A string of the next six points allowed the Gyrenes to put a six point cushion between them and the Lions at 40-34 after a trey from Kasprzak.
- Within the final 57 seconds of the first half, neither Ave Maria or Emerson were able to put up a basket with the score at 40-34 in the Gyrenes favor.
- Ave Maria carried its six point advantage to the 7:10 mark of the third quarter at 42-36, but Emerson answered with a pair of layouts from Sam Boyle and Foultz to put the Lions within two at 42-40.
- The Lions once again erased a lead held by the Gyrenes as Savino drained a three to square the score at 45-all at 3:03 and produced four points to put the score at 51-49 entering the fourth.
- Foultz sank a pair of shots from the charity stripe to put Emerson ahead at 53-51 for the first time since 6:19 of the opening quarter, but Ave Maria jumped back in front by five at 58-53 with 3:54 to go in regulation.
- After Emerson was able to keep within three, first at 58-55 and then 60-57, Ave Maria put the game's final six points to push the final to 66-59.
UP NEXT
- Emerson hits the hardwood for one last contest before the holiday and welcomes Tufts for a non conference meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21.
- Ave Maris heads back home to Florida for non conference action on Tuesday, November 21 as well in a 6:00 p.m. contest against Warner.
STAY LIVE WITH THE LIONS
