The Royals take over sole possession of first place in the ODAC at 13-1, while Guilford slips one step back at 12-2. Based on two head-to-head wins, 91短视频 also holds the tie-breaker over Guilford should the two teams finished the regular season tied.聽 Each has two games left before the ODAC Tournament.

Saturday in Harrisonburg, the Royals turned on their defense and never trailed.聽 They held GC to just two field goals over the opening 12:07 of the game and led 17-7 when (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) converted a three-point play at the 8:09 mark.

The Quakers got within three points at 18-15, but Eastern Mennonite closed the half on an 11-2 surge, capped by a pair of (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) three pointers.

91短视频 led 29-17 at the half after holding Guilford to just 21% shooting and grabbing 15 offensive boards.

A hot start to the second half pushed the Royals’ edge to 17 points at 37-20, to make a combined run of 19-5 with the end of the first.聽 Even after a small GC run, Eastern Mennonite had the lead back at 50-33 after a (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) bucket with 4:36 to play.

With the big lead, 91短视频 slowed down over the final minutes and the Quakers closed on a 14-4 surge, but it was much too late.

Both teams showed a lot of defense in the game, with both offenses shooting just 31% from the floor.聽 The Royals made the biggest difference on the boards.聽 They grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and had 53-45 advantage over the best rebounding team in the ODAC.

Yoders provided Eastern Mennonite with their inside presence, co-leading the team with 12 points and two steals.聽 Rheinheimer gave the outside punch, going 4-for-9 from three point range for 12 counters.

(Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) had a team high nine rebounds.聽 Brown, (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) and (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) each added seven points.

Gabby Oglesby (Winston-Salem, NC/Mount Tabor) had a double double for Guilford, topping all players with 13 points and 11 rebounds.聽 Jaclyn Nucci (Gambrills, MD/South River) grabbed 10 rebounds and four steals.

The Royals, 17-5 overall, have now won 10 in a row, which is tied with the 1987-88 team for the second-longest streak in program history.聽 In 1984-85, the Royals won 12 straight.聽 They head into the final week of the regular season with a big road game at rival Bridgewater Tuesday night.聽 The Eagles are tied for third in the ODAC at 10-4.聽 91短视频 won the previous meeting this season, 57-48, on Jan. 24 in Harrisonburg.

Over the two wins, the 5-10 Yoders averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds after entering the week with season averages of 6.9 points and 5.9 rebounds.

She shot 9-for-12 from the floor and notched her first double double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 93-68 win at Randolph-Macon on Tuesday.聽 Yoders also had three steals and three blocked shots in that game.

Then in Saturday’s big win over Virginia Wesleyan, she had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.聽 Yoders was also a key inside presence in the second half, when Eastern Mennonite out-scored the Marlins 38-24 to propel to the 70-54 victory.

This is the third time Yoders has claimed the ODAC Player of the Week award, having won it once in each of her two previous seasons.

The Royals are now 11-5 overall and tied with Guilford atop the ODAC with a 7-1 mark.聽 91短视频 hosts rival Bridgewater College on Thursday.

Eastern Mennonite scored a quick lay-up off the opening tip and jumped ahead 6-0.聽 Less than five minutes into the game, the Royals had surged to a 14-3 cushion and R-MC never recovered.聽 By halftime, the women had two players scoring in double figures and led 45-27.

The Yellow Jackets shot a little better from the floor in the second half, but 91短视频 kept the offense in high gear and rolled to the 93-68 win.

Not only did the Royals shoot 37-62 from the floor to break their program mark at 59.7%, but they also tied their highest scoring output of the season.聽 Since scoring a season-low 49 points in a loss to Elizabethtown last Monday, 91短视频’s offense has been unstoppable.聽 The women have shot 50% or better in three straight games, all double-digit ODAC victories.

Eastern Mennonite has won six of their last seven games to improve to 10-5 overall and 6-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, tied with Guilford for first place.

Junior (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) led the charge with her first double double of the season, charting 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting along with 11 rebounds.聽 She added three blocks and three steals for good measure.聽 (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) broke out of a shooting slump by drilling 5-of-7 three pointers on her way to a season high 17 points.

(Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) added 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists.聽 (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) was good for 11 points, six boards and three assists, while (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) also scored in double figures with 10.

Point guard (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) had fun setting up her teammates and tied her career high with eight assists.

The Royals held Randolph-Macon to 36% shooting and had a hefty 48-27 control of the boards.

91短视频 returns home for two key games, starting this Saturday afternoon with Virginia Wesleyan.聽 The Marlins gave the women their lone ODAC loss, a 66-58 decision in Virginia Beach on Dec. 1.聽 Then next week Thursday, the Royals host rival Bridgewater College, who is currently 5-1 in the ODAC.

After a tight start to the game, the Royals blew open a big lead.聽 The women used a 12-5 run to build up a 27-18 cushion.聽 Then after a Hornet bucket, 91短视频 turned on the defense, forcing four turnovers and a missed shot.聽 In less than two minutes, the Royals scored nine unanswered points to explode the lead to 36-20.

Lynchburg surged over the final minutes of the half to get within 38-31 at the break, but the women gained momentum right back at the start of the second.聽 91短视频 got an offensive put-back from (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) to open the frame, then back-to-back steals and layups from (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) and (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) to push the lead into double figures.

The Royals dominated the second half, and pushed the lead up to 21 points when (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) made the score 61-40 with an offensive put-back with 7:59 to go.聽 It was coasting from there, as 91短视频’s defense won the day.

The women forced a whopping 27 turnovers and had a 56% to 41% advantage in shooting.

Seven players scored between seven and twelve points in a balanced attack for 91短视频.聽 Ygarza had 12 counters, five rebounds and four assists.聽 (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) also scored 12.

Baltimore finished with 11 points and three steals, while Brown added nine tallies and four steals.聽 (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) also had four picks.

Now 9-5 overall and 5-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, 91短视频 stays in a first-place tie with Guilford and Bridgewater.聽 The Royals play on the road Tuesday, travelling to Ashland to take on Randolph-Macon.

After scoring just three points over the first three minutes, the women went on a 35-6 run to open up a 38-9 lead.聽 91短视频 led 51-21 at halftime and only played their starting five less than five minutes in the second half.

The Royals controlled the game and connected on 39-of-76 shots for 51.3%.聽 They were also 6-19 from three-point range and 9-16 from the free throw line.聽 91短视频 held Cairn to just 26% shooting and had a massive 46-25 advantage in rebounding.聽 The women also forced 32 turnovers, compared to just 16 of their own.

聽(Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) led the way off the bench with her first double double.聽 The sophomore charted 13 points and 13 rebounds, with the rebound total being a career high.聽聽聽(Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) canned four triples and tallied 15 points.

聽(Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) and聽聽(Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) each finished with 12 points, while Yoders added nine boards.聽聽聽(Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) had a game-high five assists.聽聽聽(Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) added four helpers.

The Eastern Mennonite women improve to 5-4 with the road win.聽 They return to Yoder Arena for a date with St. Mary’s (MD) on Wednesday.聽 Game time is 7:00pm.

Coach Kevin Griffin knew he had a talented crew last winter, but with just three upperclassmen on the roster, Griffin didn’t expect the explosion of wins his team earned.

“I was very surprised considering how young we were and what we had lost,” he said.聽 “Things just sort of fell into place.”

This year the eighth-year mentor returns his top six players, including all five starters. 聽Griffin acknowledges that returning core triggers an extra layer of pressure.

“It means that expectations are high from ourselves and from others,” said Griffin.聽 “And it means that we do have experience, which is why those expectations are so high.聽 I think everybody expects we’re going to be good and so there’s a pressure.聽 Our schedule is a lot tougher this year, but I think that pressure and schedule can be a good motivator.聽 At the end of the day it’s basketball and we just need to go play, try to improve and see what happens.”

The Royals return three All-ODAC performers, each of who are entering their junior seasons this year.聽 Forward (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) exploded to a team-best 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, all the while coming off the bench.聽 She was named All-ODAC First Team and All-South Region Third Team by D3hoops.com.

Whether or not Ygarza starts this year doesn’t appear to be an issue to either the player or the head coach.

“The only planned change is that Bianca plays more,” Griffin said of his dynamic player who averaged 22.9 minutes last year.聽 “It’s hard to define her role.聽 She just finds a way to score, and finds the ball and rebounds.聽 We need to find more ways to get her the ball and more minutes without wearing her down.”

(Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County), the ODAC Rookie of the Year two seasons ago, landed on the All-ODAC Second Team as a sophomore, averaging 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.聽 Small forward (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) hit 39% of her three-point shots and earned Third Team honors with 11.3 points per game.

Starting guards (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) and (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) return, as does (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park).聽 Baltimore transferred to 91短视频 last year after one season at Bluefield and ended up among national leaders with a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.聽 Brown scored 6.7 a game and became a harassing defender, while Sykes contributed 6.2 points and 4.8 boards in her first season.

(Bassett, VA/Bassett) will be the lone senior on the team this time around and is joined by sophomores (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) and (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County).聽 Osei had 3.7 rebounds a game as a reserve frontliner, while Patterson tantalized fans with flashy offense and defense in just eight games early in the season.聽 Sharpshooting (Goshen, IN/Bethany Christian) hurt her knee in the offseason and will spend this year out of uniform as a student assistant.

Griffin said the experience of his returners is evident.

“Hopefully they are smarter and are more confident and more skilled and realize the opportunity that is in front of them,” he said.聽 “I do think we’re in better shape and the confidence of some of the kids that played a lot last year is a lot higher, either because they put in a lot of work (in the offseason) or because they played a lot last year.聽 So it’s made a difference in how they’ve played at the start of practices.”

Adding to the returning core, Griffin brought in another athletic recruiting class to give his team much-needed depth for their up-tempo style.聽 Two of the newcomers are younger sisters of All-ODAC honorees for the Royals.

“I think that (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) will help us athletically,” Griffin said, “with her ability to defend and her strength.聽 (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) will help as an athlete and can really shoot the ball.聽 And (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) does a lot of things well.聽 She can score and has a very high basketball IQ.”

Other new players include: (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial), (Stuarts Draft, VA/Stuarts Draft), (Woodbridge, VA/Garfield) and sophomore Belmont Abbey-transfer (Dale City, VA/Forest Park).

Griffin said that new wave of faces will pay dividends throughout the year.

“I hope we can just play faster,” he said.聽 “We should have someone to provide relief at every position so some of those kids aren’t playing as many minutes, which will be really helpful come January and February.”

Despite all the returners and talented newcomers, Griffin still needs to replace one key aspect 鈥� leadership, which had been provided by now-graduated Marla Young.

“I don’t think we’re going to (replace Young’s leadership),” said Griffin.聽 “It will be by committee.聽 What Marla brought you can’t measure in terms of statistics.聽 In terms of a person and vocal leader, we’re sorely going to miss her.聽 Just her work ethic was an example for everyone.聽 I’m hoping some of our returners will step up and be a little more vocal.聽 I think they will lead by example in terms of work ethic and recognize the value of what Marla brought and fill that void.”

That leadership void will be tested early, as the Royals start the year with a very tough stretch of six games, including contests against tradition powers Kean and Ferrum, nationally-ranked Mary Washington and potentially Messiah, as well as at ODAC heavy weights Virginia Wesleyan and Guilford.聽 The Marlins tied 91短视频 with an ODAC-best record of 17-3 last year, while Guilford finished third before winning the ODAC Tournament.

Both Eastern Mennonite and the Quakers received votes in the two “official” preseason national polls from D3hoops.com and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Griffin said the impressive non-conference slate should benefit his women.

“I’m hoping what takes place there is that we find ourselves,” he said, “and that we are tested but not crushed, so that when we hit the rest of our league schedule we are prepared.聽 We have talked a lot about preparation this year, so the point is that 1) we needed games and 2) we needed to be better prepared.”

The Eastern Mennonite women open the year at the Messiah Tip-Off Classic, taking on Kean on Nov. 16, followed by either Messiah or Methodist the following day.聽 The Royals host Ferrum on Nov. 24 for their home opener.

After trading leads in the first half, neither team scored over the final 3:28 of the frame as the Yellow Jackets took a 26-25 lead into the break.

The Royals鈥� offensive woes continued early in the second, and R-MC pushed open leads of 33-27 and then 53-44.

Eastern Mennonite chipped the edge back down to five, but another 6-0 spurt gave the Yellow Jackets their biggest lead of the night at 59-48 with 5:03 to play.

That鈥檚 when the tide turned. The Royals turned up the intensity on defense, both in full court pressure and in the half court. Over the final five minutes, the senior-laden Randolph-Macon squad committed nine turnovers, including a pair of shot clock violations.

91短视频 rattled off 19 unanswered points to leapfrog to a 67-59 advantage with 44 seconds to play. The Yellow Jackets then got their only points of the final minutes on a three-point play, but the Royals provided the final four points from the free throw line, icing the nine-point win.

Over the decisive final 5:03, the women scored on 12 of their 14 possessions, while holding R-MC to three points and forcing nine turnovers.

Coach Kevin Griffin said his team battled through a few sick players and some bad bounces.

鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of our effort and that we didn鈥檛 hang our heads,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淥ur press really affected them, and I thought Steph just put us on her back for a while.鈥�

Sophomore Stephanie Rheinheimer (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) scored a game high and career best 19 points, all in the second half. She scored 10 of those during 91短视频鈥檚 big 23-3 run, including back-to-back three pointers, and added three steals. Kala Yoders (Myerstown, PA/ELCO) struggled from the floor, but still notched a double double with 15 rebounds, 11 points and a team best six assists.

Shakeerah Sykes (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) was 6-for-7 from the floor as both she and Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) scored 13 points.

The Royals forced 27 turnovers, an impressive feat against a Randolph-Macon team which started four seniors. Another key was the women shooting a deadly 20-for-23 from the free throw line.

鈥淓ven on a night when it seems like we have girls who are having off nights, we still get Kala with 15 rebounds and Bianca with 13 points,鈥� Griffin said.

Taylor Wieczorek (Grasonville, MD/Severn) led Randolph-Macon with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Sarah Parsons (Glen Allen, VA/J.R. Tucker) added 18 off the bench and Maggie Roy (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) came in with 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Eastern Mennonite improves to 16-2 overall and 13-2 in the ODAC with the impressive win. R-MC slides to 10-9 and 8-6. The Royals continue a busy week with a non-conference hosting of Mary Baldwin on Thursday.

For the first time since the opening tip, the Eagles tied the score at 62-62 with a Jenny Logan (Luray, VA/Luray) three pointer with just 45 seconds left.聽 But 91短视频 stayed calm and worked the ball inside to Kala Yoders (Myerstown, PA/ELCO), who put in a layup with 29 seconds left to put the women back up by two.

Looking for another tie, BC tried to go inside, but Stephanie Rheinheimer (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) picked off a pass in the lane and was quickly fouled by the Eagles.聽 With 15 seconds remaining, the sophomore netted both free throws, sandwiched around a BC timeout, to give Eastern Mennonite a 66-62 lead.

After an offensive rebound, Jessica Mullen (Purcellville, VA/Loudoun Valley) nailed a triple for the Eagles with less than a second to go, but that was it as 91短视频 escaped with the one-point win.

To start the game, the Royals scored the first four points and led by as many as nine in the half.聽 Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) put in a layup just before the break to give 91短视频 a 31-23 edge at intermission.

A Rheinheimer three and free throw from Yoders gave the women their biggest lead of the game at 35-25.聽 After point guard Keyla Baltimore (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) sat for a few minutes with an injury, Bridgewater responded and cut the lead to two at 37-35, but 91短视频 came right back and put the edge back to as high as nine points.

The Eagles used a 15-6 run over 6:30 to tie the game with Logan鈥檚 three-pointer, but Eastern Mennonite had the final say in the rivalry win.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 play great and we didn鈥檛 play awful,鈥� said 91短视频 Coach Kevin Griffin.聽 鈥淭hat鈥檚 indicative of an 91短视频/Bridgewater game.聽 But when push came to shove our girls made plays.聽 Even after Jenny Logan hit that three, we played with poise and kept battling.鈥�

Four Royals scored in double figures, led by Ygarza who had her sixth double double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.聽 Yoders was right behind with 12 points, nine boards and a career best five assists.

Rheinheimer finished with 10 points and six assists.聽 She was also key down the stretch, assisting on Yoders鈥� go-ahead bucket, then getting the steal and clinching free throws.

Alisa Brown (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) added 10 points and Marla zumFelde (Goshen, IN/Bethany Christian) poured in eight points in just eight minutes of playing time.

鈥淢arla gave us some good minutes,鈥� Griffin said of his freshman.聽 鈥淪he鈥檚 getting better and getting more comfortable.鈥�

Baltimore had a quiet night offensively, but made her mark on defense.聽 She helped hold Mullen, the reigning ODAC Player of the Week, scoreless in the first half.聽 Mullen didn鈥檛 score until after Baltimore rested in the second with her injury.聽 She did finish with 18 points to lead Bridgewater.聽 Logan chimed in 15 and Katelynn Hottinger (Linville, VA/Broadway) was good for 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Eagles had a 41-34 edge in rebounding, but also committed 18 turnovers to just 12 for 91短视频.聽 BC also out-shot the Royals, 47% to 37%.聽 Eastern Mennonite made up the difference by hitting six three pointers and going 14-20 from the free throw line compared to 4-10 for BC.

The win is the eighth in a row for the young Royals, as they improve to 14-1 overall and 11-1 in the ODAC.聽 91短视频 is also 10-0 at home this season, and hasn鈥檛 lost in Yoder Arena since Nov. 29, 2010.聽 That game was a 62-42 decision to Bridgewater.聽 Since then, the Royals have won 18 in row at home.

Next up is a home date with Randolph College this Friday night.聽 Game time is 7:00pm.

Yoders scored her season high for the second straight game on Saturday as the Royals topped Shenandoah, 60-48, in their only game over the stretch.聽 She also set a season high in rebounds and notched her first double double, 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Yoders is now second on the team with 11.0 points per game and third with 5.9 rebounds a game.聽 She is also seventh in the ODAC in defensive rebounds and ninth in field goal percentage (50.7%).

This is the second time the 5-10 sophomore has been named ODAC Player of the Week.聽 She also garnered the award in the final week of the 2010-11 season.

Eastern Mennonite heads into the Christmas break with a 7-1 record, including 4-1 in the ODAC.聽 The Royals return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 3, when they host Lynchburg.

Daryl Bert, vice president for finance, opened chapel by praising the tireless efforts of Bruce Emmerson, food services director for Pioneer Catering, which operates 52 kitchens nationwide.聽 Emmerson, who was named Pioneer鈥檚 “rookie of the year,” in 2007 and “director of the year,” in 2011, has continuously improved the quality of services that are offered to the students, faculty, staff and visitors of 91短视频, said Bert.

“I have appreciated how seriously Bruce takes feedback from our community by personally, wittily and publicly responding to feedback cards in the cafeteria,” said Bert. “I am always amazed at how quickly Bruce implements themes from the survey forms into the food service experience in the cafeteria…

鈥淚 believe this attention to quality is validated by the large number of faculty and staff that join students in the cafeteria for lunch on a daily basis.”

Byron Peachey, associate campus pastor, said: “Anytime I’ve needed to work with Bruce or Ramona [Lantz] with special catering needs or events, they are adaptable and easy to work with, willing to take on special events such as the Late Night Breakfast鈥� The food is always consistently delicious and varied.”

91短视频 routinely hosts outside groups, conferences and youth camps over the summer which adds to Emmerson’s schedule. LeDayne McLeese Polaski, program coordinator for the Baptist Peace Fellowship also praised the work of Emmerson and Matthew Hunsberger, Lehman Auditorium facility technician, in a written statement to Bert.

After stating that her Fellowship puts 91短视频 at the top of the list, Polaski added: “I would be remiss if I did not mention the excellent work of Matt Hunsberger and Bruce Emmerson… They are true professionals who go above and beyond the call of duty to provide excellent service.”

Below is a list of students who were honored at the chapel ceremony for academics, athletics and community service.

Fall Season

Men鈥檚 Cross Country:

Dan Nafziger:聽ODAC Athlete of the Week (Sept. 1-5), All-ODAC Second Team, All-South/Southeast Region First Team, NCAA National Championships participant

Field Hockey:

Nicole Bencsik: All-ODAC Second Team

Jenessa Derstine: All-ODAC Third Team

Valerie Landis: ODAC All-Tournament Team, All-ODAC First Team

Adriana Santiago: ODAC All-Tournament Team, All-ODAC First Team

Men鈥檚 Soccer:

Barkot Akalu: All-ODAC Third Team

Kevin Chico: ODAC All-Tournament Team, All-ODAC First Team

Ryan Eshleman: ODAC All-Tournament Team, CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District Team, All-ODAC First Team

Mitchell Leap:聽ODAC Player of the Week (Sept. 19-25), ODAC Player of the Week (Oct. 3-9), ODAC Player of the Week (Oct. 24-30), All-ODAC First Team

Brent Yoder:聽聽聽 All-ODAC Third Team

Women鈥檚 Cross Country:

Katie Eckman: All-ODAC Second Team

Women鈥檚 Volleyball:

Tabitha Bowman: CUA Guetle All-Invitational Team

Brittany Childress: 91短视频 Hampton Inn & Sleep Inn All-Invitational Team

Winter Season

Men鈥檚 Basketball:

Owen Longacre: Marymount Tip-Off Tournament All-Tournament Team

Women鈥檚 Basketball:

Raiven Patterson: 91短视频 Tip-Off Classic Most Outstanding Player

Kala Yoders: All-91短视频 Tip-Off Classic Team

Intensive English Program

Fanty Polanco

Maria Pena

Jihoo Park

Academic Support Center-Tutors

Stacy Kinkaid

Haleigh Hershberger

Lyubov Slashcheva

Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival nominations

Elizabeth Gannaway

Julia King

Justin Rittenhouse (alternate)

Jamie Hiner (stage manager)

Pastoral Assistant Recognition

Mitchell Stutzman 鈥� 1.5 years as pastoral assistant

Nursing Department Outstanding Service Award

Rebekah [last name omitted on request]

Student Government Association

Hannah Patterson, Senator

Joel Choi, Senator

Louise Babikow, Senator

Brittney Wenger, Senator

Katrina Goering, Senator

Daniel Sigmans, Treasurer

Nels 脜kerson, c0-President

“We have the talent to compete,” he said, “but I think seven of the top eight teams (in the ODAC) have three or four starters back which will make it incredibly difficult.聽 I think Randolph-Macon is a clear cut favorite and I don’t know after that.聽 I think if we can foster some confidence early we can be very dangerous by the end of the season.”

The Royals were 15-11 last year including fifth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference at 13-7.聽 That team was mostly underclassmen.聽 Griffin returns four of his end-of-the-season starters and thinks the experience his players gained in 2010-11 will benefit them this year.

“The returners do have confidence even though we are young again,” he said.聽 “They recognize that a couple things have to happen:聽 if we play really hard and if we play smart, we have enough talent to beat people.聽 Last year we had some success when certain kids began to realize, ‘not only can I compete here, but I can succeed.'”

Two of Eastern Mennonite’s returning starters received ODAC awards in 2010-11.聽 Junior (Swoope, VA/Buffalo Gap) earned All-ODAC Honorable Mention honors while averaging 10.0 points and 8.1 rebounds. 聽Fellow front-liner (Myerstown, PA/ELCO) took over a starting role late and was named All-ODAC Honorable Mention and ODAC Rookie of the Year.聽 She averaged 12.0 points and 6.2 rebounds.

91短视频 did lose leading scorer Danielle Rittenhouse (13.6 PPG) who did not return to school.聽 Sophomores (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) (8.2 PPG) and co-captain (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) (6.8 PPG) will also help fill the scoring void.

“What we’re hoping is that work ethic and experience translates into more success,” Griffin said.聽 “Just because you’re a year older doesn’t mean you’re a year better.聽 But those four did a lot last year, so the expectations have been raised for them.聽 They can’t do what they did last year, they need to do more.”

A lot will also be expected from the lone senior, (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial), although it might not show up in a box score.

“She has leadership,” said Griffin of his other co-captain.聽 “She has integrity.聽 She is respected for her knowledge when she speaks.聽 She is highly respected for how she carries herself off the basketball floor: in the classroom, on the weekend.聽 Our kids view her as a moral leader as well as a basketball leader.”

The other returners all bring unique strengths to the team.聽 (Richmond, VA/Highland Springs) started 14 games at point guard and was second on the team with 49 assists.聽 (Orange, VA/Orange County) played all 26 games last year and was a lock-down defender.聽 (Bassett, VA/Bassett) played in 22 games and displays a continual positive intensity.

The incoming recruits obviously bolster 91短视频’s depth, but will also push some of the starters.

“Collective we feel that group of freshmen has a pretty high basketball IQ as well as their talent, so when things break down they can make plays and play basketball,” he said.聽 “We are going to have a hard time figuring out who plays.聽 We have a lot of good pieces and we’ll have to figure out the role of each piece.”

The Royals were third in the ODAC scoring 69.2 points per game, and Griffin hopes his added depth will allow him to push the tempo more this year.

“The style will be faster,” he said, “so we’re hoping it frees the kids up to play to exhaustion and free up more minutes for other kids.聽 Some of our returners played a lot of minutes last year, but we’re hoping to balance that a little more.”

Another area Griffin hopes to improve is forcing turnovers and turning that into scoring.聽 The women were ninth out of eleven ODAC teams in steals and had a -0.35 turnover margin.

“I think we’ll be better at it simply because we have more kids that can handle the ball well,” he said of turnovers.聽 “I know that we’re young but I feel like the group that we have will hopefully value the ball more and in turn create more havoc in a game whereby we can benefit from causing other people to not take care of the ball or creating turnovers.”

The women won’t have much time to prepare for the 20-game ODAC slate.聽 After hosting a season-opening classic on Nov. 18-19, Eastern Mennonite hits the road to take on Randolph-Macon on Nov. 22.聽 The Royals also travel to Bridgewater and host Roanoke in November, pitting them against the ODAC’s top three teams from last year in the season’s first five games.

The Maroons were on fire in the first half, hitting 6-of-11 three pointers to grab a 37-28 lead at the break.

Sophomore Danielle Rittenhouse keyed 91短视频’s second half comeback and finished with a game high 21 points.

Roanoke led by 11 a number of times in the second, including after three-point play from Nicci Moats with 14:26 remaining. But that’s when the Royals found their lightning in a bottle.

91短视频 started forcing turnovers, getting to the free throw line and getting the breaks. Danielle Rittenhouse (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) canned a triple with 11:12 to go, completing an 11-0 run which tied the score at 48-48.

The Maroons regrouped and the teams traded leads for the next nine minutes before the Royals’ defense again took over.

Trailing 61-60 with 2:25 left, 91短视频 put the clamps on Roanoke and didn’t allow another point.

Rittenhouse hit her third three pointer of the afternoon to put the women back ahead at 63-61. The Maroons turned the ball over on six straight possessions and the Royals went 5-for-6 from the free throw line over the final two minutes to seal the upset.

Eastern Mennonite forced the Maroons into 26 turnovers in the game, including 15 in the second half. They also limited RC to 29% shooting in the second, including 0-4 from long range.

The Royals had just 18 turnovers and made the edge in the game by going 19-26 from the free throw line. Roanoke was 11-16 from the stripe.

Rittenhouse scored 14 in the second half and led all scorers with 21. She hit 6-of-10 shots, including 3-of-6 from long range. Rittenhouse was also 6-6 in free throws.

Kala Yoders (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO) had 12 points and Sara Lamneck (Swoope, Va./Buffalo Gap) added 11 and four assists. Each of the three women had a pair of steals.

Moats finished with 15 rebounds and 9 points for the Maroons. Jordan Gholson added 17 points and 9 rebounds.

The win pushes Eastern Mennonite to 12-9 overall and 10-6 in the ODAC. The Royals also take over fourth place in the conference with the key win. Roanoke slips to 12-6 and 11-3.

The Royals have a week off before taking on Virginia Wesleyan on the road next Saturday. Game time for the women’s final regular season road game is 4 p.m.