Lady Quakers advance to "Elite Eight"

Emily Cummins scores a career-high 26 points in win

[Box Score]

Emily Cummins goes for two of her career-high 26 points.

(WC Press Release) CRESTVIEW HILLS, Kentucky (March 12, 2004) ­ The Lady Quakers advanced to the "Elite Eight" for the second time in school history with a 78-75 victory over the Saints of Thomas More College.

Emily Cummins (Springfield/Northwestern) scored a career-high 26 points in the win, including shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range.

The Lady Quakers jumped out to a quick five-point lead over the first five minutes, and kept their lead until the 5:22 mark of the first half when the Saints took their first lead of the game at 31-29. The lead changed hands twice more in the half, as the Green and White went into the locker room with a two-point, 37-35 lead.

The Lady Quakers increased their lead to four with a Siobhan Zerilla (Cincinnati/Mercy) lay-up, 50 seconds into the half, before Thomas More clawed their way back, and took a five-point lead with 13:24 to play in the game. Emily Cummins then hit back-to-back baskets, a three-pointer and a 15-foot jumper to tie the game a minute later. The lead changed hands six more times over the next five minutes, before the Green and White took a five-point lead with 5:35 to play in the game. Thomas More was never able to re-gain the lead, although they tied the contest a minute later. The Green and White increased their lead to as many as five, and cruised the rest of the way in the three-point win.

Siobhan Zerilla

Cummins led four Lady Quakers in double figure scoring with 26 points. Amy Kincer (Englewood/Northmont) scored 18 points while Tara Rausch (Marysville/Fairbanks) and Zerilla scored 15 and 12 points respectively. Zerilla led the team with 14 rebounds while Kincer and Rausch each pulled down 10.

Thomas More was led by Carrie Clift who scored 16 points, while Joanna Bess and Allison Byars each scored 13 and Susannah Brooks chipped in 10.

With the win the Lady Quakers improve to 24-6 on the season while Thomas More falls to 21-6 on the year.

The next game for the Green and White is tomorrow, when they will face off against Puget Sound (Wash.) with tip-off set for 7:00 with a berth into the "Final Four" on the line.