ATLANTA, Ga. – Sophomore guard Evy Iacono (Cincinnati, OH/Mount Notre Dame) totaled career-highs of 27 points and seven steals as the Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team won its sixth straight with a 71-65 victory versus Emory University (GA) on Friday, January 21 at Woodruff P.E. Center.

The Spartans improve to 10-5 overall and 4-0 (tied for first) in the University Athletic Association heading into a Sunday road contest at #15/#14 University of Rochester (NY) at 2:00 p.m. Emory falls to 7-8 and 0-4 UAA.

Iacono turned in an all-around performance with 27 points, seven rebounds, seven steals and four assists. In addition, junior forward Erin Hollinger (Chardon, OH/Chardon) totaled 21 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore point guard Erica Iafelice (North Canton, OH/Hoover) contributed seven assists.

Emory was paced by Hannah Lilly with 15 points and Misha Jackson with 12 boards.

The Spartans fell behind 5-4 early at the 18:25 mark, but came out of a timeout with a 10-0 run that ended in eight straight from Iacono, making the score 14-5 with 14:58 left in the first half.  Emory responded with a 9-2 run and trailed 16-14 when Danielle Landry hit two free throws at 11:46. Case answered with 10 straight and led 26-14 when Iacono scored a layup at 7:56, but Emory was able to rally with a 17-5 run and tied the score at 31 apiece when Landry hit a layup with 3:11 left before the break. The two sides exchanged leads over the duration of the half but the Spartans were able to get into the locker room with a 38-35 advantage.

In the second half, the Spartans built their lead to eight, at 50-42, when Iacono hit two free throws with 14:30 left to play. Case's lead then grew to 10 on three occasions, including 63-53 when Hollinger hit a layup at 4:50. Emory staged a late rally with a 9-0 run and pulled to within 63-62 when Melissa Koike completed a three-point play with 1:57 left to play. The Spartans got a clutch layup from Iacono on their next possession, but Emory quickly answered with a Lilly layup at 1:08. Case came right back with a short jumper from sophomore center Emily Mueller (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) with 44 seconds remaining. Mueller then grabbed a key steal on the next Emory possession and Iacono hit four free throws down the stretch to seal the deal.