The Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team dropped its University Athletic Association home opener on Friday night, suffering a 71-50 setback to Emory University at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio.

With the loss, CWRU fell to 6-9 overall on the season, including a 1-3 mark in the UAA, while Emory improved to 10-4 with a 3-1 conference record.

Senior guard/ forward Abbey Lawrence led all CWRU players with 14 points and three assists. Sophomore forward Kayla Characklis scored 11 points and collected six rebounds with a pair of assists and two blocks. Sophomore forward Preet Gill came off the bench to score 10 with a team-high seven rebounds, and first-year forward Evie Miller blocked four shots in the game.

CWRU led early in the game, taking a 10-7 lead on a three-pointer by junior guard/ forward Isabella Mills with 5:48 to play in the opening period, before a 12-0 run by the Eagles gave them a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. Emory carried a 19-12 advantage into the second quarter of the game and would lead by as many as 14 in the period. Lawrence connected on back-to-back shots later in the period, and Gill added a layup to cut the Eagles' lead back to single digits with 1:56 left in the half, 31-23, but Emory scored the final four points of the quarter to go ahead 35-23 by halftime.

The Eagles continued to build on their lead in the second half, taking a 63-37 advantage by the end of the third quarter, before closing out the 21-point victory in the fourth.

Emory's Claire Brock led all scorers in the game with 28 points.

The Spartans will look to rebound on Sunday, when the team continues its four-game home stands against Rochester. Tip-off at Horsburgh Gymnasium is slated for 2:00 p.m.