Nov. 26, 2004

Box Score

WASHINGTON - American University's women's basketball team improved to 3-1 on the season with a dramatic 74-63 overtime win over Baltimore rival Loyola, Friday night at Bender Arena.

American University overcame two six point deficits in the second half to send the game into overtime, where the Eagles outscored the Greyhounds by a margin of 11-2.

Loyola set the pace in the first, jumping out to a 9-2 lead in the opening three minutes of play. American battled back, going on a 10-2 run that was capped off by a Tala Hadavi (Uppsala, Sweden/Vasalundsskolan) three pointer that helped AU to its first lead of the game. Loyola captured the lead on its next trip down the floor but every time the Greyhounds tried to widen their lead AU countered with a string of two or three consecutive buckets. American's Natalie Walker (Coraopolis, Pa./West Allegheny) tied the game at 32-32 with 57 ticks left in the half but Loyola held a 36-32 advantage at the break.

Loyola led for a total 16 out of the first 17 minutes in the frame before senior Joanna Barnes (Washington, D.C./Dunbar) sank a free throw to knot the game at 55 a piece. Loyola answered back with a jumper to give them a two-point lead but AU's Jenyce Woodruff (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) hit a shot the charity stripe to give American its first lead of the second frame. The two teams traded scores for the final three minutes before Hadavi hit her second three of the game to give the Eagles a 61-59 lead with under thirty seconds remaining in the regulation. Loyola's Krystle Harrington tied the game with 20 seconds to play when she hit a shot from 17 feet out. The Eagles held on for the final shot of the half but Barnes' drive to the net bounced off the rim and to send the game to overtime.

Barnes gave the Eagles the lead with a 12 foot shot but the Greyhounds countered to tie the game once again at 63-63. Woodruff hit two free throws to give American a 65-63 lead with 2:46 left in the period. American made Loyola pay for turning the ball over and missing shots as AU expanded their lead to 70-63 with under a minute to play. The seven point lead was too much for Loyola to overcome as the Eagles held on to win the game 74-63.

"I was very pleased with our late-game execution," said head coach Melissa McFerrin. "We took great shots, our players weren't nervous, they wanted it and worked for it and they deserved it."

Barnes led all scorers with 16 points while adding nine rebounds and two steals to her career totals. Hadavi finished the game with 14 points, matching her career-best. Senior Chanel Hunt (Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft) moved into third on AU's all-time steals list, swiping five balls from Loyola and adding 10 points and six boards on the night. Walker finished with a career-high nine points off the bench for the Eagles.

Loyola's Jill Glessner led the Greyhounds with 13 points with Harrington and Katie Sherle finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Loyola turned the balled over 23 times, compared to 16 times for American in a game that saw the game tied six times and the . The Eagles out rebounded their opponents 43-33 and were fantastic on offensive boards, scoring 16 second chance points.

AU travels to Ashville, N.C. next for a tilt with UNC-Ashville on Sunday, Nov. 28. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.