Nov. 19, 2007
Box Score
WASHINGTON - Senior guard Liz Hayes led all
scorers with a season-high 18 points and the Eagles held Wagner
College to a season-low 38 points to lead American University
women's basketball to its first win at home in 2007-08, defeating
the Seahawks, 60-38, on Monday night at Bender Arena.
American led from buzzer to buzzer after opening the first two
minutes on a7-0 run over Wagner, with Stephanie
N'Garsanet netting four of those points. After Chelsey Bunyer
put the Seahawks on the board with 17:27 on the clock, Hayes
quickly shifted the momentum back to the hosts. With Wagner's
Andrea Reed driving to the hoop, Hayes planted her feet and took
the charge, winning possession back for AU. Minutes later, the
Easton, Pa., native drove through the lane, drew the foul and
netted back-to-back free throws for the Red, White and Blue.
The closest Wagner came to taking over the Eagles' lead was
within five with just over 12 minutes remaining in the first
stanza, but American was able to defend its lead and double it by
half, leading 29-19 going into the locker room.
After both team's remained scoreless for a over a two-minute
span, Wagner's John'a Poole hit a three to bring the Seahawks
within seven with 12:07 left in the game. Hoping to keep the
momentum and set up a game-plan to take over the lead, Seahawk Head
Coach Gela Mikalauskas called a time-out. The 30-second break had
the exact opposite effect, with Hayes coming out of the huddle and
burying a three-pointer. After a Seahawk turnover, the guard was
netting her second straight bucket from downtown less than a minute
later. Hayes added another basket from three-point land to start a
15-0 run for the Eagles, giving the squad their largest lead of the
night (52-30) with 6:45 remaining.
American held the Seahawks from connecting on a field-goal for
over six minutes, with Ashley Olsen hitting a jumper with 5:46 left
on the ticker to end the drought. It was too late for the comeback
and AU went on to win by 22, its largest margin of victory in the
2007-08 season.
Every Eagle saw action in the win and helped lead American to
its third straight win over Wagner. Hayes and freshman Liz Leer (10 points)
tallied double-digits in the win, while Pam Stanfield and
Ohemaa
Nyanin each grabbed six rebounds for AU. Hayes and Stanfield
also dished out five assists each. Registering 15 steals and
forcing 28 turnovers, the Eagles' defense did not allow any Seahawk
to reach double-figures. Four players were averaging double-digits
for Wagner coming into tonight's game.
American University now leads the series 3-0 over Wagner and
improves to 2-2 on the season. The Eagles return to action on Nov.
23 at 12 p.m. when they face West Virginia in the first round of
the University of Rhode Island Tournament.
