Dec. 30, 2008
Box Score
RICHMOND, Va. - Despite a tremendous effort on
both ends of the floor, the American University women's basketball
team fell just short of upsetting Virginia Commonwealth University,
dropping a 67-63 non-conference decision on Tuesday at the Alltel
Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond.
American (8-5) a seven-point (37-30) halftime deficit with 15:43
to play in the game as Coles hit a pair of baskets to lead the
Eagles on an 11-3 run coming out of the halftime break, to lead
41-40. With the score knotted at 43 apiece, Radoslava Bachvarova
and Michelle
Kirk exchanged three-point baskets before AU's Sahar Nusseibeh
put the Eagles back up by two, 50-48.
The score was still tied, 54-54, at the 8:43 mark when Jessica
Taylor and Rorie hit a pair of shots to put VCU up 58-54. The
Eagles trailed, 60-58, when Nicole Ryan connected
on her first hoop of the game from behind the arc at 3:34 to give
AU a 61-60 lead. Quanitra Hollingsworth reclaimed the lead for VCU
at 2:38 and extended it a few seconds later as the Rams led 64-61.
An American turnover gave the ball back to VCU (10-2) with 2:08
to play. A foul sent Hollingsworth to line for two, which she
connected on, but was answered by a pair from the stripe on the
other end by Michelle Kirk to
give the Rams a three-point (66-63) advantage. A Leer block on the
defensive end could not be converted into Eagles points, forcing AU
to foul the rest of the way out. Taylor hit a free throw with 17.9
seconds left to seal the game for the Rams.
Both teams were on offensively to start the contest, as the
Eagles and Rams traded baskets until the first media timeout,
leaving the score knotted at 11-11. American led briefly by an 11-7
advantage following a Talicia Jackson
lay-in and a Michelle Kirk trey,
which prompted a VCU timeout. The Rams rattled off four straight
points out of the break to tie the score. Neither team was able to
get a basket for just under three minutes until VCU got
back-to-back hoops from D'Andra Moss and Jessica Taylor to lead
15-11.
La'Tavia Rorie rattled off six straight points and a Jessica
Taylor basket following a steal to extend the Rams run to 14-4,
building a 25-15 margin, with 8:59 remaining in the first half. The
Eagles answered with a 9-0 run of their own after Kristin Coles
turned a steal into two points and Pam Stanfield
connected on a drive to the hoop, and trailed just 25-24. American
reclaimed the lead on its next possession on a Liz Leer lay-up, but VCU
scored the next four points to lead 29-26 with 4:35 on the clock.
The Rams would outscore the Eagles 8-4 over the final minutes of
play to take a 37-30 advantage into the break.
The Eagles got another strong performance from the sophomore duo
of Kirk and Leer. Kirk finished with 17 points and six rebounds
while Leer added 14 points, eight boards and four blocks. Stanfield
scored eight points while dishing out three assists and adding four
steals. Coles also finished with eight points and three steals.
Rorie led the Rams with 17 points, three steals and two assists,
while Hollingsworth earned a double-double with 14 points and 14
rebounds. Taylor scored 11 points off the bench.
American will return to action on Sunday, January 4th when they
host Columbia at 2 p.m. at Bender Arena.
