Jan. 14, 2009
Box Score
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The American University
women's basketball team took advantage of Bucknell's foul trouble
to claim a 61-55 at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pa. on Wednesday.
The Eagles hit 13-22 shots from the free throw line compared to
just five trips to the line for the Bison to claim their first win
of Patriot League play.
American (11-6, 1-1 PL) scored the first six points of the
contest on baskets from Lisa Strack, Pam Stanfield and
Liz Leer before
Bucknell broke the run with an Amanda Brown hoop to make it 6-2
early on. Talicia Jackson
hit the first of her two threes at 16:40 to extend the lead to 9-2,
but a pair of Joyce Novacek lay-ins closed the gap to three. The
Eagles went on to open up an 18-11 margin at 12:06 but the Bison
would outscore American 9-4 over the next five minutes to close
within 22-20.
The American post players combined for the next five Eagles
baskets, leading a 10-0 run to make the score 32-20 with 1:50 to go
in the first half. Janelle McDonald
scored six of the 10 for AU to surpass her career high in just nine
minutes. Leer sunk a pair of free throws but Brown countered with
her 11th points of the half to take a 34-22 score into the half.
Bucknell (9-6, 1-1 PL) came out of the break and went on a 8-2
run in the first four minutes to pull within six, and trailed 36-30
after a Lauren Schober three-point basket. The Bison continued to
chip away at the lead and knotted the score at 40-40 following a
Brown three, but Nicole Ryan connected
on the ensuing possession to reclaim a two-point lead for the
Eagles with 11:10 to play.
Morgan Wrightson gave the Bison its first lead of the game at
8:18 but a Stanfield jumper to beat the shot clock put the Eagles
back up 48-47. American went on to score the next seven points to
open up a 55-47 advantage with 3:58 to play in regulation.
The Eagles would use their frequent trips to the charity stripe
to put the game away, as they connected on 11-13 in the second
half. A Liz Leer
basket with two minutes to play put American up 61-49 and the
Eagles would hold Bucknell without a point until Brown hit a runner
with 48 seconds to play to cut the lead to 10. The Bison got a
basket from Consima Higham and Brown in the final half minute, but
the Eagles rolled to the 61-55 victory and their first win in
conference play.
Leer led the Eagles with 16 points and added nine rebounds and
three blocks. Pam Stanfield
scored a season-best 13 points and added six boards and five
assists, while Jackson scored six points while pulling down a
game-best 11 rebounds. Brown led all scorers with 23 points and
dished out six assists. Wrightson finished with 10 points off the
bench for Bucknell.
American will return to action on Saturday when the host Colgate
at 2 p.m. in Bender Arena in Patriot League action.
