The American University women's basketball team held as much as a 16-point second half lead, but had to hang on down the stretch to earn the 72-68 victory over an aggressive East Carolina squad Friday night at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, N.C. Michelle Kirk led the Eagles with 21 points in the season opener for both teams, which included a new school-record 16 made free throws for the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year.

After holding a four-point halftime advantage, American (1-0) used a 13-0 run early in the second half to distance itself from East Carolina (0-1). With AU leading 36-33 at the 17:10 mark, the run began with a Liz Leer bucket off a feed from Lisa Strack against heavy ECU pressure. The Eagles proceeded to knock down five free throws, and then Strack three-point play extended American's advantage to 46-33, forcing the Pirates into a timeout. Following the break, AU kept pushing forward, as a Kirk three with the shot clock winding down gave the Eagles a 49-33 lead at the 13:25 mark.

American would hold a 16-point advantage once more -- 56-40 with 9:21 to go -- following a Leer three-pointer.

But behind heavy defensive pressure and a strong home crowd, the Pirates fought back in the game to get back within single-digits, 59-52, with 6:08 remaining. The Eagles maintained an advantage between five and eight for the next five minutes until a Chareya Smith jumper with 1:08 to play trimmed AU's lead to three, 67-64.

After a timeout, Kirk proceeded to hit two free throws with 41 seconds remaining to extend the advantage back to five. But East Carolina raced back down the floor and, seven seconds later, Ashley Clarke put in a layup and drew a foul. She missed the free throw, but the Pirates controlled the rebound and at the 24-second mark, ECU's Smith trimmed AU's lead to one, 69-68.

American quickly inbounded the ball and was able to beat the ECU full court pressure and run 17 seconds off the clock before Kirk was fouled again. She calmly hit both free throws to give AU the 71-68 advantage. After a timeout, the Pirates' long pass for a potential game-tying opportunity was intercepted by Ebony Edwards, who was fouled and knocked down one free throw to ice the game and give the Eagles a 72-68 victory.

Kirk, the Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year, scored a game-high 21 points. She was 16-18 from the free-throw line, as her 16 makes set a new AU women's basketball record, breaking Mary Klima's previous mark of 15 set on January 5, 1997 against Pacific. Kirk also added eight rebounds and three steals.

Additionally, Kirk's 21-point effort moved into sixth place all-time in AU history with 1,189 points. She passed Jody Thorton, who scored 1,176 points in her career from 1983-87.

Leer, a 2010 All-PL First Team pick, recorded 15 points and a game-best 13 rebounds, while Strack added 15 as well. Freshman Alexis Dobbs registered nine points in her collegiate debut, including 6-7 from the foul line.

The Pirates were led by Clarke's 18 points, which came on 7-10 shooting. Kim Gay added 11 for East Carolina, which finished with a 23-11 record last season and returned all five starters from a squad that reached the second round of the WNIT. The Pirates had won 24 of their previous 28 home games prior to Friday's loss to American.

The difference in the game proved to be foul shooting, as the Eagles took advantage of ECU's aggressive, full-court defensive pressure to earn 43 free throw attempts. AU converted 34 of those chances for 79.1 percent compared to only 64.0 percent for the Pirates (16-25). For American, the 34 made free throws is the second most in a single-game in program history.

Additionally, three-point shooting and rebounding were key factors to American's success. AU shot 42.9 percent from deep (6-14) while the Pirates only managed a 2-15 clip (13.3 percent). Additionally, on the boards, American held a 42-32 advantage.

"It's a gutsy performance to be able to go on the road and get a hard-fought victory over a quality team," remarked Head Coach Matt Corkery. "We overcame our turnovers by rebounding and defending well, and knocking down free throws. In the end, it was a great way to start the season and it's a game we can improve upon moving forward."

The Eagles will continue their North Carolina road swing when they visit High Point on Sunday, November 14. Tip-time from High Point, N.C., is scheduled for 5 p.m.