The American University women's basketball team played Texas Tech nearly even in the second period, but its first-half deficit was too much to overcome in a 63-37 loss Saturday afternoon at United Spirit Arena in Lubbock, Texas.

After trailing 36-11 at halftime, American (2-4) was outscored by a slim 27-26 margin over the final 20 minutes. AU's strong play in the second half included an 8-0 run midway through the period, which began on a Liz Leer putback layup off a rebound in traffic. Lisa Strack followed with a free throw, and continued the string with a three on a kickout pass from Ebony Edwards. Strack finished the spurt with a steal in the open floor and fast break layup, which cut the deficit to 47-24 in favor of Texas Tech (6-0) at the 9:14 mark.

The Eagles trimmed Texas Tech's lead to as little as 21 -- 51-30 with 7:21 to play in the second half -- on an Alexis Dobbs runner, but that is as close as AU would get. The Red Raiders scored the game's next eight points from that point en route to the comfortable 61-36 victory.

For the game, Texas Tech shot 50.9 percent from the floor, including 3-7 (42.9 percent) from beyond-the-arc. The Red Raiders shot an impressive 60.0 percent clip in the first half, which helped them jump out to a 21-2 lead over AU to take control of the game in the early stages.

In the second half, American shot 44.0 percent from the floor to raise its overall shooting percentage to 35.7 percent for the game. The Eagles were 3-8 (37.5 percent) from deep over the 40 minutes.

Dobbs knocked down two of American's three trifectas, as the freshman paced the Eagles with 10 points on 4-10 shooting from the floor. She also grabbed four rebounds from the guard position.

Stephanie Anya was productive inside for the Eagles, registering four points on 2-3 shooting along with six rebounds. She also registered a career-best three blocked shots. Additionally, Edwards snatched a game-high four steals for American on the perimeter. 

Texas Tech was led by Teena Wickett, who scored a game-high 13 points on 6-7 from the field. Kierra Mallard and Casey Morris were each in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Red Raiders.

The Red Raiders controlled the glass, holding a 38-18 rebounding advantage over American. Texas Tech also outscored AU 38-22 in the paint.

"It was very tough sledding for us on offense in the first half," commented Head Coach Matt Corkery. "Tech's length and defensive pressure were big factors. We need to improve on the little things that lead to good offensive execution. On a positive note, we were proud of the second half we played and hope to use that momentum to carry us into tomorrow's game versus Charleston Southern."

The Eagles will conclude the World Vision Classic on Sunday afternoon when they face Charleston Southern. Tip time from Lubbock's United Spirit Arena is slated for 12 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET).