The American University women's basketball team rode the hot hand of Liz Leer and ended the game on a 19-7 run to claim a 64-51 victory at two-time defending conference champion Lehigh Saturday night in Bethlehem, Pa. The win snapped Lehigh's 18-game home winning streak against Patriot League competition -- which dated back to the 2007-08 season -- and extended AU's winning streak to nine games.

Leer led the way with a season-high 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor, along with seven rebounds, three blocked shots and three assists. She was 3-of-4 from three-point range and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. The 25 points were two shy of her career-best, which she set last season in a win over Colgate. She also moved into eighth in program history with 1,168 career points, passing Darsi Smith, who recorded 1,164 points at AU from 1980-84.

Nicole Ryan also scored in double figures for American (11-4, 1-0 PL) with 11 points. She was 3-of-5 from beyond-the-arc. On the glass, Stephanie Anya registered a career-best 13 rebounds.

"It's nice because we know that we can go on the road and play well against a really good Lehigh team," remarked Head Coach Matt Corkery. "I thought several of our kids really stepped up in the second half and made plays when they had to. It's a great start [to the Patriot League season] and a win that we can gain confidence from as we move forward in conference play."

After a tight first half that ended knotted at 32, the Eagles took control of the game with a 8-0 run early in the second period. After a pair of Ebony Edwards free throws, Alexis Dobbs recorded a steal and layup and was followed by buckets by Leer and Anya to give AU a 40-34 lead.

But the Mountain Hawks fought back with a 10-5 run to cut AU's lead to one, 45-44, at the 10:57 mark. Lehigh appeared to have the momentum working in its favor before Leer -- just as she seemed to do all game -- came up with a big bucket to get American back on track. Ryan then followed with a pull-up jumper and Geleisa George's strong drive extended American's lead to seven, 51-44, with 7:13 to go.

After a Lehigh turnover, Ryan hit a back-breaking three with the shot clock winding down to give AU its first double-digit advantage of the game. Lisa Strack would add a free throw moments later, capping a 10-0 American run that ultimately seized control of the game and pushed the Eagles' margin to 11, 55-44, with 5:41 remaining.

The Mountain Hawks, however, scored the game's next five points to trim AU's advantage to six before Leer knocked down a key baseline jumper. Leer then followed with a three from straight-away, extending the Eagles' lead back to 11, 60-49, with 2:18 to play. Lehigh was unable to threaten in the final two minutes and the Eagles came away with the 64-51 victory.

The Eagles were able to pull away in the second half thanks to 50 percent shooting in the period. For the game, AU shot 46.9 percent and an even 50 percent (6-12) from beyond-the-arc. American also outrebounded the Mountain Hawks -- which came into the contest riding a nine-game winning streak -- by a 25-14 margin in the final 20 minutes.

AU held Lehigh to a 28.6 percent clip from the field, including only 21.4 percent in the second half. Courtney Dentler led the Mountain Hawks with a team-best 11 points while Kristen Dalton and Erica Prosser each had 10.

The victory extended American's win streak to nine games, topping a pair of eight-game spurts last season. AU's nine wins in a row are the most since an 11-game run during the 2007-08 season. Additionally, the victory snaps Lehigh's lengthy win streak in Stabler Arena against Patriot League opponents. The Mountain Hawks' last loss against a conference foe came on February 23, 2008 against Lafayette.

The Eagles will return to action on Wednesday, January 12 when they return to Pennsylvania to take on Bucknell in a Patriot League contest. Tip time from Lewisburg is slated for 7 p.m.