Four Eagles scored in double figures as the American University women's basketball team held off George Mason for a 55-51 victory Friday night in Fairfax, Va., in the season opener.

Preseason All-Patriot League selection Lisa Strack led the way for American (1-0) with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, good for the senior's first-career double-double. Sophomore Ti'Asia McGeorge registered a team-high 13 points in her first collegiate start, which included 3-of-6 from beyond-the-arc.

Stephanie Anya and Sarah Kiely also chipped in 10 points apiece for AU. Anya collected five rebounds and set a new career-best with five blocked shots while Kiely also grabbed six boards off the bench.

The Eagles held as much as a seven-point lead in the first half before taking a 24-20 advantage into halftime. The contest remained tight through the early stages of the second half with George Mason (0-1) taking its only lead of the game, 31-29, with 12:48 to play. 

American responded with a 9-0 run to open up a 38-31 margin midway through the stanza, which included five points from McGeorge. AU eventually extended its lead to 11, 48-37, on a pair of Anya free throws with 5:21 remaining.

But the Patriots refused to go away quietly, rolling off a 10-1 spurt over a two-minute stretch to tie the score at 51-51 with 46 seconds remaining.

After an AU timeout, the Eagles worked down the shot clock before Alexis Dobbs converted a layup to give American the lead once again. The Patriots came down the other way and Taleia Moton's potential game-winning three was off the mark. Strack eventually collected the defensive rebound for AU and knocked down a pair of free throws on the other end of the court to set the final margin at 55-51.

The Eagles will be back in action this Sunday, November 13 against James Madison in the home opener. Tip-time from Bender Arena is set for 2 p.m. Tickets are available by clicking here and for fans that cannot make it to Bender Arena, the game will be carried live on Eagles Vision TV.