Lisa Strack knocked down a pair of free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining to give the American University women's basketball team an exciting 40-39 victory over Army Saturday afternoon in West Point, N.Y. The win pushes the Eagles to a perfect 5-0 in Patriot League play as they improve to 8-1 in games played away from Bender Arena.

In what was a tight contest throughout that featured 11 ties and eight lead changes, Army (9-11, 3-2 PL) knocked down back-to-back buckets to take a 39-38 lead at the 3:18 mark. American (13-6, 5-0 PL) had two possessions in the final two minutes with chances to take the lead but came up empty after a missed Jen Dumiak jumper and a transition turnover.

Still leading 39-38 with 40 seconds remaining, Army had the basketball but AU's full-court pressure slowed down the Black Knights' attack. The Eagles forced Army into a rushed three-point attempt at the end of the shot clock and Alexis Dobbs grabbed the rebound at the 10-second mark. Head Coach Matt Corkery chose to let the Eagles play it out as Dobbs pushed the ball into the frontcourt as the clock winded down. Dobbs found a streaking Strack on the right side in transition and she was fouled as she went up for the potential game-winner with 0.9 seconds on the clock. Strack calmly knocked down the first foul shot and after an Army timeout, she also hit the second to propel the Eagles back into the lead. After a timeout by each side, Army's last-second, full-court pass was deflected by Strack and the Eagles escaped with the victory.

"We showed great persistence and determination in today's game and it was a big day for the growth and maturity of our team," remarked Corkery. "Army is an excellent squad and I was proud of the way we stuck together and made big plays down the stretch. We had to play every last tick of the clock to get the win."

Strack led the way for American with 12 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, all of which were team-bests. Geleisa George had a productive 16 minutes off the AU bench, tallying seven points, four boards, and two steals.

The Eagles overcame its three-point shooting as they knocked down only 2-of-16 in the game. American was 0-of-7 from deep in the first half but still led 22-18 at intermission. In the second half, AU took a 26-20 advantage on back-to-back George buckets, but Army responded with a 10-0 run to open up a 30-26 lead.

With the momentum on Army's side, a key Dumiak runner silenced the spurt and a Sarah Kiely jumper tied the game at 30. Dobbs then hit a three-pointer for the Eagles, their first make in 13 attempts from deep, capping a 7-0 AU run to take a 33-30 advantage with 8:44 to go. The action went back-and-forth over the final minutes of the game until a Ti'Asia McGeorge three gave the Eagles a 38-35 lead at the 5:57 mark, setting up the dramatic final few minutes.

AU earned the victory despite shooting only 30.4 percent from the field. The Eagles committed only 10 turnovers while forcing nine steals. Each side grabbed 33 rebounds.

American will return to Bender Arena for its next three games, beginning this Wednesday, January 25 at 7 p.m. against Bucknell. AU will then host Lafayette and Colgate the next two Saturdays before returning to the road. Tickets for all remaining home games can be purchased on AUeagles.com by clicking here.