Lisa Strack led the American University women's basketball team with 18 points, seven assists, and six steals as the Eagles defeated Lafayette, 80-54, Saturday afternoon in Bender Arena to remain unbeaten through the first half of Patriot League play.

The 26-point win for American (15-6, 7-0 PL) was an all-around team effort as the Eagles recorded a season-high 19 steals while forcing 32 Lafayette turnovers. On the offensive end, AU dished out a season-best 22 assists while committing a season-low five turnovers.

"I think our confidence is continuing to grow and develop," remarked Head Coach Matt Corkery. "It starts with our guards and those guys making good decisions, which they did today. What doesn't show up on the stat sheet is our posts battling on the defensive end of floor every possession to try to take away the strength of Lafayette's game which is their post players. I thought we did a good job of that today."

Strack led the way with her game-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. She was 5-of-5 from the field in the opening 8:20 of the game as AU raced out to an 18-8 advantage and led by double digits for nearly the remainder of the contest. Her seven assists were a season-high and one shy of her personal-best while her six steals matched a career-high. She also added three rebounds and committed zero turnovers.

"As a coach, it is a dream. To have a player like Lisa with her talent and ability, and it is never about her. It is always about the team," added Corkery. "Lisa didn't need many shots tonight to get 18 and she didn't turn it over once along with seven assists. And then she threw in six steals for good measure, which is a heck of a defensive game."

Alexis Dobbs added 16 points for American on 7-of-10 shooting while contributing four assists and four steals. Sarah Kiely was also in double figures with 13 points while Tori Halvorsen scored a career-high 12 on 6-of-8 shooting. Additionally, Jen Dumiak tallied a career-high nine assists off the bench.

Following Strack's hot start, the Eagles continued to distance themselves from Lafayette (8-14, 2-5 PL) with a 14-2 run to open up a 40-22 advantage at the 2:22 mark of the first half. AU held a 41-24 halftime lead and refused to let up with a 17-7 start to the second 20 minutes of play. American's margin reached as high as 32 at two different points in the final few minutes before settling for the 26-point victory.

American completes the first half of Patriot League play with a perfect 7-0 mark for the second time in the last three seasons. The Eagles are shooting for their third straight regular season title and fourth in the last five years.

AU will have the next week off before resuming conference action next Saturday, February 4. The Eagles will host Colgate at 2 p.m., and following the game, all children in attendance are invited to participate in the free National Girls and Women in Sports Day clinic.