The American University women's basketball team continued its win streak over conference opponents in the regular season, using a 14-0 run at the start of the second half to down Lehigh, 62-56, on Wednesday night in Bethlehem, Pa.

Alexis Dobbs led four double-digit scorers for the Eagles with 13 points and Ti'Asia McGeorge added 12, going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Sarah Kiely posted a team-best seven rebounds, with four offensive boards, and Dobbs and Arron Zimmerman added six apiece as the team held a 38-35 edge in boards. Jen Dumiak dished out a team-high five assists while Dobbs also contributed three steals. 

"I thought we got really good looks in the second half," said Head Coach Matt Corkery. "I really felt like we kind of took what was available and we played to our strengths a little bit better…Our defensive energy really picked up in the second half and we were really able to get a lot out of our pressure and our press. I think we had a much more aggressive mentality and a lot more aggressive mindset."

American (9-7, 2-0) jumped out to a 7-2 lead before Kerry Kinek answered with five straight points to knot it with 14:25 remaining. The game continued to go back-and-forth, with the Eagles taking the lead after Dumiak took advantage of a Lehigh miscue on the inbound and laid it in for a 15-14 advantage with 4:34 left in the first half. The Mountain Hawks took a 19-15 lead but a pair of free throws from Geleisa George and a McGeorge triple put American back on top, 20-19. Lehigh closed out the half with six straight points to take a 25-20 lead into the intermission.

American held the slight advantage in field goal percentage in the first half, shooting 30.8 percent from the floor compared to 30.0 percent shooting for the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh shot 36.4 percent from beyond the arc, while the Eagles went 2-of-6 from three-point range. 

The Eagles came out of the break with a 14-0 run, forcing four Lehigh turnovers and posting five offensive boards during the streak as they held Lehigh scoreless for the first seven minutes of the half. A pair of free throws from Kinek ended the Mountain Hawks's scoreless drought but Shaquilla Curtis laid it in after the dish from Kiely to keep the Eagles up by nine, 36-27, with 13:14 to play.

Lehigh (9-8, 1-1) cut it to a three-point game twice before the Eagles registered nine straight points for its largest lead of the game, 51-38, capped off by a McGeorge trey after Curtis came up with her own rebound on a miss from the foul line. The Mountain Hawks went on a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 53-50  with 3:52 remaining, but American responded with five straight points to maintain its eight-point cushion. Becky Guman drove it in to put the score at 58-52 with 1:43 to play. The Eagles were able to hold off a comeback attempt in the final minute on its way to a 62-56 victory. 

Kinek led all scorers with 19 points, adding a game-high nine rebounds for the Mountain Hawks. American outshot Lehigh 40.4 to 35.7 percent from the floor and 41.7 to 25.0 percent from three-point range for the game.

American returns to Bender Arena in a rematch of last year's Patriot League Semifinal when it hosts Holy Cross on Saturday, January 19 at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Patriot League All*Access.