WASHINGTON – Junior Michelle Holmes scored a career-high 23 points to lead the American University women's basketball team to a 63-44 win over Lafayette on Saturday afternoon at Bender Arena.

With the win, the Eagles improved to 11-6 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the Patriot League, while the Leopards fell to 10-7 overall and 3-3 in the conference.

Holmes added seven rebounds to her game-high scoring output, while senior Jen Dumiak had a balanced effort on the court, finishing with eight points, eight rebounds and a career-high 13 assists.

American used a 13-3 run in the first half to push its lead to double figures and headed into the locker room with a 32-19 advantage. The Eagles led by as many as 25 points midway through the second half as they cruised to their sixth Patriot League victory of the season.

AU dominated on the boards, holding a 37-26 rebounding edge, and shot nearly 44 percent from long range, knocking down seven three-pointers.

"I just had to make sure I asserted myself early in the game," said Holmes. "A lot of times, I do okay in the first half and then come alive in the second half, so I had to make sure I played a full two halves today.

"I think we played really good post defense and had good ball pressure. As a team we took away their best player."

Emily Homan was the lone player to score in double figures for the Leopards, finishing with 15 points.

The Eagles are back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 21, as they host Boston University at 7 p.m.