BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Holding off a late rally by the home team, the American University women's basketball team earned a 59-55 victory over Lehigh on Saturday afternoon at Stabler Arena.

With the win, the Eagles improved to 4-11 overall and 2-2 in the Patriot League, while the Mountain Hawks dropped to 9-6 overall and 2-2 in the league.

Junior forward Lauren Crisler finished with 18 points and nine rebounds to lead American, while sophomore Maria Liddane added 11 points and six assists. Also scoring in double figures for the Eagles was freshman Cecily Carl, who recorded 10 points and nine assists.

For the Mountain Hawks, Lexi Martins registered 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Kerry Kinek added 14 points.

After a three-pointer by freshman Elina Koskimies with 6:57 remaining in the fourth period gave American a 52-36 advantage, its largest lead of the game, Lehigh came battling back. Led by Martins, the Mountain Hawks were able to cut AU's lead to 57-55 with just 14 seconds left on the clock, but Liddane sank a pair of free throws to ice the Eagles' win.

"I'm glad we were able to get the ball in the right people's hands at the end of the game, especially Maria hitting the two free throws, because she's a good free throw shooter," said American head coach Megan Gebbia.

"I thought Maria was invaluable today with what she did—11 points, six assists. She controlled the flow and found her teammates. I'm just really proud of her."

The Eagles played strong defense in the opening period, limiting the Mountain Hawks to just two field goals, both from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, American shot 44 percent from the field, taking an 18-11 lead at the end of the period with a buzzer beater by Liddane from beyond half court.

American extended its advantage to 12 points in the second period before heading into the locker room with a 27-19 lead. After the intermission, Lehigh went on a 6-0 run to cut the margin to two points, but were never able to pull ahead, as the Eagles went into the final stanza with a 42-36 lead. 

For the game, American shot over 44 percent from the field, including 52 percent in the second half. The Eagles also had a 40-32 rebounding advantage over Lehigh, the top rebounding team in the league.

"I'm so proud of how we rebounded today," said Gebbia. "That was one of my biggest concerns today, because they're a great rebounding team. I felt like we controlled the tempo the entire game."

The Eagles are back on the road on Wednesday, Jan. 13, when they face Boston University at 7 p.m.