WASHINGTON - The lead switched hands seven times throughout the game, but the American University women's basketball team (11-15, 7-9 PL) couldn't close in the fourth and fell to Lafayette (14-12, 10-6 PL), 55-48, in Easton, Pa.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Sophomore Jade Edwards took control of the Eagles offense, putting up her ninth 20+ point game of the season with 22 off 8 of 18 from the field, 3 of 6 from three, and 3 of 5 from the line.
• Senior Morgan Bartner was the next scorer for the Eagles with nine while junior Indeya Sanders led on the boards with seven rebounds.
• The Eagles struggled from the floor, shooting only 29.6 percent (16-54) while Lafayette hit 36.5 percent (19-52). Both teams closed shooting 25 percent from the perimeter.
• Nicole Johnson led the Leopards with 16 points while Natalie Kucowski came away with the night's only double-double, scoring 13 points alongside her 16 rebounds. 
• Lafayette led AU on the boards, 40-35.
• The Leopards scored 13 points off AU's 14 miscues and held the advantage in second chance points, 8-3, points in the paint, 22-16, and fast break points, 10-9.
• The Eagles led for much of the first quarter, with the Leopards tying the game three times before taking a 13-11 lead after a 7-0 run erased AU's five point lead with just under a minute left in the stanza. 
• Johnson added another layup to give Lafayette a four-point lead before a pair of free throws from sophomore Taylor Brown brought AU back within two at 15-13 heading into the first break.
• A quick three from Kucowski jump started the second quarter, and another two points from Naomi Ganpo gave Lafayette a seven-point advantage before a trey from Edwards got AU rolling.
• A 6-0 run from Edwards and Bartner put AU back ahead by two with 3:34 left in the half, and another pair of free throws from Brown maintained that lead after Lafayette drew even at 22-22. But another late run from the Leopards put them back in the lead heading into the locker room, 26-24.
• The lead changed hands four times in the first three minutes of the third quarter before a 7-0 Lafayette run widened the gap back to six at 35-29. Once again, Edwards stepped up to end the AU drought, bringing the Eagles back within one.
• Lafayette briefly picked up another three-point, but a clutch three-point play from Brown, who was fouled on a layup with 2:20 left in the stanza, tied the game at 37-37.
• The Eagles couldn't get the defensive stops they needed, though, as Lafayette hit four unanswered before a late trey from sophomore Laura Graytok cut the advantage back down tto one heading into the final ten minutes.
• American tied the game one final time at 42-42 with 8:48 remaining, but couldn't keep pace with Lafayette as the Leopards hit a 13-2 run over the next eight minutes to take tthe largest lead of the game at 55-44. 
• Edwards and senior Kaitlyn Marenyi hit the final two baskets of the game to narrow the gap back down to single-digits and close with the final seven-point deficit, 55-48.

NEXT UP...
American will return home on Saturday to host Holy Cross at 2 p.m. The game will double as the team's Seniro Day celebration, with the Eagles honoring seniors Kaitlyn Marenyi and Morgan Bartner. AU will close the 2019-20 regular season slate on Wednesday, March 4, with a 7 p.m. tip against Navy.

For the latest on American University Women's Basketball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_WBasketball) and Instagram (@auwbasketball).