WASHINGTON - The American University women's basketball team (12-16, 8-10 PL) surged to a second half victory over Navy (7-22, 2-16 PL) to close out the 2019-20 regular season slate, 57-42.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Senior Kaitlyn Marenyi led the team with 13 points, 12 of which came from long range after she closed shooting 4-for-9 from the perimeter.
• Sophomore Emily Fisher continues to step up big for the team heading into tournament play with 12 points off 4 of 5 from the floor and 4 of 7 from the charity stripe. For the second consecutive game she led the team on the boards with six rebounds and pitched in a game-high six assists. Fisher was one of four Eagles to close the game without a single miscue along with senior Morgan Bartner, junior Indeya Sanders, and freshman Lauren Stack.
• Sanders also added five rebounds and five assists in her 32 minutes of play.
• Sophomore Taylor Brown also put up a good performance, earning a pair of blocks alongside her eight points, two steals, and three rebounds.
• Nine Eagles contributed to the final point tally as the team shot 38 percent (19-50) from the floor, 40.9 percent (9-22) from three, and 62.5 percent (10-16) from the line.
• The Mids put only one player in double-figures with Mary Kate Ulasewicz (15 points). Morgan Taylor and Sophie Gatzounas brought down a game-high 11 rebounds each.
• Navy closed shooting 30.4 percent (14-46) from the field, 28.6 percent (4-14) from three, and 66.7 percent (10-15) from the charity stripe.
• The Mids led on the boards, 42-27, and put up 11 second chance points to 4 from AU. But the Eagles led in every other category, hitting 15 points off Navy's 18 turnovers, 20 points in the paint, 11 points off fast breaks, and 23 points off the bench.
• It was a slow start offensively for both teams. Edwards got AU on the board early with a layup in the first possession, but the score remained 2-0 over the next 2:30 until the Mids put up their first points of the night. By the media timeout, AU edged back ahead after the first of four treys from Marenyi.
• The Eagles continued to widen the gap over the final four minutes of the stanza after back-to-back buckets from Bartner sent AU on a 12-8 closing run to end the quarter at 17-12.
• American struggled to maintain that momentum over the next 10 minutes, though, as they went nearly eight minutes without a field goal while Navy picked up a two-point lead at 20-18.
• A three from sophomore Maddie Doring ended the drought and put the Eagles back ahead for the final time in the half. A quick five points gave Navy a four-point lead before a three from Brown cut that lead back down to one at 25-24 heading into the locker room.
• The Mids continued their run in the opening minutes of the second half with a 9-2 run to take their largest lead of the game at 34-26. Coming out of the media timeout, though, it was all AU as the Eagles went on a 15-2 tear behind the efforts of Fisher, who injected some much-needed energy and momentum in the final five minutes of the quarter and hit nine of her 12 points in the process.
• The pacing slowed back down in the fourth quarter, with the two teams combining for only five points in the opening six minutes. The Eagles closed with an 8-2 run behind treys from Edwards and Marenyi, and a final layup from Fisher, to end the game at 57-42 - the largest margin of victory for the team since Loyola Maryland on Jan. 22 (63-44).

UP NEXT
The Eagles and Midshipmen will face each other once more with seven-seed AU hosting 10-seed Navy in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.

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





WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND TICKET INFORMATION 
Ticket prices for the First Round game, set by the Patriot League, are $8 for adults and $4 for seniors (65+) and youth (under 13).

• Rates for groups with 10+ are $3 per person and must be purchased in advance through the box office.  AU students with valid AU ID will be admitted free of charge.
• Tickets are now on sale via AUeagles.com/Tickets. Fans can also visit the Athletics Ticket Office in person, or call (202) 885-TIXX (8499) Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to secure their seats.