Patriot League Tournament First Round · American (12-16, 8-10 PL) vs. Navy (7-22, 2-16 PL)
Saturday, March 7 · 2 p.m. · Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
All-Time Record: American leads, 35-23
WASHINGTON - For the third time in as many weeks, the American University women's basketball team will face the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday as the Eagles bring in the Mids for the Patriot League Tournament First Round at 2 p.m. in Bender Arena.
GROUNDHOG DAY
- The Eagles first faced the Mids in Annapolis on February 19, coming away with a 48-40 victory to take a 34-23 lead in the series that dates back to 1978.
- American completed the sweep earlier this week, closing the regular season with a decisive 57-42 win over Navy at home in Bender Arena on Wednesday.
ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE
- Three Eagles were selected to All-Patriot League by the conference's head coaches on Friday - sophomore Jade Edwards (2nd Team), senior Kaitlyn Marenyi (3rd Team), and junior Indeya Sanders (All-Defensive Team).
- Boston University led with four selections, followed by AU, Bucknell, and Colgate with three each.
- This is the seventh time in program history that the Eagles have put three players on the All-League teams, and the third consecutive season.
#AUWBB vs. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
- American is 22-16 in the Patriot League Tournament since joining the league in the 2001-02 season.
- The Eagles have only had to play in the First Round once - during the 2015-16 season where they outpaced No. 10 Boston University, 61-53, before falling to No. 2 Bucknell, 75-65, in the quarterfinal.
LAST TIME OUT
- 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).
#AUWBB vs. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
- American holds a 248-130 overall record (.656) against Patriot League teams, and is 199-99 (.668) since joining the league in 2001-02.
- The Eagles have been one of the powerhouses in the Patriot League over the last two seasons, accumulating a record of 43-14 during the regular season.
- Before this year, only Bucknell (3) and Navy have beat out American during the regular season since 2016-17.
- Holy Cross is the only team in the conference that holds an advantage over AU with a series record of 24-19.
- Navy, Holy Cross, and Bucknell are the only three teams that own winning records on their respective home courts, while AU holds a home win record against all nine PL foes.
KEYS TO VICTORY
| WINS |
LOSSES |
| Edwards |
15.5 |
14.4 |
| Marenyi |
14.3 |
12.5 |
| Sanders |
9.4 |
5.8 |
- The Eagles average a +2.5 turnover margin in victories vs. -1.1 in losses.
- American is also 8-2 in games where the team leads at halftime with only Towson and Colgate (1/25) pulling off the second half comeback after trailing by four and one at the half, respectively.
- The Eagles are 2-14 in games where they shot worse than their opponent, and 2-9 in games where their opponent shot +35.0 percent from three.
- Towson is also the only team to come out on top despite shooting worse than AU (.407 vs. .375).
- Lehigh and Boston U. are the only two teams to fall to American despite holding a higher FG%.
SCOUTING THE MIDSHIPMEN
- Navy's 57-42 loss to the Eagles on Wednesday was the latest in a 10-game skid that closed its regular season. The Mids' only two Patriot League wins came against Army (1/25), 57-45, and Boston University (1/22), 46-41.
- Mary Kate Ulasewicz led the Mids against the Eagles with 15 points while Sophie Gatzounas and Morgan Taylor each pulled down a game-high 11 boards.
- Navy shot only 26.7 percent in the first quarter on Wednesday, and 10 percent in the final stanza closing with only one field goal in the final 10 minutes.
- Ulasewicz surpassed Jennifer Coleman, who sat out the majority of the PL season before returning against AU on 2/19 only to sit out again on Wednesday, as the leading scorer with 10.3 ppg. Coleman is close behind with 10.1 ppg. Ulasewicz also leads the team with 3.1 apg.
- Morgan Taylor and Sophie Gatzounas have shared responsibilities on the boards with 5.2 rpg.
- The Eagles are 35-23 against the Midshipmen in a series that dates back to 1978 (W, 75-53).
- In the postseason, AU is 5-2 against Navy, including three semifinal wins, one quarterfinal win, and the historic 2017-18 PL Championship victory. This is the first time the two teams have met in the First Round.
NEXT UP...
The winner of Saturday's game will advance into the quarterfinal round and face No. 2 Boston University in Bean Town at 8 p.m. on Monday.
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).
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.
