ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The American University women's basketball team clawed back late, but fell just short of picking up its second win of the season on Sunday with a 70-67 loss to Navy. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Eagles opened the weekend with a 61-52 win over the Midshipmen on Saturday before making their first quick turnaround of the season, returning to Annapolis for the game on Sunday. AU opened the 2021 slate last weekend with a Saturday-Monday series at Lehigh.
• Junior Jade Edwards led the way for the fourth consecutive game, playing all 40 minutes and hitting 25 points for her second-highest career output after her 31-point performance at Lehigh on January 11.
• Classmate Taylor Brown came away with another career-high performance, scoring a dozen after earning her first career double-double during Saturday's win (10 points, 10 rebounds). She added three rebounds in her 38 minutes.
• In her first career start, freshman Ivy Bales pitched in seven points and added a career-high six rebounds. She also added a pair of blocks in her 26 minutes.
• The highlight of the day, though, was freshman Emily Johns, who injected some much-needed energy off the bench during the second half. She closed with a career-high 10 points, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, and added three rebounds and an assist while failing to give up a single turnover.
• Kolbi Green paced the Midshipmen with 25 points, followed by Jennifer Coleman's 17. Sophie Gatzounas, who entered the weekend averaging 18.5 ppg but sat out Saturday's game, was held to only nine points but led Navy on the boards with eight rebounds.
• The two teams were evenly matched from the floor, with American hitting 24 of 48 (.500), including 4-for-14 from three, while the Mids shot 24-for-63 (.381) overall and 4-for-16 (.250) from beyond the arc. The Eagles struggled from the paint early, though. After averaging 34 points in the paint in the first three games, American was held to only 12 in the first half before turning it on for 24 in the final 20 minutes.
• The free throw line haunted the Eagles, with Navy holding a three-point advantage at 18-for-24 (.750) while AU shot only 15-for-22 (.682).
• But the big difference maker in the game proved to be turnovers, as the Eagles struggled against Navy's high-tempo defense. American gave up 24 miscues - the most for the team since the loss to Ohio on Dec. 29, 2018 - while Navy only lost the ball 14 times. The Mids capitalized off the Eagles' errors, scoring 23 points off turnovers while AU picked up 19.
• Although AU outpaced Navy on the boards, 37-35, the Eagles were held to only eight offensive rebounds while the Mids brought down 14. Navy struggled to convert, though, scoring only eight second chance points while AU picked up nine.
• American's 67 points is the highest output for the Eagles in Alumni Hall since March 3, 2007, when AU bested Navy, 68-55, during the Patriot League Quarterfinals. 
• First Quarter ... The Eagles got off to a good start, picking up on the momentum from Saturday night's win over the Mids. Brown picked up the first points of the day with a made three. A block from Bales on the other end sent the Eagles back on transition, where the freshman added another trey to pull AU ahead 6-0 within the first 90 second and force a Navy timeout. The Mids were quick to respond out of the huddle with five unanswered points from Coleman and Ciera Hertelendy. American held on to its lead though, with a pair of free throws from sophomore Lauren Stack and a layup from Brown after Green gave up Navy's second turnover of the game. Navy tied the game three times throughout the quarter, but a late free throw from sophomore Karla Vres maintained a one-point advantage for AU, 17-16.
• Second Quarter ... Navy flipped the script in the second quarter, hitting a couple of early baskets to take their first lead of the game at 20-17. A jumper from Edwards broke up the run, but the Mids responded with six unanswered to build a seven-point lead at 26-19 to force an AU timeout. Each team put up a pair of scoreless possessions coming out of the huddle before Edwards was able to get American back on the board, drawing the foul on a made layup for three points. Shooting woes continued for the rest of the half, with only AU's Kayla Henning and Navy's Gatzounas picking up field goals in the final five minutes of the stanza. A pair of free throws from Edwards, though, closed the gap as AU went into the locker room trailing Navy by three, 29-26.
• Third Quarter ... American's drought continued after the break as Navy widened the gap with a 9-2 run in the first three minutes, broken up by a Bales' jumper. Momentum shifted with just under seven minutes remaining in the stanza, though, as Johns subbed into the game and immediately injected energy on both ends of the floor for the Eagles. With American trailing by 10, Johns picked up her first points with a layup before drawing the charge on the other end, sending AU on offense where Sanders sank a clutch three to cut the Mids' lead down to five. AU continued to chip away at the margin over the next minute, landing back within one after a Edwards picked up the fast break layup off a steal on the other end. The two teams battled throughout the final five minutes of the stanza, with Navy widening its lead back to six before a 9-4 AU run, including four more points from Johns, brought it back to a one-point game. By the end of the quarter, Navy maintained its slight lead, 49-51.
• Fourth Quarter ... Once again, AU struggled to get going in the early minutes of the quarter as Navy retook a nine-point advantage by the 7:49 mark, including a 7-0 solo run from Green. A pair of field goals from Johns, and two free throws from Edwards, broke up the run, but the Mids continued to expand their lead throughout the quarter, capitalizing off eight AU turnovers to pick up the largest lead of the game with just under three minutes remaining, 65-53. Johns responded with her fifth and final field goal of the game, sending the Eagles on a closing 14-5 run, including nine points from Edwards (6) and Brown (3) during a flurry of possessions in the final minute. But it was too little too late, as the Mids managed to hold on to the 70-67 final.

HEAR FROM COACH GEBBIA...
"The difference in the game obviously was the points they scored off our turnovers. And not having Emily Fisher out there obviously hurts us as our starting point guard. But it was nice to see that we could still score even though we turned the ball over - I think that's the most we've scored at Navy since I've been at American, so that's good that we can still get that even though we didn't get as many opportunities. Imagine if we did and still shot 50 percent from the field. And it was good that we still had three people in double-digits. We just have got to figure out how to take care of the ball as we head into next weekend at Loyola, because that's what they're known for. We have to do a better job.

It was nice to see Taylor Brown have back-to-back double-digit games, because she needs to be consistent for us to move forward and win games. And Emily Johns coming off the bench after not playing the entire first half - we brought her in because we know she has great hands and can score down low, and she did a really nice job."

NEXT UP...
The Eagles will be back on the road on Saturday, January 23, with a 1 p.m. start at Loyola Maryland before making their home debut on Sunday, Jan. 24, at 4 p.m. against the Greyhounds.

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).