Game 5  ·  American (1-1 South Div., 1-3 PL) at Loyola (0-0 South Div., 0-2 PL)
Saturday, January 23  ·  1 p.m.  ·  Baltimore, Md. (Reitz Arena)

Game 6  ·  American (1-1 South Div., 1-3 PL) at Loyola (0-0 South Div., 0-2 PL)
Sunday, January 24  ·  4 p.m.  ·  Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
Broadcast Talent: Dan Laing (pxp) and Jody Patrick (color)

WASHINGTON - The American University women's basketball team is set to make its return to Bender Arena this weekend during the two-game series against Patriot League South Division opponent, Loyola Maryland. The Eagles will open in Baltimore on Saturday with a 1 p.m. tip against the Greyhounds before returning to D.C. to play on their home floor at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

PRIDE GAME

• Although there will be no fans in attendance at AU sporting events this year, the American University women's basketball team is still excited to celebrate its Pride Game on Sunday.
• The team had its first Pride Night last season during a 56-48 win over High Point on November 18. The game is dedicated to celebrating Pride and inclusivity in the extended AU community, and began as a collaboration and partnership with the Department of Athletics, AU's Faculty/Staff LGBTQ+ affinity group, the Pride Alumni Alliance, the Office of Sustainability, and was also supported by the Office of the Provost, and the Office of Campus Life's Title IX, Inclusive Excellence, and Health Promotion and Advocacy Center departments.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Eagles picked up their first win of the season on Saturday, Jan. 16, with a 61-52 victory over Navy before falling to the Mids on Sunday, 70-67.
• Junior Jade Edwards led the Eagles in both games, including a 25-point performance on Sunday for her second-highest career output. She averaged 20.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 3.5 apg between the two games.
• Junior Taylor Brown, sophomore Karla Vres, and freshman Emily Johns also departed Annapolis with career performances. Brown helped pace the team with her first career double-double on Saturday, posting 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. She was back in double-figures on Sunday with a career-high 12 points.
• Vres was the third Eagle in double-figure during Sunday's win, hitting a career-high 12 points off 5-for-6 shooting, including a perfect 5-for-5 through three quarters. She also added five rebounds and an assist.
• Johns nearly mirrored Vres' performance on Sunday, coming off the bench in the third quarter and shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the field for a career-high 10 points while also adding three rebounds and an assist.
• Although the Eagles shot well on Sunday, going 24-for-48 from the field, they shot only 68.2 percent (15-22) from the free throw line and gave up 24 turnovers to the Mids, who picked up 23 points off AU's miscues.

SERIES HISTORY

• Although Loyola came away with the win during the two teams' last meeting - breaking a seven-game win streak for AU - American still leads the 26-game series, 19-7. 
• The Eagles have only lost to Loyola once in Bender Arena - Feb. 27, 2016 (55-50) - and hold a 7-5 record in Baltimore.
• American holds an 11-3 record against the Greyhounds with head coach Megan Gebbia at the helm, while Loyola's head coach Joe Logan is 4-12 against AU in his tenure.

SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS

• Loyola is 0-2 so far this season after opening with a pair of losses to Bucknell on January 2 (72-44) and Jan. 3 (59-44).
• The Greyhounds have not played a game since Jan. 3 after positive COVID tests from Navy and Lafayette postponed their contests the last two weekends.
• Junior Devyne Newman led Loyola in the season opener at Bucknell with 16 points, followed by Taleah Dixon who scored 14 in her return after being injured during the 2019-20 season. Sophomore Emily McAteer was the only Greyhound to end in double-figures on Jan. 3 with 14 points. McAteer earned eight rebounds in both games while senior Delaney Connolly pulled down 10 on Jan. 3 to lead the team.
• After the weekend, Dixon leads the team's overall scoring with 11.0 ppg, including a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, followed by Newman's 10.5 ppg. McAteer leads the team on the boards (8.0 rpg).
• Connolly, along with junior Laryn Edwards are two of the key returners for the Greyhounds this season after the team graduated two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, and the No. 9-ranked player in women's Division I history for career steals (461), Stephanie Karcz.
• Head Coach Joe Logan, one of the longest-tenured head coaches in Patriot League women's basketball now in his 16th season, holds a career record of 184-276 (.400), including a 41-87 (.320) against Patriot League opponents.

HOME SWEET HOME

• It has been 323 days (10 months, 17 days) since American last played a game on its home floor in Bender Arena.
• The last time the Eagles played at home was the Patriot League First Round win over Navy (63-53) on Saturday, March 7, 2020.
• In fact, women's basketball was the last AU team to host a home game before COVID-19 shut down the spring seasons.

PROTECT THIS HOUSE

• The Eagles are 47-11 at home since the start of the 2016-17 season, including an undefeated 23-0 run that ranked sixth in Division I before ending with a loss to Ohio on Dec. 29, 2018.
• In the Megan Gebbia era, the Eagles are 76-27 (.738) in Bender Arena, including 58-16 (.784) against Patriot League opponents. Among the highlights in her six seasons was the program's first undefeated season at home since the 1970s in 2017-18.

EDWARDS MAKING HER CASE

• Junior Jade Edwards is certainly making her case for a postseason nod - she continues to lead the league in scoring with 22.0 ppg and 3.8 steals per game and ranks fourth in the league for rebounds (8.5 rpg). She currently ranks seventh in the country for steals per game, is 18th for both scoring and free throw percentage, and 36th for field goal percentage (.554).
• Edwards is also starting to look at American's record books this season. She already made her mark after scoring a career-high 31 points against Lehigh on Jan. 11, tying for 10th in the single-game top-10 list. She is also creeping up on the program's top-10 lists for career blocks, rebounds, and assists. In fact, if not for the shortened season, Edwards would have had both the 1,000-point and 500-rebound milestones in sight this season. As it stands with her current career averages, she is 25 games away from 1,000 points (11.3 ppg) and 18 games away from her 500th rebound (6.1 rpg).

UNSELFISH SANDERS

• Senior Indeya Sanders is also looking at adding her name to the program record books in her final season. She leads the team with 15 assists so far this season, bringing her career total up to 254 to sit only 34 away from tying for No. 10 in the career top-ten.

CALLED UP

• Junior Taylor Brown has taken over a starting role in both games so far season. She picked up seven starts during her 27 games last year.
• Brown has made it count, earning her first career double-double against Navy on Jan. 16 with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. She was back at it on Jan. 17 with a career-high 12 points.
• Brown currently ranks second on the team with a career-high 10.5 ppg.
• Sophomore Lauren Stack also joined the Eagles' starting five for the first time in her career this season. She opened with a career-high seven boards against Lehigh on Jan. 9 and added a career-high three blocks against Navy on Jan. 17. She currently leads the team with four blocks this season.

YOUNG BLOOD

• With a roster of only 10 this season, the Eagles will look to the four freshmen to put in productive minutes this season.
• That has already been the case for guard Ivy Bales (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) and forward Emily Johns (Washington Township, N.J.).
• Bales opened with a 10-point performance against Lehigh on Saturday, shooting 4-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 from three during her 30 minutes. She also added five rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
• Bales put in only 18 minutes against Lehigh on Jan. 11, but still pitched in five points, three boards, and three assists.
• She made her first start as an Eagle on Jan. 17 against Navy and got AU rolling with a pair of early three's and her first two career blocks.
• Emily Johns also got on the board in her first two outings, scoring four points in each of the two games at Lehigh. She also added 2.5 rpg between the two games.
• Johns was certainly the highlight of the day against Navy on Jan. 17, coming off the bench in the third quarter and lighting the fire for the Eagles, scoring 10 points off perfect 5-for-5 shooting from the floor in her 16 minutes.
• Guards Kayla Henning (Evanston, Ill.) and Keagan Schwab (Fairfax Station, Va.) round out the newcomers.

VIRTUAL "PHIL BENDER" ARENA PRESENTED BY GEICO

• American University Athletics has announced a new virtual ticket campaign in an effort to sell out Bender Arena this coming basketball season. This new season-long initiative, presented by "TEAM AU" partner GEICO, will challenge Eagles fans and alumni to sell out each seat in Bender Arena for the 2020-21 basketball schedule. The "AU Founder" ticket price of $18.93 commemorates the year AU was founded. Click here to support AU Athletics by buying virtual tickets.

JOINING A NEW FAMILY

• The 2020-21 season will mark another milestone for the Patriot League, after the conference signed a multi-year agreement with ESPN to make ESPN+ the new home for all conference events.
• Fans can watch all of American's home events on ESPN+ with a subscription - either $5.99 a month or $59.99 per year. Fans can also subscribe to the service as part of the Disney Bundle for just $12.99 per month.

2021 LOOKING A LITTLE DIFFERENT...

• Due to COVID-19, Patriot League basketball is going to look a little different this year. All teams will play limited schedule with the league broken into three mini-conferences - North (Army, Boston U., Colgate, Holy Cross); Central (Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh); and South (AMERICAN, Loyola Md., Navy).
• American's four match-ups against Loyola and Navy in January and February will determine the divisional standings and subsequent seedings in this year's PL Tournament.
• AU will also have two extra games against the Greyhounds in late-February, along with a set of games against Bucknell, Lafayette, and Lehigh that will not count toward the final standings.
• Eight teams will advance into the Patriot League Tournament instead of the usual 10. The top-three seeds will be awarded to the mini-conference winners, and the second-place finishers will be seeded 4-6. The final two seeds will go to the best overall win percentage against conference opponents.

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).