BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The American University women's basketball team (0-1) fought back from a 21-point deficit but ran out of real estate down the stretch and fell to Lehigh (3-0) in the Eagles' season opener, 79-70.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Junior Jade Edwards had her strongest season opener yet, leading the Eagles with 16 points off 6-for-10 from the floor and 1-for-3 from three. She added a team-high five steals, four rebounds and four assists.
• Freshman Ivy Bales had a strong AU debut, picking up 10 points alongside five boards. Senior Indeya Sanders added another 10 points to go with a team-high seven assists.
• Despite getting into early foul trouble, sophomore Lauren Stack paced AU on the boards with a career-high seven rebounds and fell just short of tying her best with nine points.
• The Eagles shot 46.3 percent (25-54) from the field, 37.5 percent (6-16) from three, and pulled down 33 rebounds to Lehigh's 32. 
• The Mountain Hawks forced 17 AU turnovers while only giving up 13, and led the Eagles with 46.7 percent (28-60) shooting from the floor and 41.9 percent (13-31) from the perimeter.
• Lehigh also put three players in double-figures, starting with a 21-point performance from Mackenzie Kramer. Frannie Hottinger added another 18 while falling just short of her second double-double with nine rebounds, followed by 15 points from Megan Walker. 
• Mary Clougherty, the reigning Patriot League Player of the Week after averaging over 20 points during the Mountain Hawks' opening weekend against Lafayette, was held to only three points.
• With the exception of a brief AU lead in the opening minutes after a quick pair of baskets from Edwards and junior Emily Fisher, Lehigh took control of the game early, keeping a step ahead of the Eagles throughout the first quarter. Five-point performances from Edwards and junior Taylor Brown, including a series of free throws in the final two minutes, kept American within three for most of the stanza. But a pair of three's from Lehigh's Maddie Albrecht and Kramer in the final minute pulled the Mountain Hawks ahead by nine as the two teams went into the break at 26-17.
• Once again, American opened the quarter keeping pace with Lehigh, with a couple of well-timed baskets from Fisher keeping the margin at 11 points until the final three minutes of the half. A foul on Kramer from beyond the arc put her on the line for three to pull Lehigh to its largest lead yet at 39-23 with 2:34 remaining, but the Eagles responded down the stretch, starting with a long three from Bales for her first basket as an Eagle to bring the tally to 36-26 with 40 seconds left on the clock. Edwards had the final say, picking up her second steal of the night and converting it into an easy two to close the half back at an 11-point deficit, 39-28.
• The Eagles picked up momentum in the second half, improving from 39.3 percent shooting from the field to 53.8 percent, and going from 33.3 percent from the perimeter to 42.9 percent. 
• Lehigh opened the half strong, though, holding American to only four points during a 12-point run during the first five minutes of the third quarter before another Bales trey ended the drought. The Mountain Hawks pulled ahead by 21 points twice during the final two minutes of the stanza, but Stack and freshman Emily Johns followed up with quick responses to bring the gap back down to 19. Another driving layup from Edwards closed the third with a 17-point margin, 61-44.
• American kept that momentum rolling in the fourth quarter, keeping Lehigh to only three points in the first five minutes while hitting a 17-point run, led by five points from Sanders. With 5:10 left on the clock, a jumper from Bales brought AU back within three for the first time since the first quarter. The Mountain Hawks found their footing, though, as a quick three points from Jamie Behar sent Lehigh on an 11-4 run to rebuild a 10-point lead with 1:51 left on the clock. Five points from Edwards and Sanders brought AU back within seven at 77-70, but fouls in the final seconds put Lehigh on the line where Kramer sank two to end the game at 79-70.

HEAR FROM COACH GEBBIA...
"Well, I thought we had a much better second half than first half, and a much better fourth quarter than first quarter. It felt like we lost in the first quarter, honestly, and defensively we were rough. We were late to every close-out, we didn't set our feet, and we looked tired. And so just rotating and stuff was not crisp and clean, it felt like we were a little out of sync. And I kind of expected that just because it's the first game and we had no scrimmages, no games to get you ready for the conference season. So you just don't know what's going to happen that first game.

"I will say, though, that I'm pleased with our ability to score. We scored 70 in the first game, which is hard to do, against a team that's already played. So I am pleased with that. And we had somewhat of a balanced effort. And I'm really happy that Ivy Bales could come off the bench as a freshman and score 10 points in her debut. So that was fun to see, just the energy that the freshmen brought when they got into the game."

NEXT UP

• The Eagles will be back in Bethlehem to face the Mountain Hawks at 2 p.m. on Monday, January 11. This will be the second and final meeting between the two teams during the regular season.
• American is scheduled to open its home slate on Saturday, January 16, with a noon start 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).