WASHINGTON - The American University women's basketball team led through halftime but fell after a second half surge from George Washington in the 2021-22 season opener, 58-47.

NOTEWORTHY

• Senior Jade Edwards was back atop the score sheet for the Eagles with 14 points followed by classmate Emily Fisher with eight. Edwards also led the team with four assists and four steals while Fisher brought down a team-high six boards.
• Senior Maddie Doring had her first appearance since the 2019-20 season after opting out last year. She closed the day with seven points alongside fellow-senior Taylor Brown.
• The Colonials put two in double-figures starting with a double-double effort from Tyasia Moore with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Mayowa Taiwo added 10 points.
• GW led the Eagles on the boards, 36-26, and had 31 points off the bench to AU's nine. The Colonials picked up 26 points off American's 24 turnovers while the Eagles added eight off GW's 17 miscues.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• American came out of the gate strong, picking up a 12-5 lead by the first media timeout behind four points from Doring and Fisher. 
• By the end of the first quarter, the Eagles extended that lead to eight and sophomore Ivy Bales added another pair to the tally in the opening seconds of the second quarter, giving AU it's largest lead of the game at 18-8.
• The Colonials steadily chipped away at the lead throughout the second quarter, getting as close as two before a clutch three from sophomore transfer Riley DeRubbo and a jumper from Edwards put the Eagles back ahead by seven at the media break. 
• Both teams struggled to get on the board until the final two minutes of the half when GW closed with four unanswered points to land back within three heading into the locker room.
• The Eagles couldn't quite find their footing offensively in the third quarter, shooting only 42.9 percent (6-14) from the floor while the Colonials hit 66.7 percent (10-15), outscoring American 20-14. 
• AU still led, though, with under five left in the stanza, but a pair of late turnovers and missed opportunities held the Eagles at 37 points while GW surged ahead with a 10-2 run, including six from Tyasia Moore, to take a 40-37 lead at the break.
• The shooting woes continued in the fourth quarter for American. Four points off the bench from sophomore Emily Johns pulled the Eagles back within four with under five left on the clock, but the team couldn't capitalize on its three-point opportunities and GW continued to build the advantage with a closing 7-0 run.

NEXT UP
American will continue its opening four-game stretch on the road this weekend with the two-game tournament at Marist. It will be an exciting homecoming for three members of the AU coaching staff. Head coach Megan Gebbia spent 10 years on staff with the Red Foxes under longtime head coach Brian Giorgis, including seven as associate head coach before taking the reins at American in 2013. During her time there, she recruited and coached current AU assistant coaches Nikki Flores ('08) and Emily Stallings ('12).



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).