Game 7  ·  American (4-2, 0-0 PL) vs Radford (4-3, 0-0 Big South)
Sunday, December 5  ·  6 p.m. ET  ·  Bender Arena (Washington, D.C.) 
Broadcast Talent: Dan Laing (pxp) and Jody Patrick (analyst)

WASHINGTON - The American University women's basketball team (4-2) will close its three-game homestand on Sunday with a 6 p.m. tip against Radford (4-3) in Bender Arena. The Eagles come into the game with back-to-back wins after opening the 2021-22 home schedule with victories over George Mason, 69-61, and UMBC, 55-47.

PROOF OF VACCINATION REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO BENDER ARENA

• In the interest of public health and in accordance with American University's commitment to maintaining a vaccinated community on campus, AU Athletics will require proof of vaccination for all spectators 12 and older when attending sporting events inside Bender Arena.
• This policy is effective October 21, 2021. Proof of vaccination can be achieved by showing one's vaccine card, a photo of one's card or a digital vaccine record.
• Due to AU's requirement that current students and faculty/staff be vaccinated, those with a current AU ID will not need to show further proof of vaccination.
• Read the full policy HERE.

MASK POLICY AT AU ATHLETICS EVENTS 

• Individuals are required to wear masks to all American University athletics indoor AND outdoor events, per current AU guidelines.  
• We also encourage social distancing at all of our venues. 

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS

• Radford comes into Sunday's game on a three-game win streak after picking up victories over Lees-McRae, 95-39, UNC-Wilmington, 51-50, and Furman, 73-61.
• The last loss for the Highlanders was an 83-31 defeat at the hands of then-No. 22 West Virginia.
• Radford's bench was key in its latest win over Furman, posting an impressive 40 points behind a dozen from Danielle Montelbano.
• Bryonna McClean led the team with 13 points while Rachel LaLonde brought down 10 boards.
• Bridget Burkhead missed two games early on but leads the team in scoring with 9.6 ppg followed by Ashley Tudor's 9.1 ppg.
• Tudor also leads on the boards with 4.9 rpg followed closely by 4.8 from McClean.
• Rachel LaLond has a team-high seven blocks while Kyanna Morgan has pitched in a team-high 14 assists alongside nine steals.
• The Highlanders lead the Big South and are 35th in 3FG defense, allowing opponents to hit only 23.2 percent from long range.
• Radford also leads the Big South in 3FG percentage (.341) and FT percentage (.761).

SERIES HISTORY vs. RADFORD

• This is only the fourth meeting between the two teams since the series debut in 2007.
• Radford claimed the first win, 58-50, but it has been all AU ever since, including a 59-55 victory at Radford in 2019.

THE LAST TIME WE MET...

• Six Eagles return who played in the 59-55 win at Radford in 2019, including seniors Jade Edwards and Taylor Brown who scored double-figures with 13 points and 11 points, respectively, to help lead the team.
•  Then-freshman Karla Vres added a pair off the bench along with three blocks.
•  Radford returns two players with Bryonna McClean and Rachel LaLonde.
•  McClean posted four points and five rebounds while LaLonde came off the bench and added one board.

THE STARTING FIVE

• American overcame a two-point halftime deficit to earn its second consecutive win on Wednesday, 55-47 over UMBC. The Eagles are now 2-0 in Bender Arena after they opened their home slate with a 69-61 win against George Mason.
• Senior Taylor Brown led the team for the first time this season, tying her career-high with 16 points alongside a game-high eight rebounds. Senior Maddie Doring also had a big day with nine points but it was the bench that made the difference, combining for a season-high 20 points behind six each from sophomores Kayla Henning and Emily Johns.
• This was the first time this season that AU trailed an opponent in field goal percentage as the Eagles were held to 37.3 percent from the floor while the Retrievers shot 43.2 percent.
• This is the ninth season for head coach Megan Gebbia and her staff, all of whom arrived together in 2013 with the exception of director of operations Nicole Krusen, who joined in 2016. Gebbia has already had a historic career at the helm and will look to add to that this year as she sits 10 wins away from becoming in the winningest coach in program history.
• Gebbia has built up a dominant record at home over the last eight years. The Eagles are 83-27 (.755) in front of their home crowd, including a pair of perfect records in 2017-18 (16-0) and the condensed 2020-21 (4-0) season.

THE LAST TIME OUT

• American picked up its second consecutive win on Wednesday with a gritty second half victory over UMBC, 55-47.
• Senior Taylor Brown stepped up in a big way for the Eagles, tying her career-high with 16 points and pulling down a season-high eight boards to lead the team.
• Brown filled the stat sheet with three assists, one steal, and one block.
• Senior Maddie Doring also posted some key numbers with nine points and a block.
• The bench also had its best performance of the season, combining for 20 points. Sophomores Kayla Henning and Emily Johns put up six each with Johns also adding three rebounds, one block, and one steal.
• The win came despite a season-low 37.3 percent shooting from the floor for the Eagles, who trailed their opponent for the first time this year as UMBC hit 43.2 percent.
• AU had a season-best 15 turnovers, though, after entering the game averaging 21.8 per game. The Eagles also forced 25 from a Retrievers team that had averaged only 15.6 in the games prior.
• Early fouls from UMBC kept the Eagles close in the first half, as AU went 8-for-10 from the line in the first half.
• American exploded into the third quarter, hitting 50 percent from the floor in a 17-7 run to take an eight-point lead that would hold through the fourth quarter.

COUNTING DOWN

• The Eagles are staring down several milestone marks this season, including a new record for head coach Megan Gebbia as she is poised to become the winningest coach in program history. Now in her ninth season, Gebbia has an overall record of 141-99 (.588) and is only 10 wins away from passing Jeff Thatcher (1989-00) with total career victories. In his 11 seasons at the helm of AU's program, Thatcher built up a record of 150-156 (.490). 
• Senior Jade Edwards is also approaching a pair of milestones as she sits with 917 career points and 463 career rebounds. With her current season averages (14.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg), she is potentially six games away from her 1,000th point and nine from her 500th rebound.
• Edwards is also approaching the program all-time top-10 lists in both categories. She needs 306 points, 114 rebounds, and only seven blocks to become the fifth player in AU history to break into all three career lists. 

GEICO STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

• Edwards was selected as the AU GEICO Student-Athlete of the Week on Monday after her performance during the Eagles' 69-61 win over George Mason last week.
• She filled the stat sheet with 25 points, nine rebounds, four steals, three assists and a block in an impressive performance all around. In the opening 10 minutes, she hit 4-of-4 from the field for eight points, and in the final 30 seconds of the game she sealed the win by going 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION

• Adult: $8
• Youth (17 and below): $5
• Senior (65+): $5
• Groups: All group tickets must be reserved in advance; not valid at box office on game day
  • 10-24: $3 each
  • 25+: $2
• Season tickets are still available! SAVE OVER 23% and guarantee yourself a seat to all 13 women's home games starting at just $50! 
• All other inquiries e-mail clawed@american.edu or call 202.885.TIXX

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).