Game 8  ·  American (5-2, 0-0 PL) at Virginia (3-6, 0-0 ACC)
Tuesday, December 7  ·  7 p.m. ET  ·  John Paul Jones Arena (Charlottesville, Va.)
Broadcast Talent: Jason Patterson and Mack McCarthy

WASHINGTON - The American University women's basketball team (5-2) is on the road for the first time since November 17 this week with a trip to Virginia (3-6) for a 7 p.m. tip on Tuesday. The Eagles come into the game on a 3-0 win streak after picking up consecutive victories in Bender Arena to open the 2021-22 home schedule.

SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS

• Virginia opened the season with four consecutive losses but come into Tuesday off back-to-back wins against William & Mary, 60-44, and George Washington, 62-53.
• Sunday's victory at GW was highlighted by three double-figure performances starting with Amandine Toi's 14 points.
• Taylor Valladay added 13 and a team-high five assists while Kaydan Lawson put up 10 off the bench along with a team-high eight rebounds.
• Virginia trailed by six midway through the second quarter but closed the half with a 9-0 run to take the lead that would hold through the final 20 minutes.
• The Cavaliers shot 48.9 percent (23-47) from the floor, including 45.5 percent (5-11) from three, but hit only 52.4 percent (11-21) from the line.
• Camryn Taylor leads their overall scoring efforts with 14.6 ppg followed by Toi's 12.7 ppg.
• Taylor is also Virginia's top player on the boards with 6.7 rpg, followed by Eleah Parker with 5.1 rpg and a team-high eight blocks.

SERIES HISTORY vs. VIRGINIA

• This is the second meeting between the two teams since 2000, and the sixth all-time.
• Virginia leads the series, 4-1, after a narrow three-point victory in Charlottesville in 2018 (57-54).

THE LAST TIME WE MET...

• Two players return who last played Virginia in Charlottesville during the 2018-19 season with seniors Emily Fisher and Taylor Brown.
• Both came off the bench for the Eagles with Fisher scoring a pair of points as a freshman.
• The Cavaliers only bring back Amandine Toi from that 2018-19 roster, but she didn't come off the bench during the game against AU.

THE STARTING FIVE

• American bounced back from an opening 11-0 Radford run to pick up its third consecutive win at home with a 68-58 final over the Highlanders.
• Emily Fisher stepped up to lead the Eagles with a season-high 16 points alongside a team-high four assists. Taylor Brown added another 14 points and a team-high six boards and three steals, followed by Jade Edwards who was back in scoring form with 10 points after being held scoreless in Wednesday's win over UMBC.
• American continues to work as one of the top defensive teams in the Patriot League, ranking third after allowing 58.6 ppg in their first six outings. For the sixth time this season, the Eagles led their opponent in FG percentage on Sunday, shooting 50 percent from the floor (26-52) to Radford's 39.7 percent (23-58).
• Riley DeRubbo and Karla Vres have been two of the key players off the bench for the Eagles this year. DeRubbo, a sophomore transfer from Fordham, is sixth on the team in scoring (4.4 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (2.9 rpg). Vres, the most efficient shooters on the team last season, is averaging 4.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, and has five blocks on the season.
• 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 nine wins away from becoming in the winningest coach in program history.

THE LAST TIME OUT

• American trailed 11-0 after the first few minutes but dominated the second quarter en route to a 68-58 victory over Radford on Sunday.
• Emily Fisher led the team in scoring for the first time this season, hitting a season-high 16 points to go along with her team-high four assists.
• Taylor Brown was also back in double-figures for the fourth consecutive game, scoring 14 while also leading the team on the boards with six rebounds and three steals.
• Jade Edwards closed out the double-figure scoring, adding 10 after being held scoreless against UMBC on Wednesday. She also nearly filled the stat sheet with five rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals.
• The Eagles handled the ball well, giving up a season-low 12 turnovers while forcing 16 from Radford.
• For the sixth time this season the Eagles outdid their opponent in efficiency from the field, shooting 50 percent (26-52) from the home floor while holding the Highlanders to 39.7 percent (23-58).

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 142-99 (.589) and is only nine 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 927 career points and 468 career rebounds. With her current season averages (14.1 ppg and 4.4 rpg), she is potentially six games away from her 1,000th point and eight from her 500th rebound.
• Edwards is also approaching the program all-time top-10 lists in both categories. She needs 296 points, 109 rebounds, and only seven blocks to become the fifth player in AU history to break into all three career lists. 

NEXT UP...
The Eagles will close their home nonconference schedule on Saturday, December 11, against Towson at 2 p.m. 

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).