WASHINGTON - The American University women's basketball team advanced to the Patriot League semifinal with a dominant 76-56 win over Army West Point on Sunday.

The three-seed Eagles will face two-seed Boston University in Boston on Thursday, March 11.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Four Eagles closed in double-figures on Sunday, starting with a season-high 19 points from junior Emily Fisher who closed the game shooting 7 of 10 from the floor, 2-for-2 from three, and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Fisher also closed with nine rebounds to just miss her first double-double of the season.
• Junior Jade Edwards was next with 16 points, followed by freshman Emily Johns who came off the bench to score 13 in only 12 minutes.
• Sophomore Karla Vres continued to be a force for the Eagles on both ends of the floor, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and1-for-2 from the line for 10 points. She also tied her career-high during the first quarter with a game-high four blocks.
• The Black Knights were led by a 17-point effort from Sabria Hunter, and 12 from Taylor Sullivan. The Eagles held All-Patriot League selection Alisa Fallon, who averaged 12.2 ppg heading into the game, to only four off one field goal and a pair of free throws. Kate Murry, who averaged 10.2 ppg off the bench for Army, was held scoreless, while All-Rookie selection Lauren Lithgow picked up only six points.
• AU opened postseason play with its best offensive performance of the year, shooting 57.4 percent from the floor (27-47), 53.8 percent from three (7-13), and pitching in 19 assists, only two shy of the season-high 21 against Navy on Feb. 24.
• Army gave up 23 turnovers to American's 22, but the Eagles led in steals, 12-9, and picked up 27 points off those miscues while the Black Knights only added 15.
• First Quarter ... American was slow to start on the offensive end, giving up five early turnovers as Army picked up a 6-2 lead. Vres paced the Eagles on the defensive end, coming away with two of her four blocks in the first two minutes to hold Army's run at bay. The Eagles tied the game midway through the stanza after Edwards picked off a bad Army pass in the paint and sent Fisher down to hit the transition layup. From there it was all AU as the Eagles put up seven of the next nine points to close the quarter with a 13-8 lead.
• Second Quarter ... Army put up five points to start the second stanza, but it was AU coming out of the media timeout, as the Eagles held the Black Knights to only two points from the line in the final five minutes of the half. Fisher led the way, scoring seven of her 19 points off assists from Edwards and freshman Ivy Bales. AU shot 66.7 percent (6-9) from the field to lead Army, 35-15, heading into the locker room.
• Third Quarter ... Brown got things rolling for the Eagles in the second half, putting up her own offensive rebound for her first points of the game. The two teams went back and forth for the rest of the quarter, but the Black Knights struggled to put together a run as the Eagles maintained at least a 17-point cushion. American held Army to only one made field goal in the final three minutes and closed on a 7-3 to lead by 21 heading into the final 10 minutes, 58-37.
• Fourth Quarter ... Early fouls by the Eagles put Army on the line four times to open the fourth quarter, forcing a timeout from head coach Megan Gebbia. Army hit one more off the line coming out of the huddle, but a three-point play from Sanders rebuilt AU's 20 point lead. The Black Knights trimmed the gap back down to 17 points briefly, but American had a response each time and closed back at the 20-point margin, 76-56. Brown took over in the second half, scoring all nine of her points while Fisher and Edwards added eight each. Johns also added nine points in only nine-and-a-half minutes of play. 

NEXT UP
The Eagles will travel to Boston on Thursday for a 6 p.m. tip against BU in the Patriot League semifinal.

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).