Game 16  ·  American (10-5, 3-2 PL) vs. Loyola Maryland (3-13, 0-6 PL)
Saturday, January 22  ·  2 p.m. ET  ·  Bender Arena (Washington, D.C.)
Talent: Dan Laing (pxp) and Jody Patrick (analyst)

WASHINGTON - The American University women's basketball team (10-5, 3-2 PL) will look to keep its momentum going on Saturday as the Eagles host Loyola Maryland (3-13, 0-6 PL) at 2 p.m. in Bender Arena.

UPDATED COVID PROTOCOLS FOR BENDER ARENA

• In response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in our region, American University Athletics is announcing increased safety measures for events at Bender Arena
• Concessions: Due to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, concessions will temporarily not be available to patrons for home events at Bender.
• Eagles Club Hospitality Suite: Due to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, there will be a temporary pause on all Eagles Club Hospitality operations for men's and women's basketball games.
• These measures are in addition to the ones already in place, which include all patrons wearing masks at all times while inside Bender Arena, and proof of vaccination required prior to entering the gym.

THE STARTING FIVE

• Ten players scored during AU's most dominant offensive effort of the season on Wednesday, defeating Army , 80-65, in Bender Arena. The Eagles scored 48 points in the first half alone - the highest single-half scoring output since 2018-19 (49 against Colgate) - including a program-record 33 points in the second quarter.
• Jade Edwards was back atop the score sheet for the second consecutive game, eighth of the season, with 15 points followed by a dozen from Maddie Doring and 11 from Taylor Brown - her 12th consecutive game in double-figures.
• American shot a season-high 54.9 percent (28-51) from the floor - this is the fourth time this season that the Eagles have finished hitting at least 50 percent from the field as they move back into the lead in the PL rankings for FG% with .431 overall.
• Wednesday was also the first time since 2019 that American scored at least 80 points in a game. They last broke the 80-point mark against Loyola Maryland in Bender Arena, 82-38 (1/16/19).
• 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 four wins away from becoming in the winningest coach in program history.

SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS

• Loyola Maryland is still looking for its first Patriot League win of the season, and its first victory since Dec. 4 (56-55 over Mount St. Mary's).
• The Greyhounds come into the Saturday matinee off a 65-47 loss to Boston University on Wednesday.
• Taleah Dixon paced Loyola with 16 points but the next highest scorer was Charia Roberts with seven.
• Roberts and Caramina Tanedo shared responsibilities on the boards with four rebounds each while Bri Rozzi led with four assists and three steals.
• Dixon and freshman Lex Therien lead Loyola's overall scoring effort, averaging 11.1 ppg each.
• Therien is also one of three players in the league averaging a double-double with 10.1 rpg, even after being held to only six points and three rebounds against the Terriers.
• Therien ranks 21st in Division I for defensive rebounds per game (7.4) and 35th for overall rpg. She also has six double-doubles on the season .
• This is the first season for head coach Danielle O'Banion, who came to Loyola after three seasons as an assistant at Minnesota - her second stint with the Golden Gophers (was also an assistant from 2002-07).
• O'Banion also spent four seasons as the head coach at Kent State. She is a Virginia native and graduated from Episcopal HS in Alexandria.

SERIES HISTORY vs. LOYOLA MARYLAND

• American continues to dominate in the series with Loyola, 23-7, after facing the Greyhounds four times last year - the most common opponent for AU in the condensed season.
• The Eagles are on an 11-1 run dating back to 2016 with the only loss coming from Baltimore on Feb. 12, 2020 (56-47).
• AU is 12-1 at home against the Greyhounds and 15-3 under head coach Megan Gebbia.

THE LAST TIME WE MET...

• American led by four at halftime before a 15-10 Loyola run in the third put the Greyhounds ahead by one heading into the fourth quarter. The Eagles closed strong, though, outpacing the Greyhounds 22-11 to complete the season sweep, 62-52.
• Jade Edwards had her third double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
• Taylor Brown also highlighted the box score with her second consecutive career-high, scoring 16 points while stuffing the score sheet with four boards, three assists, and a pair of steals.
• Isabella Therien, older sister of current freshman Lex Therien, led the Greyhounds with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

#AUWBB vs. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE

• American holds a 203-105 (.659) record in Patriot League play, and an overall record of 260-137 (.655) against Patriot League opponents.
• Included in that are winning records against each team in the conference with the exception of Holy Cross, who has a four-game advantage over the Eagles.
• Head Coach Megan Gebbia has a 95-45 (.679) record in conference play since arriving at AU in 2013-14, and is 13-6 in the Patriot League Tournament, including the program's only two PL titles in 2015 and and 2018. 

THE LAST TIME OUT

• The Eagles had an absolutely dominant first half on Wednesday to pull to an 80-65 win over Army.
• AU led 48-29 at halftime after shooting 66.7 percent (20-30) from the floor in the first 20 minutes. This was the highest single-half output for the Eagles since the 2018-19 season when they scored 49 points in the first half against Colgate (W, 76-57).
• Included in that first half run was a 33-point second quarter - a new single-quarter program record, beating out the two occasions in which the team scored 30 in the first quarter against UMBC (2016 and 2018).
• It was an even offensive effort with 10 players scoring and all 14 putting in minutes, including junior Sadie Stetson who played her first game in the AU uniform after being out with injury since before her freshman season.
• Jade Edwards led with 15 points followed by Maddie Doring with 12 and Taylor Brown with 11.
• Lauren Stack led on the boards with five rebounds alongside her nine points. Emily Fisher also scored nine and added six assists.
• American closed shooting a season-high 54.9 percent (28-51) from the floor and forced a season-high 27 turnovers from the Black Knights.
• This was the first 80-point game for AU since Jan. 16, 2019, when the team beat Loyola, 82-38, in Bender.

SHOOT YOUR SHOT

• The Eagles are averaging only 52.1 FGA per game, but they know how to make them count with a 43.1 FG%, ranking second in the Patriot League and 75th in DI.
• AU is back atop the league until this week after being held to two of its three lowest percentages of the season against Boston U. (.271), Bucknell (.340), and Holy Cross (.386).
• The Eagles have put in four games shooting 50 percent or higher so far this season - Army (.549), Colgate (.518), George Mason (.511), and Radford (.500).
• Only four teams have shot better than AU so far this season - UMBC (.373/.432), Towson (.429/.449), Boston University (.271/.464), and Bucknell (.340/.467).
• American's .447 field goal percentage in the non-conference was the team's highest since Gebbia took the reins in 2013.
• Three players are shooting over 45 percent from the floor, starting with Jade Edwards with 50.3 percent - this would lead the league if she averaged 5 FGM/game (currently at 4.9).
• In fact, Edwards, Lauren Stack (.473) and Taylor Brown (.461) would rank 1-2-4 if they met the minimum 5FGM/ game requirement.
• As it stands, Edwards leads the league in conference-only play with 51.9 percent.

IT'S ALL ABOUT CONTROL...

• AU has struggled with turnovers in the early part of the season, averaging 19.3 through the nonconference.
• They've cleaned up the miscues since the start of league play, though, averaging 14.2 in the last five outings.
• The Eagles have also made their opponents pay for their mistakes, though, forcing a league-high 18.8 turnovers in conference play.
• American leads the league with 8.8 steals per game, including 9.2 per game against PL opponents.

CLOSE 'EM OUT

• AU has struggled from three-point range all season, hitting only 26.5 percent (58-219) behind Maddie Doring's 35.1 percent (13-37).
• But while AU ranks ninth in the league from the perimeter, they are second in 3-point defense, allowing opponents 4.7 made per game for 26.1 percent.
• American also ranks 33rd in Division I for 3FG defense.

PICKIN' POCKETS

• Jade Edwards and Taylor Brown are back in the top three in the league for steals, averaging 2.1 and 1.9 per game to rank second and third, respectively.
• Brown picked up a career-high four against Marist (11/12) and Colgate (1/5) while Edwards tied hers with five during the win against Longwood (12/18).
• Lauren Stack briefly added her name to the top-10 in the PL after picking up a career-high five steals against Bucknell on Sunday. She currently ranks 12th.

NEXT UP...
American is back on the road on Wednesday with a 5 p.m. tip at Holy Cross. The Eagles will be back in Bender Arena on Saturday, February 29, to host Navy 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).