WASHINGTON – The American women's basketball team (0-3) took on the University of Virginia (5-0) on Sunday afternoon in Bender, falling to the Cavaliers 74-60. Junior guard Kayla Henning led the Eagles in scoring for the game with 18 points. Classmate and forward Emily Johns was the second highest points getter for the third game in a row with 14 while also leading the squad with nine rebounds.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Henning shot 8-11 from the field, adding two from the line to grab a career high 18 points.
• Classmate and fellow guard Riley DeRubbo shot 3-6 in the game, going 2-4 from beyond the arc, and scoring eight points. She also had two rebounds.
• The Cavaliers were led in scoring by Taylor Valladay, who had a 19-point performance for the afternoon.
• Senior forward Lauren Stack got into foul trouble in the fourth quarter but had the second highest count on the team for rebounds with four, also grabbing three assists, and two steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Eagles started off on the front foot, defending well to force a turnover and score the first two baskets of the game. Three pointers from Ivy Bales and DeRubbo set the offensive pace in the first quarter.
• The Eagles scored 16 in the first period, outscoring their previous first quarter totals from the first two games of the season, but Virginia still led by four, 20-16.
• In the second period, it was a balanced effort on Virginia's side, the Cavaliers having nine scoring players, while the Eagles had six scoring players. AU was trailing by just four at the half, 35-31, against the Cavs. The Eagles had a higher FG% in the first half shooting 46% to the Cavaliers 38%, but the Cavs were getting more shots up and forced more fouls, grabbing six points from the free throw line.
• Virginia kicked off the second half much like the finished the first, even scoring across the roster. American was able to hold Virginia to just 26% from the field while shooting 42%, but the Cavaliers were out-rebounding the Eagles 14-7 to gain the advantage.
• At the end of the third period, UVA led by a score of 50-66 before going on a 9-0 scoring run in the first two minutes of the final period to force an American timeout.
• The Cavaliers upped their game in the fourth quarter, shooting 53%, led by Valladay who went 5-7, scoring 11 points in that frame alone. It was the only period of the game that the visitors managed to shoot over 40%.
• With the fourth quarter bump, Virginia out-scored American 24-16, with 12 points coming from Eagles turnovers. The Eagles ultimately dropped the contest 74-60 to the visitors from the ACC.

UP NEXT
The Eagles squad will be heading off to the Bahamas to participate in the Goombay Splash Tournament where their first game will take place on Thursday, Nov. 24 at 4:15 p.m. against Notre Dame.

KEEP UP WITH US
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).