PL QUARTERFINAL  ·  American (20-8, 13-5 PL) vs. Lafayette (12-17, 7-11 PL)
Monday, March 7  ·  7 p.m. ET  ·  Bender Arena (Washington, D.C.)
Broadcast Talent: Dan Laing (pxp); Jody Patrick (analyst)

WASHINGTON - The American University women's basketball team will kick off postseason play at home on Monday as the Eagles host seven-seed Lafayette at 7 p.m. in Bender Arena for the Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinal.

The Eagles secured the two-seed last week with the 62-48 regular-season finale victory over Lafayette, also hosted at home in D.C. This will be the second tournament game for the seven-seed Leopards after they opened with a first round victory over 10-seed Loyola Maryland on Saturday, 58-49.

SPECTATOR POLICY

• All spectators 12 years of age and older will need to provide proof of vaccination to enter the venue. Fans under the age of 12 are exempt from providing proof of vaccination. Additionally, unless actively eating or drinking all spectators are required to wear a mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

TOURNAMENT NEWS

• The winner of Monday night's game will go on to play the victor of #3 Boston University/#6 Army West Point on Thursday, March 10, in the semifinal. The game will be hosted by the higher seed.
• The Patriot League Championship will be held at noon on Sunday, March 13, at site of the highest remaining seed.

#AUWBB IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT

• Overall Record: 24-18 (13-6 under head coach Megan Gebbia)
• In Bender Arena: 15-2 (Gebbia: 13-0)
• Against Lafayette: 6-1 (all in the quarterfinal)
• In the Quarterfinal: 13-7 (Gebbia: 6-2)
• American is also 7-5 as the two-seed, including three appearances in the Championship game.
• Head coach Megan Gebbia led the Eagles to their only two PL titles during the 2015 and 2018 seasons, both were as the No. 1 seed.

THE STARTING FIVE

• American closed undefeated at home in regular season Patriot League play on Wednesday with a 62-48 win over Lafayette, claiming sole ownership of the No. 2 spot in the final regular season rankings and the No. 2 seed in the PL Tournament.
• Sophomore Emily Johns took charge of the second half against the Leopards, scoring 15 of her career-high 19 points to lead the Eagles. Senior Jade Edwards also paced the team with her third double-double of the season (13p, 10r), followed by senior Emily Fisher with 14 points.
• American continues to be dominant in Bender Arena. The Eagles are undefeated at home in conference play this season and are 13-1 overall. In fact, the loss to Towson in December is AU's only loss in the last 20 games in Bender Arena dating back to the end of the 2019-20 season. The Eagles are tied for 13th in Division I with their current 10-0 run.
• American boasts one of the top defenses in the country. The Eagles rank 7th in Division I for 3-point defense, holding opponents to only 24.8 percent shooting from long range, including 23.6 percent in League play. They also lead the Patriot League in forced turnovers (18.5) and steals per game (8.6).
• The Eagles placed three players on the All-Patriot League teams with seniors Jade Edwards (First Team),  Emily FIsher (Third Team, All-Defensive Team), and Taylor Brown (Third Team). This is the fifth All-Patriot League nod for Edwards and the first for Fisher and Brown.

SCOUTING THE LEOPARDS

• This will be a quick return to Bender Arena for seven-seed Lafayette, after the Leopards closed the regular season on Wednesday with a 62-48 loss at American before overcoming 10-seed Loyola Maryland, 58-49, in Easton on Saturday.
• Freshman Abby Antognoli led the Leopards with a career-high 22 points, followed by a dozen from classmate Claire Gallagher.
• Senior Naomi Ganpo brought down a team-high nine rebounds.
• Ganpo is one of the top players in the country on the defensive end, ranking 27th in Division I with 2.2 blocks per game. She also leads the team on the boards with 8.1 rpg.
• Although junior Jessica Booth was held to only five points against the Greyhounds, she continues to lead the team with 10.8 ppg on the season, followed by 10.6 ppg from sophomore Makayla Andrews.
• Booth is also the team's top distributor with 102 assists this season alongside her team-high 30 steals.

SERIES HISTORY vs. LAFAYETTE

• American has dominated in the series against Lafayette, going 44-9 since the first meeting in 1982 (W, 62-53 in D.C.).
• American entered the season on a three-game losing streak against the Leopards before sweeping them in the regular season - 58-51 in Easton, then 62-48 in D.C.
• The two teams were scheduled to play during the shortened season last year, but the two games were canceled.
• Head coach Megan Gebbia is 16-4 against Lafayette since she arrived at AU in 2013-14.

THE LAST TIME WE MET...

• For the second time this season, sophomore Emily Johns came off the bench and made a difference for the Eagles against Lafayette. She scored what was a then career-high 18 points in 17 minutes during the win in Easton, then bested that with 19 points in 22 minutes on Wednesday.
• Of those 19 points, 15 came in the second half as the Eagles survived a third quarter push from the Leopards.
• Senior Jade Edwards picked up her third double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds while classmate Emily Fisher added another 14 points.
• The game was tight through the first quarter with seven lead changes and four ties. But American dominated in the second with a 15-4 run to take a 27-15 lead into halftime.
• Lafayette managed to battle back in the third, coming back within two before a 5-0 run from Johns and Fisher ended the 10-0 Lafayette run.

#AUWBB vs. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE

• American holds a 213-108 (.664) record in Patriot League play, and an overall record of 270-140 (.659) 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 five-game advantage over the Eagles.
• Head Coach Megan Gebbia has a 105-48 (.686) 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.

PROTECT THIS HOUSE

• American is 64-12 at home since the start of the 2016-17, including an undefeated 23-0 run that ranked sixth in Division I before ending with a loss to Ohio on Dec. 29, 2018.
• Within that run was the program's first undefeated season at home since the 1970s en route to the program's second PL title in 2017-18.
• Under head coach Megan Gebbia, the Eagles are 94-28 (.770) in Bender Arena, including 73-16 (.820) against Patriot League opponents.
• American was undefeated at home once again last season at 4-0 during the shortened conference-only slate.
• The Eagles have also been dominant at home in postseason play, with an overall record of 15-2 during the PL Tournament since 2011. Included in that record is a 13-0 record from Gebbia.

TICKET INFORMATION

• Tickets for the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal game are on sale now. They any time online at AUEagles.com/Tickets.
• Prices are - $10 (adults), $5 (seniors & youth).
• AU students will be admitted for free with a current and valid AU graduate, undergraduate, or WCL student ID.

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).