WASHINGTON – The American University women's basketball team (3-14, 2-4 PL) will be heading up to Easton, Pa. to take on Lafayette (4-12, 1-5 PL) in what will be a re-match of each team's first league game of the season. Last time the two faced off, American won 75-65 in Bender to kick off their conference campaign. The re-match will be an early game, the two teams tipping-off at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18.
QUICK INFO
- Date/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 18; 11:00 a.m.
- Site: Easton, Pa. (Kirby Sports Center)
- Series History: American leads Lafayette, 46-9
- TV: ESPN+
INSIDE THE SERIES
- The Eagles lead the series against the Leopards 46-9, grabbing the most recent victory against Lafayette in their 75-65 win in Bender Arena at the end of December that started conference play for both teams.
- At home in Bender the Eagles have a 28-2 advantage and a 28-7 conference record against the Leopards.
- On the road against Lafayette, American also holds the edge, holding a 17-7 lead over the Leopards.
- American will look to extend its current four-game win streak against Lafayette, not having lost against the program since dropping both matchups in the shortened 2020 season.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
- Last time out, the Eagles faced Lehigh at home, falling 77-79 in a battle that lasted from the first whistle to the final whistle. In the game, American shot 58 percent from the floor, holding Lehigh to 38 percent.
- Against the Mountain Hawks, the Eagles were led by Emily Johns with 20 points who went 8-11 and grabbed two rebounds and three assists. Johns continues to lead the team with an average of 13.9 ppg.
- Lauren Stack went 7-9 against Lehigh, adding 17 points and seven boards to the team's efforts while junior guard Ivy Bales dominated for the Eagles on the glass, pulling down 12 rebounds. She also contributed six rebounds and three steals. Bales is the leading rebounder for AU this season (6.2 rpg) and has a league-leading number of steals with 34, averaging 2.0 per game.
- The last time the Eagles and the Leopards faced off, it was Stack and Johns that led the charge, scoring 14 points apiece, but five players scored in double digits, including Bales, Riley DeRubbo, and Kayla Henning.
- In that game, the Eagles didn't trail from the fifth minute of the game onward and shot 11-15 (73%) in the final frame of the game to secure the double-digit win.
- Sadie Stetson secured her first career start against the Leopards and has since become a regular of the American starting lineup, averaging 18 minutes, 2.9 points, and 1.5 rebounds per game. Against Lafayette in the conference opener, Stetson has five points and six rebounds.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LAFAYETTE
- In their most recent game, the Leopards took on league-leaders, Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and fell 50-66 to the Crusaders to fall to 1-5 in the Patriot League standings.
- Against Holy Cross, Lafayette was led by Abbi Antognoli, who dropped 15 points to continue her hot streak for the Leopards. She holds the second-highest scoring average on the team (11.0 ppg) while also leading the team with 26 steals.
- Another stand-out performer for Lafayette against the Crusaders was Makayla Andrews, who netted ten points and took ten rebounds for her second career double-double. Andrews is leading the Leopards with the highest scoring average on the season (12.4 ppg), while also averaging the second-highest rebounding average (6.1 rpg).
- On the glass, the Leopards are led by Kayla Drummond, the junior forward is averaging 7.3 rpg, while also having a team-leading nine blocks. Drummond is eighth in the Patriot League for rebounding.
- Jessica Booth, a senior guard on the Leopards, is contributing an average of 10.6 ppg for Lafayette, but has 60 assists on the season (4.0 per game) to be notched at second on the Patriot's Leagues' list for the stat.
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