WASHINGTON – American University women's basketball fell to the visiting Monmouth Hawks, 72-60, Wednesday night in Bender Arena. The game remained tight through three quarters, but a big push by Monmouth to start the fourth quarter put the game out of reach for the Eagles.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Sophomore Molly Lavin led the Eagles with 14 points, shooting 6-10 from the field, including two from behind the arc.
•  Junior Bailey Garbee and senior Anna LeMaster added 11 each as well. Garbee shot a perfect 4-4, including 3-3 from distance.
• Senior guard Kayla Henning led American with five assists, adding seven points as well.
• American hit nine three-pointers as a team, shooting 50% from distance, their best performance this season.
• Jania Hall led the Hawks with 18 points on 6-8 shooting while also dishing out three assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• American's strong defense held Monmouth to just 1-8 shooting to start the game, allowing the Eagles to jump out to an early 8-2 lead.
• Going through a 3:35 scoring drought of their own late in the quarter, the Eagles saw their early lead trimmed to just one, leading 14-13 heading into the second quarter.
• The game continued to be defined by tough defense from both sides, with the score being tied-up at 20 with five minutes remaining in the half.
• LeMaster and sophomore Lavin each hit three-pointers to give the Eagles signs of life offensively late in the half, but American continued to struggle to find its rhythm offensively, hitting just 1-6 from the field to end the half.
• Monmouth capitalized by putting pressure on the Eagles, going on a 5-0 in the final 1:50 of the half and taking a seven point, 33-26 lead at the break.
• After the Hawks got the first basket of the half, AU went on an 8-1 run with a layup from senior Lauren Stack and back-to-back makes from three by Garbee to trim Monmouth's lead to two with 7:07 left in the third quarter, down 34-36.
• Monmouth responded with a 5-0 run of its own to push its lead back to seven with 4:33 left in the third frame.
• Both teams traded baskets over the final 4:00 of the quarter, with Monmouth taking a 48-42 lead into the fourth.
• The Hawks blitzed the Eagles to start the final frame, going on a 10-0 run to expand their lead to 16, and the deficit proved to be too much to mount a comeback, with American falling 72-60.

UP NEXT
American will continue its three-game homestand on Sunday, December 10 at 2 p.m. when it takes on Towson in Bender Arena.
 
Tickets are on sale now at AUEagles.com/Tickets!
 
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