WASHINGTON – After a thrilling overtime win away against Holy Cross on Saturday, the American University women's basketball team (6-18, 5-8 PL), will be hosting Bucknell (11-13, 7-6 PL). This will be the first time the two programs have faced off since the Eagles took down the Bison in the Patriot League Championship game in 2022.
QUICK INFO
- Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 15; 7 p.m.
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
- Series History: American leads Bucknell, 27-24
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: Dan Laing (pxp), Jody Patrick (color)
PLAY4KAY
- Wednesday evening's game is Presented by Official Game Sponsor, CareFirst, and will also serve as the team's annual Play4Kay game in support of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Fans are asked to join both teams in wearing PINK in support of cancer research and the fight against ALL cancers involving women.
- On December 3, 2022, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund celebrated its 15th anniversary. Since its inception, the fund has awarded near $8 million to support scientific research and programs that serve the underserved in the fight against ALL cancers involving women.
- Olympic gold medal-winning and Naismith Hall of Fame coach, Kay Yow, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and passed away on January 24, 2009. As a result of her own 22-year battle with cancer, Coach Yow founded the Kay Yow Cancer Fund to give hope to others who also found themselves in a similar battle.
- For more information, please visit kayyow.com.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- The Eagles lead the Bison in the series 27-24 and American has the 15-9 home court advantage in Bender Arena. The two teams have not yet faced off in the Patriot League this season, meaning the last time the two programs faced off was when American won over Bucknell in the 2021-22 Patriot League Championship game, 65-54.
- In that game then-sophomore Ivy Bales led the team with seven rebounds while also tacking on 11 points. The guard played all but three minutes of the Championship game. She also had two assists, two blocks, and a steal.
- Outside of the championship game, the Eagles split the regular season. In their first meeting last season, the Bison charged ahead to a 10-point, 62-52 victory over the Eagles in Lewisburg. In that game, Lauren Stack had seven rebounds and five steals. Cecelia Collins was the leading scorer for Bucknell with 14 points. She also had nine assists, seven rebounds, and three steals.
- When the two programs faced off in Bender for their second meeting, it was American who took an eight-point victory over Bucknell. Ivy Bales and Stack both had nine points each. For the Bison, Collins also came out of that game with nine points and six rebounds.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
- The Eagles are coming off a 67-56 (OT) Saturday victory against the Holy Cross Crusaders in Worcester, Mass. The Eagles held a lead for the majority of the game but went into overtime play after a strong final punch from the Crusaders to close the gap. It was composure under pressure from the Eagles to finish out the game with a rowdy home crowd rooting for Holy Cross.
- The overtime win was a result of a quick three-point lead with a basket and a foul drawn from freshman Molly Lavin. The Eagles kept their lead with a strong defensive performance and the Crusaders were left two down, with a final shot in the last second not landing thanks to the Eagles defense holding strong and forcing a last-ditch effort.
- American was led by a standout performance from senior forward Lauren Stack. Stack had an impressive 17 points and 6 rebounds during the game. Stack went 8-13 from the floor, playing 35 minutes, scarcely coming off the floor in the second half when fellow forward Emily Johns got into foul trouble.
- Exceptional performances also came from junior Kayla Henning with 16 points, two rebounds, three assists, and three steals, junior Emily Johns with 12 points and six rebounds, and Lavin, the freshman, with seven points and six boards. Lavin is currently second on the team in total three-point field goals made this season (17) and leads in three-point percentage (.395).
- Johns had limited on court time due to foul trouble in the fourth but was still the second-highest points-getter for the Eagles on Saturday against the Crusaders and tied with Stack and Lavin for rebounds. The junior is American's leading points-scorer this season with 300, averaging 13.0 ppg.
- Johns, the junior forward, is leading the team in points, scoring 288 points this season, and is averaging 13.0 points per game. She is also 11th in the league in scoring average, and fourth in field goal percentage (.465).
- On the season, American leads the league in steals (198), averaging 8.25 per game and is third in the league in assists with 319, averaging 13.29 per game. Ivy Bales leads the league in steals (44), averaging 1.8 per game. Bales is also fifth in the league in assists (75), averaging 3.1 per game. She leads the Eagles in both categories.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BUCKNELL
- The Bison are riding a five-game win streak heading into the matchup. Most recently they faced off with Navy and Colgate, soundly taking down the Mids 70-49 on Wednesday and the Raiders 50-44 on Saturday.
- Against the Mids, the Bison had three athletes in double-digits. Cecelia Collins (20), Emma Shaffer (13), and Tai Johnson (12). Collins is their top scorer on the season, Cecelia Collins.
- Against Colgate, Collins dropped 17 points for her 13th game in a row scoring in double digits. The sophomore is averaging 13.8 ppg and is currently seventh in the league in scoring, ninth in field goal percentage (.441), and fifth in free throw percentage (.681), and fourth in assists (3.1 per game).
- Another standout performer for Bucknell is Schaffer. Against Navy, Shaffer rained in 13 points before she went on to grab a double-double over Colgate with 14 points and 15 rebounds. It was the senior's sixth career double-double. The 6'2 forward is sixth in the league with 8.6 rebounds per game and eighth in blocked shots with 18.
- Shaffer is second on the team in scoring average (9.9 ppg) and she is the leader of the Bison in rebounding (8.6) and has 15 steals.
- Following her in scoring is senior guard Tai Johnson averaging 7.7 ppg and Isabella King with 7.6 ppg; King leads the team with 32 made triples this season, averaging .364 percent from beyond the arc. The sophomore also leads the team with 18 steals.
- Bucknell is currently fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.405) and fifth in the league, just squeezing into the top half of the table.
KEEP UP WITH US
