Women’s Hoops Heads to Baltimore to Take On UMBC

WASHINGTON – The American University women's basketball team will look to earn their first road win against head coach Tiffany Coll's alma mater, UMBC, on Wednesday, Nov. 20. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. in Baltimore, Md.

Follow Along

Date/Time: Wednesday, Nov. 20; 6:30 p.m.
Site: Baltimore, Md. (Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena)
TV: ESPN+

Series History

This is the twenty-second matchup between the Eagles and the Retrievers in a rivalry that dates to 2001. AU leads the series 15-7 and has won eight of the last ten meetings.
In their last game, played on Dec. 20, 2023, UMBC barely edged American with a bucket in the final 2 seconds to take the win, 60-59. The game had been back and forth until late in the fourth quarter, when American took a decisive seven-point lead. With American unable to convert on their end, UMBC took charge and closed the gap. In the final moments of the game, a UMBC bucket lifted them by one. There was not enough time for AU to get a shot before the buzzer, giving the Retrievers the win.
UMBC is coach Coll's alma mater (Class of 2003). She played four seasons for the Retrievers and was a part of the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

Quick Hits

In their most recent matchup, American fell 59-41 to the visiting Longwood Lancers. Both teams struggled offensively but Longwood's full court press and consistent conversions led to the Lancers maintaining control of the game.
The Eagles forced poor shots from the Lancers in the first frame, going up 8-5 in the first five minutes by shooting 57% on the floor compared to Longwood's 18%. By the second quarter, the Lancers found their feet, and the net, leading the Eagles into the half, 46-38. Both teams started the second half slow and neither scored over ten points. By the fourth quarter the offensive efforts picked back up and there were flashes of brilliance from the Eagles, including a big three pointer from Cecilia Kay. Despite American's energy shift, Longwood outscored the team 19-12 in the final frame to take it, 59-41.
The newcomers on the team had themselves a day, led by Kay whose performance proved why she was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week last week. Kay finished her second consecutive game with double digit rebounds (10) and scored eight points. Classmate Elizabeth Archer also found herself on the leaderboard with eight points and six rebounds and Molly Driscoll continued the trend by scoring eight, along with two assists and a steal.
Coach Coll noted that while the team is disappointed by the result against Longwood, there is much to learn from their performance. The young Eagles team looks to grow from each non-conference showing and apply lessons learned from one game to the next, being ready to compete come Patriot League play in January.

What to Know About the Retrievers

In their last showing, the Retrievers defeated Morgan State, 81-72. Graduate student Jordan Lewis scored a team-high 19 points to lead a school record six players in double-figures.
Lewis shot 6-of-7 from the field and 7-of-9 from the line, sinking her final seven attempts.
Among the double-digit scorers were graduate students Talia Davis, Jaliena Sanchez, Jaden Walker, junior Carmen Yanez, and sophomore Tiara Bellamy.
Lewis dominated the scoring as the Retrievers took an early 12-0 lead, tallying eight straight points. UMBC held their lead into the second frame, but a 6-0 run by Morgan State tied the game, 22-22. The game went back and forth through the half and into the third before UMBC's 18-7 run to take the lead at the end of the quarter.
The Retrievers would score 27 compared to Morgan State's 20 in the final 10 minutes. Late in the game, UMBC hit four straight free throws to extend their lead, also converting all of their last six free throws to close out the win.
The 81 points scored marks the most by UMBC against a Division 1 opponent in its last 20 D1 contents.
UMBC's ability to shoot from the line is notable at .732 over four games.