WASHINGTON – Coming back from the holiday break, the American University women's basketball team is taking on another crosstown rival, this time in Howard. It's the Eagles' final non-conference contest before they take on Navy next week. The Eagles and the Bison are game one in a double-header day in Bender, tipping off at 12:30 p.m.
 
The men's squad will compete later that afternoon, at 4 p.m., against the UMBC Retrievers.

Follow Along

• Date & Time: Sunday, Dec. 29; 12:30 p.m. 
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
• TV: ESPN+

Series History

• In the series against the Bison, the Eagles have a slight, 11-9, advantage over Howard. However, across the last five matchups, HU takes a 3-2 advantage into Bender this season, including a 75-57 win over AU in 2023.
• Emily Johns (15) and Anna LeMaster (21) led the Eagles in scoring along with current starting point guard Laura Nogues (10). Nogues also had five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. She led AU on the boards.
• The Bison also had three players score in double-digits for the afternoon. Kaiya Creek, Nile Miller, and Iyanna Warren scored 17, 14, and 12 points respectively. They trio also combined for 13 rebounds, Creek leading with six. Creek and Miller are both still with the Bison.

Quick Hits

• American is still looking for its first win of the season after starting 0-10, including close losses against FDU, UMBC, and Winthrop. Most recently, the squad is coming off a 64-51 loss on the road at Monmouth on Dec. 21. American shot 40 percent from three and 35 percent overall in to Monmouth's 30 percent and 37 percent.  
• Against the Hawks before the holiday break, junior point guard, Laura Nogues opened the game on 5-for-5 shooting, including 3-for-3 from three, within the first five minutes of the contest. She finished with 18 points. Ultimately, she went 7-for-10 overall and 4-for-6 from three point range. She led all players on the court in scoring.
• Nogues is currently second on the team in scoring (8.5 ppg) and leads the team in made three-pointers with 15, shooting .385 percent so far on the season.
• At Monmouth, Ivy Bales finished two points shy of a double-double against MU, capping off the contest with eight points and 10 rebounds. The guard also had two assists and two steals. Bales is second on the team in rebounding so far this season, averaging 5.5 boards per contest.
• On the season, freshman forward Cecilia Kay is third in the league in blocks (16) across ten contests. Kay leads the Eagles in scoring and in rebounding this season with 10.1 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game.
• Fellow freshman Molly Driscoll is third on the team in scoring (7.9 ppg) and second in made three pointers (12), shooting .387 percent from beyond the arc.

Scouting Howard

• The Bison are sitting on 6-8 on the season coming into Bender on Saturday. Currently, they're on a three-game losing streak, most recently getting edged by the Big-10's Northwestern, 68-66, at the Hawk Classic in Philadelphia on Dec. 21.
• Three HU player players scored in double-digits against the Wildcats and 10 different Bison scored, the most this season. As a team, Howard again took care of the ball with only nine turnovers, the second straight game with single-digit miscues.
• The defense forced 20 Wildcat turnovers which led to 18 of their points. The team also had a 38-28 advantage on points in the paint and a 13-8 advantage in second chance opportunities.
• Destiny Howell (14), Saniyah King (13), and Nile Miller (11) led the Bison on the court. Miller, with nine rebounds, led on the glass and was just one away from a double-double in the game. She went 5-for-8 and led in steals as well, with three.
• Howell (15.6 ppg), King (10.0 ppg), and Zennia Thomas (9.1 ppg) lead HU this season. Thomas is also leading the squad with an average of 7.1 rebounds per game.

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