WASHINGTON – In a game bookended by strong first and fourth periods from the visiting Colgate Raiders, the American University women's basketball team struggled to find an offensive rhythm and ended up dropping to the Raiders 72-60. The two programs split the series this season, each winning on the road on the opposition's home court.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Emily Johns had nine of her 21 points in the first half and her six first half rebounds were it for her on the evening.
• Kayla Henning and Anna LeMaster were the other two Eagles in double digit scoring position. Henning finished with 12 points and LeMaster with 14. Ivy Bales followed close behind with nine points, adding four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
• Sophomore forward Molly Lavin led for American on the glass with double-digit rebounding, grabbing 10 in her 23 minutes on the floor.
• For the visitors, Colgate was carried offensively by Madison Schiller and Taylor Golembiewski with 14 and 15 points. Schiller and Golembiewski led defensively as well with eight rebounds apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Lauren Stack won the tip and Henning the first basket, but then it was a quick 6-0 Colgate run until Johns snapped it with a jumper at 7:14 to go in the first.
• A steal on one end of the court that was a joint effort from Stack and Johns had Bales sinking a quick, routine jumper on the other end to give the Eagles' their first lead at 9-8 with half a period to play.
• It was a back swing though for the remainder of the frame when the Raiders retook control at 15-11 with 1:50 to play and finished out the frame with a 21-13 lead.
• The second quarter began with a 6-2 run for AU, through the first three minutes, with baskets coming in from Henning and Johns, the Eagles taking it down to a two possession game, down 23-19 with 4:55 until the halftime break.
• Only three Eagles had gotten on the stat sheet for scoring: Johns, Henning, and Bales, and coming out the media timeout, the Raiders took advantage with two back-to-back baskets, but LeMaster cut into that with a triple.
• Colgate pushed the pace, and AU went along but couldn't quite keep up, and the halftime lead for the Raider was eight, up 33-28 over the Eagles.
• Coming out of the locker room for the second half, the Eagles struggled to find their groove against the Raiders and Stack picked up her third foul early in the period. At the 5:57 mark in the third, the home team was down 37-30. Both teams were struggling from distance though, with each 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.
• There was no real rhythm for AU to fall into, but six more points from Johns and a basket from LeMaster kept the Eagles within striking distance, down 46-38 with a minute left in the penultimate frame, and with 10 to play, it was a 10 point game, American down 49-38.
• Halfway through the final period, American was still down ten, with Bales, Johns, and LeMaster doing their best to make a dent in Colgate's lead.
• It wouldn't get any easier for the Eagles, they kept pace with the Raiders, the final quarter Colgate scored 24 and American had 22, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit and the Eagles fell 72-60.

UP NEXT
The Eagles are home in Bender Arena on Tuesday, February 27 at 7 p.m. to take on Army for their final home game of the regular season.

Tickets are on sale now at AUEagles.com/Tickets!
 
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