WASHINGTON – The American University women's basketball team is coming off a victory against Loyola Maryland in their final game of the regular season. The No. 9 seeded Eagles will travel to Davis Gym on Saturday evening to take on the No. 8 seed Bucknell at 7 p.m. for the opening round game of the Patriot League Tournament. 
 
With postseason beginning and an integral win against Loyola, American enters championship play sitting at the ninth seed. Bucknell leads by one, at No. 8. American is looking to advance to the Patriot League Quarterfinals, despite Bucknell's home advantage. Should they advance, the Eagles would face off with No. 1-seed Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

QUICK INFO   

• Date/Time: Saturday, Mar. 9, 7 p.m.  
• Site: Lewisburg, Pa., (Davis Gym) 
• Series History: American leads, 28-27 
• TV: ESPN+ 

INSIDE THE SERIES   

• This is the third time that American will face Bucknell after battling to a split record this season, with American prevailing in the first match on Jan. 6 (58-47) and Bucknell taking the second win on Feb. 4 (47-61). Each team won on their respective home court.
• The Eagles hold a 9-13 record on the road against the Bison; they are hoping to use this Saturday as an opportunity to improve upon that and dig further into tournament play.
• The two sides have been historically evenly matched, especially in the last three years. Just one game separates the sides, and an AU loss would result in a tied record. American is currently leading 28-27. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN   

• American has struggled during the back half of this season, riding a six-game losing streak that was snapped with a pivotal win against Loyola Maryland in their last regular game of the season. The AU win prevented the Greyhounds from claiming the No. 1-seed in the tournament.
• The Greyhounds started the game strong, with a 6-0 run that was thrown off their tracks by a mid-range jumper in the third minute from Emily Johns. Johns currently leads the Eagles with a 12.6 ppg average.
• The game was a constant back and forth for a majority of play. Loyola led the game 18-11 after the first quarter and the second quarter started off shaky for the Eagles, with Loyola leading by 12 with seven minutes before the half. 
• The Eagles then went on 15-3 in the last five-and-a-half minutes of the opening half, giving them a 34-31 edge thanks to an incredible last-second three pointer from Laura Nogues taken near mid-court.
• Senior guard Anna LeMaster led the team with 16 points and stayed atop the boards with nine rebounds. LeMaster has a team-leading three double-doubles and was just one rebound shy of grabbing the fourth of her career. The senior is currently third on the team in both scoring (8.5 ppg) and rebounding (4.4 rpg).
• The game continued to stay close throughout the second half, with the Greyhounds taking the lead back from the Eagles after the third, 54-52. The final frame saw three lead changes, coming down to eight AU free throws in the final minute and 39 seconds. American ended up victorious with eight made layups, including five from Kayla Henning. 

 
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BUCKNELL  

• Bucknell is coming off a 55-49 loss against Navy on Wednesday evening at home. The loss against the Midshipmen secured their place as the eighth seed going into the Patriot League tournament.
• The Bison's led the first two frames, going into the half with a precarious one-point lead, 26-25.  
• The Midshipmen opened the second half on a 23-10 run, with their offense looking to make up for points lost in the first half. 
• Sophomore Emma Theodorsson led the Bison with 17 points, including a buzzer beater tip-in to put Bucknell in the lead at the half. Theodorsson leads all scorers for Bucknell with 13.0 ppg and is second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.
• Alongside Theodorsson, the Bisons were led by sophomore Blake Matthews, who recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Other notable players were Ashley Sofilkanich with nine points and eight rebounds, and Grace Sullivan tallying six points and nine rebounds.
• Sofilkanich is second in scoring for the Bison with 12.3 ppg and leads on the boards with an average of 6.3 rebounds per game while Sullivan is averaging 8.9 ppg and averages 5.2 rebounds per game. 

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