WASHINGTON – From the jump, it was an intense match-up for the American University women's basketball team as they took on Holy Cross at home in Bender Arena on Saturday. The Eagles' intensity fell off though and they ended up dropping the contest, 70-42, after the Crusaders surged ahead midway through the second period and amounted a lead that AU was unable to surmount.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Cecilia Kay, the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week, was an important figure on the day for the Eagles, leading the team in scoring, with 14 points, and rebounds, with seven.
• Anna Rescifina came second in scoring for AU with nine points. She went 3-for-4 from the charity stripe.
• Lindsay Berger had an impressive outing for the Crusaders. She led her team with 22 points, eight of which came from free throws where she was 8-for-9 on the afternoon.
• The Crusaders topped the Eagles shooting 43 percent from the floor and holing American to just 22 percent.
• Free throws were the name of the game, with the Eagles going 18-for-26 and Crusaders shooting 17-for-23 from the line. The squads were equal in fouls, both accumulating 18 over the course of the contest.

How it Happened

• After winning the tip, Grace Koepke opened the game with an immediate three pointer to set the early tone against the Crusaders.
• After an AU foul, two free throws were awarded to put the Crusaders on the board. It was after another set of fouls that Holy Cross was able to tie the game with five mins left in the opening quarter.
• This was quickly answered by an Ivy Bales jumper. And guard Laura Nogues converted both free-throws after being fouled.
• Holy Cross picked up the energy in the final minute, going on a six-point run to finish out the frame, leading 21-14.  
• Bales paved an opening for her team with a strong jumper, putting two more on the board for the Eagles.
• Before the final media timeout of the opening half, the Crusaders went on a seven point run, led by Berger who claimed five of those for herself.  
• With 10 personal fouls by both American and Holy Cross, in the first half, AU amassed 12 points 12 to HC's 9 from the charity stripe, each team claiming a solid chunk of points from the line.
• With American down 39-27 at the half, the Eagles showed signs of life before the buzzer. Kay and Rescifina lead the Eagles with eight points while Berger leads Holy Cross with 11 points.
• Opening the third, Bales had an important steal to give Rescifina the go ahead with a free-throw, showing the Eagles were down but not out.
• The third brought intensity, with back-and-forth defensive efforts out of both teams early.
• Freshman guard Madisyn Moore-Nicholson broke the scoring drought for the Eagles with a corner three, quickly followed up by a three pointer from Kay to give the Eagles hope before the final quarter, reducing a 20 point deficit to 13, within reach.
• Hope was extinguished in the final quarter though when the Crusaders limited the Eagles to just four points–two of which came from the free-throw line–, outscoring them by a margin of 19-4.
• Holy Cross cruised through the final frame to a 76-44 victory over American in Bender. 

Ivy Bales
Before the start of the game, graduate student point guard Ivy Bales was honored for achieving 500 career rebounds, having hit the milestone in early December against Towson. Bales is just the 20th player in AU history to become a member of the 500 club and after grabbing two more rebounds against the Crusaders, Bales with 556 boards, is now just 21 rebounds away from joining the prestigious Top-10 list of most in American history.



On the Horizon
With a short rest, the Eagles will hit the road for an away match at Lehigh on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. This will be the first meeting of the programs this season.

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