BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After leading early and then coming back from an 11-point deficit in the first quarter, the American University women's basketball team fell just short of Lehigh on the Mountain Hawks' home court on Wednesday. Lehigh outscored American after the Eagles led for most of the third quarter, and handed AU a 61-55 loss.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Laura Nogues led the Eagles with 15 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor. She also led the Eagles in assists with four.
• Cecilia Kay earned her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.
• Bailey Garbee tied her season high for points with 12, also leading the Eagles with four rebounds.
• Mountain Hawk Maddie Albrecht paced the floor with 18 points. She was just short of a double-double with eight rebounds, and also had two assists.
• Lehigh leads the Patriot League in field goal percentage, but the Eagles shot 43 percent from the floor, eclipsing the Mountain Hawks' 33 percent. The Eagles also led in rebounds, 39-37.
• The Mountain Hawks had the edge in three-pointers, with nine to American's five.

How it Happened

• American won the tipoff and earned the first points of the game with two points from Ivy Bales. Kay followed with two good free throws, bringing the score to 4-0 just over two minutes into the game.
• Lehigh answered with eight points from Maddie Albrecht and Lily Fandre. The Eagles and Mountain Hawks went back and forth for the rest of the quarter, with Lehigh gaining significant momentum to outscore American 21-10.
• Laura Nogues began her scoring run to start the second quarter, bringing the score to 21-15 in the first two minutes.
• Bailey Garbee and Molly Driscoll responded to Whitney Lind's layup with points of their own, keeping the Eagles within striking distance. But Gracyn Lovette and Albrecht each sank three-pointers late in the quarter to maintain their lead over the Eagles going into the half.
• The Eagles played a strong second quarter, besting the Mountain Hawks in points, field goals, and rebounds. American shot 58 percent from the floor compared to Lehigh's 25 percent.
• In the third quarter, the Eagles continued their strong run. A layup from Kay with 6:16 left in the quarter brought American above Lehigh, 35-33.
• The Mountain Hawks responded quickly. Lehigh had five unanswered points before a layup from Madisyn Moore-Nicholson. Bailey Garbee answered Meghan O'Brien's three-pointer with her second three-pointer of the game, getting close again to evening the score.
• Lehigh scored 5-of-6 free throws in the third quarter to bolster their lead over the Eagles. But with two seconds remaining in the third, Nogues sank a three-pointer to gain an edge over Lehigh, 48-47.
• The Eagles had their largest lead of the game early in the fourth quarter with five points from Nogues in the first two minutes. The Mountain Hawks kept the nergy up, bringing the score to 53-53 with 4:17 remaining.
• Ivy Bales regained the lead for American with a turnaround, but with three fouls from the Eagles, Lehigh banked six free throws and a layup in the last two minutes of the game.
• The Mountain Hawks outscored the Eagles 14-7 in the fourth to claim the 61-55 win.

On the Horizon
The Eagles will head back on the road to play the Colgate Raiders on Saturday, Jan. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
Follow the Eagles
Instagram | Twitter | AUEagles | Facebook