WASHINGTON – The American University women's basketball team dives into Patriot League action with a trip to Worcester, Mass. to face off against Holy Cross from the Hart Center on Sunday. Tip against the Crusaders is set for 2 p.m.

Follow Along

• Date & Time: Sunday, Jan. 5; 2 p.m. EST
• Site: Worcester, Mass. (Hart Center Arena)
• TV: ESPN+

Series History

• In the recent past, the Crusaders hold a 3-2 advantage over the Eagles; the two teams have split the regular season the past two seasons, each taking one win, but Holy Cross also won over AU in the first round of the 2023-24 PL tournament.
• In the previous game against the Crusaders, at home in Bender, American topped the team from Worcester by a score of 74-68. The Eagles were taken down by 11 points on the road earlier in the season.
• In that most recent victory, four Eagles scored in double-digits, but the only one remaining on the roster is Laura Nogues with her 14 point performance. Ivy Bales led all players on the glass with nine rebounds.
• Holy Cross was led by Bronagh Power-Cassidy with a 24 point performance; she went 6-for-8 from distance. Lindsay Berger (12), Cara McCormack (11), and Kaitlyn Flanagan (10) also scored in double digits. Berger and Flanagan are back on the roster for the Crusaders this season. 

Quick Hits

• American is still looking for its first win of the season after starting 0-12, including, most recently a loss to the Midshipmen of Navy in Bender to start off Patriot League play on January 2. The Eagles and the Mids battled it out, but Navy edged past AU with a run to start the final period, claiming the 66-59 victory over American.
• Freshman Ellie Pingree led the Eagles in scoring against Navy, one of only two Eagles in double-digits with 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting. It was a career night for the freshman in both points (17) and field goals (7).
• Laura Nogues followed in second for AU with her 12 points. She went 3-for-6 from distance, but American struggled overall from deep, going only 4-for-15. On the glass, first year Cecilia Kay led AU with nine boards and defensively she added four blocks and two steals to go with her eight points.
• Kay is eighth in the Patriot League in rebounding (6.5 per game) and third in the league in blocked shots (20). The freshman tops the Eagles in scoring so far with an average of 9.4 points per game at the start of conference play. She leads the Eagles in rebounding as well, followed by Ivy Bales who averages 5.5 rpg.
• Nogues sits at second on the team averaging 8.8 ppg and Rescifina follows in third with 7.3 ppg. Bales and Nogues are 10th and 12th in the league, respectively, in assists per game with Bales averaging 3.0 and Nogues 2.8 per game.

Scouting Holy Cross

• The Crusaders are now under the tutelage of Candice Green. After spending her first year as a head coach with Fordham, Green now resides in the Woo with a solid .614 win percentage and an 8-4 start with the Crusaders, including a Patriot League victory over Loyola Md. on Thursday night. The low scoring affair saw HC top the Greyhounds 49-46 in Baltimore.
• Holy Cross lays claim to the fourth best scoring average in the Patriot League so far (61.8 ppg) and the third highest field goal percentage (.414). The Crusaders are riding a four game win streak, but despite their impressive 6-2 road record, are only 2-2 at home in the Hart Center so far.
• The four losses for the Crusaders include the Big East's #2 ranked UConn, the ACC's Boston College, and Vermont and Quinnipiac.
• Simone Foreman, fresh off a double-double against Loyola (14 p, 14 r) carries the fourth best individual scoring average in the league into the game with the Eagles. She's averaging 15.1 ppg, with a field goal percentage of .411.
• Foreman is managing to make a defensive impact as well, again ranked fourth highest in the league on the glass and leading the Crusaders with an average of 7.5 rebounds per game. She also holds the highest free throw percentage in the league, shooting 85.4 percent from the charity stripe.

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