Women's Basketball Alumni gather mid-court to celebrate the Eagles and the 10th anniversary of the program's first Patriot League Championship.
Josh Markowitz
67
Winner Lehigh Lehigh 19-4,10-1 Patriot
52
American Americ 1-21,1-10 Patriot
Winner
Lehigh Lehigh
19-4,10-1 Patriot
67
Final
52
American Americ
1-21,1-10 Patriot
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Lehigh Lehigh 18 12 18 19 67
American Americ 15 11 7 19 52

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Third Quarter Sinks Women’s Hoops Against Lehigh

WASHINGTON – A competitive game for three quarters, the Eagles of the American University women's basketball team slipped in the third period and allowed the Lehigh Mountain Hawks to gain the competitive edge that would lead them to claim the victory over AU in Bender, 67-52.
 
Inside the Box Score
  • It was a career high outing from Cecilia Kay with her 24 points. The freshman forward earned her sixth double-double in the game, her fifth in PL play, with her 11 rebounds. She led all players on the hardwood in both scoring and rebounding.
  • With her eight rebounds in the afternoon, Ivy Bales is now 10th all time with 579 career rebounds. Bales was second on the team on the glass, and second in scoring for AU with her 11 points.
  • Another career-high scoring came from Lexi Salazar, with her eight points, including 2-of-4 shooting from deep. Senior Bailey Garbee finished with a career high five assists to lead AU on the afternoon. She also pulled down 7 rebounds.
  • The Eagles held Lehigh to just 3-of-24 attempted three-pointers and stayed active underneath the basket with 33 rebounds, keeping up with Lehigh's 35.
  • Although unable to outscore their opponent, AU did well with what was let into the basket with 16 fewer attempts than the Mountain Hawks and overall scoring 41.3 percent.
  • Leading in the Patriot League, the Mountain Hawks continue their eight-game win streak.
How it Happened
  • Off to a quick start, Lehigh took the lead from the tip, but the Eagles stayed alert with steals and rebounds, Garbee with three rebounds and three assists. On the offensive end, Kay helped AU keep up by making both of her free throws when taken to the line, earning seven points in the opening five minutes.
  • Fouled attempting a three with 0.2 seconds left in the first quarter, Salazar made 2-of-3 to bring the Eagles just three points shy of a tie with 18-15 at the end of one.
  • Shooting 50 percent in the first quarter, the Eagles picked up the pace in the second to bring the game to its first tie with a 6-0 run from Kay and Bales. Stuck at 21-21 with seven attempted field goals not falling, the Eagles finally made a jumper to break the stalemate.
  • It was Bales who broke the drought and when Lehigh responded on the other end, the teams were even at 23-all before the Mountain Hawks retook the lead on free throws, but Laura Nogues got an and-1 on the other end with 1:13 to play.
  • To end the half, the Mountain Hawks scored twice in a row, putting the Eagles down by a small margin of only four points, Lehigh leading 30-26 going into the locker rooms.
  • In the third quarter, Nogues picked up her third and fourth fouls, limiting her time on the hardwood and with 7:55 to play the point guard earned her fifth, taking her out of the remainder of the game.
  • Kay stayed strong under the basket to help the Eagles after getting fouled on a driving layup, sinking both of her free throws, then following with a rebound under Lehigh's basket for a fast break attempt, turning defense into offense.
  • Lehigh mounted a heady lead in the penultimate quarter, outscoring the Eagles 20-7 in the third, up 48-33, to carry a 15-point lead into the final ten minutes of play. Coming back strong through the last quarter, the Eagles were taken to the free throw line three times with five minutes to go, making three from the charity stripe.
  • Salazar drained a three with 4:30 remaining, followed by Kay with a layup in an attempt to keep pace with the Mountain Hawks, but down 60-44.
  • Salazar making another three in a fast paced final two minutes of the contest, saw the Eagles dropping two unanswered baskets, and keeping up the hustle, Garbee took to the line and made one to bring the Eagles to their final tally of 52 against Lehigh.
  • A high-intensity, fast-paced fourth quarter saw each team scoring their highest points total in a quarter, AU with 19 points and Lehigh with 17, but American couldn't reign in control of the game enough to surpass the Mountain Hawks and ultimately fell 67-52 in Bender on Saturday.
On the Horizon
The Eagles head back up to Pennsylvania to face off with Lafayette on Wednesday, Feb. 12 in Kirby Sports Center. First tip for that contest with the Leopards is set for 6 p.m. 

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