WASHINGTON –– American women's basketball struggled to fire offensively in the second and fourth quarters and that provided Loyola Maryland enough leeway to take control of the game and grab the 63-53 win over the Eagles on Wednesday.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Molly Driscoll ended the first half on 13 points and by the final buzzer had totaled 20 to lead all players on the court. She was on fire offensively, collecting her points on 6-of-12 shooting while also adding four assists and four rebounds.
• Charlotte Tuhy struggled to get started offensively but tallied 10 rebounds for the Eagles. Madisyn Moore-Nicholson capped out at 11 points and went 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
• Lex Therien and Koi Sims were the offensive leaders for Loyola on the night, finishing with 16 and 14 points apiece. Kimmie Hicks also contributed 11 for the visitors. Therien led with 11 rebounds.
• Neither team relied on their bench much with AU tallying nine bench points to LMD's six.
• Most Loyola's points came from down low, the visiting squad scoring 46 in the paint. They also capitalized on AU's 11 turnovers and took 23 points from those. 

How it Happened

• Five minutes in, Driscoll had already tallied eight points, putting American up 11-6 over the Greyhounds early. Coming out of the media timeout at 4:27, Moore-Nicholson converted on an extra point play and had the Eagles up 14-6.
• Rounding out the first quarter, Driscoll led all players on the floor with 13 points on perfect 4-of-4 overall and 3-of-3 from long range shooting and led American with three boards. AU was up 19-14 over LMD.
• Locking down on defense only worked for the first four minutes of the period before Driscoll was able to make a jumper fall over the double-team, she was up against.
• On the other end, the Greyhounds closed the gap, making it 21-all with five minutes to play until halftime. Sims grinded on offense in the second half scoring eight points to have LMD taking the lead, 25-23, with 2:42 until halftime.
• Therien had eight rebounds for the Greyhounds, seven of which were defensive, to slow the Eagles from taking any second-chance points. As a squad, Loyola was shooting 44.4 percent through the first half to American's 29.6. American only scored four points in the second period.
• Less than two minutes into the second half, Therien and Sims each had 10 points, but with seven minutes in the third still to be played, Therien picked up her third foul. The Greyhounds still held their lead, up 34-31
• A solo effort from Anna Rescifina to break through the Greyhound defense had AU back in the lead, up 37-36, with under four minutes left in the third. Rescifina was holding nine points from 4-of-4 shooting.
• A big three pointer drained by Driscoll had AU up eight, 44-36, and saw her tally her 20th point of the night with one minute to go in the third period. Driscoll would be held scoreless through the remainder of the game.
• With ten to go, American was holding their lead, up 45-39; over the next minute and 33 seconds, Loyola went on a 5-0 run, down one, 45-44. The Greyhounds extended their run, going 15-0 over the Eagles to lead, 54-45, with five minutes to play.
• Therien, on 14 points and 11 rebounds, picked up her fourth foul with 4:30 to play in the game. The run extended to 20-3, for the visitors though, leading 58-47. They held their nine point lead, up 60-51, with two minutes left on the clock.
• Ultimately, Loyola's late push would send them running past the Eagles to claim the 10-point, 63-53, victory. 

On the Horizon
The Eagles squad is hitting the road to take on Lafayette in Kirby Sports Center on Saturday, Jan. 31. American will remain on the road to take on Bucknell in Lewisburg on Wednesday, Feb. 4.

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