WASHINGTON –– American women's basketball is scheduled to play host to third-ranked Lehigh on Wednesday in Bender Arena with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
           
Follow Along

• Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 11; 6 p.m.
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
• TV: ESPN+

Series History

• When the Mountain Hawks come to Bender on Wednesday night, it will be the 59th meeting between the two programs in a series that dates back to 1983.
• The Eagles hold the 38-20, but Lehigh swept the series last season, claiming both games at home and away.
• Over the last ten games, the Eagles and the Mountain Hawks have split the seasons evenly, but Lehigh leads 10-4 over the las five season.
• Last season, the 2022-23 season, and the 2020-21 seasons went to the Mountain Hawks, while the 2021-22 and 2023-24 season sweeps went to American.
• In Bender Arena, the Tales hold a 19-10 series lead all-time over the Mountain Hawks.

Tipping Off

• The Eagles are looking for a win after dropping two games on the bounce last week, first against Bucknell (58-45) on the road, and Navy (68-58) in Bender arena. The Eagles showed determination against the top scoring offense and top team in the league when they took on Navy, but a third quarter surge from the Mids proved too much for AU to keep up with.
• American won the first quarter over Navy, finishing ahead 21-20; the Mids led by three at the halftime break, but outscoring the Eagles 28-9 in the third period put American in a position it couldn't climb back from, and AU dropped the game 86-58.
• Junior forward Grace Koepke tapped out on top of scoring for AU, with 14 points. Fellow forward, freshman Charlotte Tuhy led all players in rebounding with 15 total and had all three of the Eagles' blocks. She picked up her 11th double-double with her addition of 12 points.
• Both Koepke and Tuhy finished the game with four fouls, each playing over five minutes of the final quarter in the danger zone.
• Bench points were once again a point of struggle for the Eagles, as they have been all season, with 15 points coming from nonstarters. AU kept pace with Navy when it came to scoring down low though, taking 36 points from the paint to match Navy's 44. Navy dominated their offensive boards though and had 13 second-chance points to AU's 2.
• This season, despite struggling offensively against Navy, scoring just four points, the Eagles are led offensively by sophomore Molly Driscoll. Driscoll is averaging 12.6 ppg on 37.5 percent shooting; she is 12th in the league in scoring. She is fifth in the league in made three pointers (39) and is shooting 32 percent from three-point range.
• Tuhy and sophomore Madisyn Moore-Nicholson are the other AU players averaging in double-digit scoring this season.
• Tuhy is averaging 11.1 ppg to pair with her league-leading 11.1 rebounds per game; she's 10th in the entire NCAA in rebounding and with 255 boards on the season is currently fourth all-time at AU for most rebounds in a single season with six regular-season games left to play. She's third in the league in blocks (27) and leads the squad in the category. She has been named PL Rookie of the Week three times so far this season.
• Moore-Nicholson has had 14 double digit scoring games, eight in the Patriot League, and has seen three 20+ point games this season. The sophomore averages 10.6 ppg, despite only claiming six points against Navy. The sophomore guard matches Tuhy with 24 three pointers made this season, second highest on the team.
• As a team, the Eagles are currently seventh in the Patriot League and are eighth in the PL in scoring offense, averaging 55.7 points per game; they're ninth in defense, allowing opponents 65.3 ppg for a scoring margin of -9.6. For contrast, Lehigh's scoring average is only -0.5 ppg, fourth in the league in the stat.
• American has faced struggles all season long when it comes to bench scoring and although nonstarters contributing 15 points against Navy, the Mids' bench contributed 28 points. American has only outscored opponents' benches in eight games this year and only notched two wins from those eight.
• The Eagles are ninth in the league in both field goal percentage (.360_ and opponent field goal percentage (.428). The Mountain Hawks are second in the league in efficiency from the field (.424) but last in the league in limiting opponents (.436).
• American is fifth, middle of the league in three pointers made (144), but as is true to form, Lehigh leads the league in made threes (177). Lehigh is shooting 31.6 percent from long range to AU's 26.6 percent.

Scouting the Mountain Hawks

• The Mountain Hawks are having a successful season despite being shorthanded on healthy, available players. Lehigh is third in the league on an 8-4 record, including a forfeit earlier this season to Navy due to lack of available players, and is 12-10 overall.
• Most recently, the Mountain Hawks saw four players score in double-digits ad they cruised past fourth-place Holy Cross (73-61) on Saturday at home in Stabler. The Hawks gained the early lead, up 35-20 at halftime, and carried that lead throughout the game on their way to a two-win week, their second win in a row.
• Belle Bramer scored a career-high 21 points, making seven of 11 shots from the field and three of five from three-point range, helping the Mountain Hawks to an efficient 44% shooting night.
• Whitney Lind extended her streak to seven straight games in double figures with 17 points, while Gracyn Lovette added 13 points, hitting three three-pointers in the first half. Lily Fandre also contributed 12 points, giving Lehigh four players in double figures.
• Fandre leads the Mountain Hawks and is fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 16.1 ppg. The senior is efficient, shooting 41.8 percent from the floor and capitalizes from the free throw line (.789) and three-point range as well (.304). She has 26 steals this season.
• Jessie Ozzauto, along with Bramer, are second and third on the Hawks' squad in scoring, Ozzauto averaging 12.5 ppg and Bramer 11.9 ppg. Ozzauto leads Lehigh with 4.4 rebounds per game while Bramer leads the team and is fifth in the league in three point field goal percentage (.385); Lovette (.364) and Ozzauto (.359) are also contributing numbers from beyond the arc.
• The duo of Lovette and Ozzauto are Lehigh's most efficient at dishing up dimes: Lovette is fourth in the league in assists (3.7 per game) and Ozzauto is fifth (3.1 per game). Lovette is also fourth in the PL in assist to turnover ratio and Ozzauto is seventh. The junior pair is also leading the league in minutes played, Lovette playing an average of 35.5 minutes an outing and Ozzauto hitting the hardwood an average of 43.8 minutes per game.
• The Mountain Hawks are the fourth most efficient team in the league in three point shooting (.316) and lead the league in made threes (177).
• The squad struggles on defense; the Mountain Hawks are last in the league in combined team rebounds (29.6 per game) and fourth in combined opponent rebounds (33.1). On the o-boards, the team is seventh in the league, averaging 8.9 rebounds per game, and on the defensive side they are picking up a 10th-place in the league 20.7 rpg.

Follow the Eagles
Instagram | Twitter | AUEagles | Facebook