The Eagles had suffered a seven-game losing streak and were looking to earn a win as two of their key players, juniors Pam Stanfield and Talicia Jackson, returned to the court from injuries.
"We've had a lot of things happening in the last six weeks," head coach Melissa McFerrin said. "Between Stanfield and Jackson, we were down two ball handlers. It was an adjustment period where we needed to get healthy again."
Although the Black Knights were the first up on the scoreboard, AU senior Stephanie N'Garsanet and Jackson helped to keep the Eagles right up alongside Army. AU began to sneak away with a 15-13 lead after a three-point shot from Stanfield seven minutes into the first quarter.
Army put up a strong defensive zone, trying to slow down the Eagles. But going into the half, AU still held onto the lead at 26-22.
Coming back to the court, AU was ready to gain control of the game as they pushed the score up to a 10-point lead. Jackson made both free throws, giving the Eagles a greater lead over the Black Knights.
The game took a turn for the worse for AU late into the third quarter when Army broke away with three fast breaks. The Eagles lost the lead after a Black Knight athlete made a lay-up, pushing the score to 43-42. Despite calling two more timeouts and pushing the intensity level to an all-time high, AU was unable to grab the lead for the remainder of the game. A fast break in the last two minutes of the game sealed the win for the Black Knights.
"I thought outside of two two-minute stretches in the game, we played well enough to beat that team," McFerrin said. "We gave them the ball through a run of turnovers."
Army clenched the victory over AU due to a strong play on their defensive zone. "It shouldn't have been a problem," senior Liz Hayes said. "It was nothing we haven't seen before - we just were unable to execute tonight."
With the team back and healthy, its adjustment period is over.
"There are no more excuses," Jackson said after returning from a broken nose.
The team is ready to end its losing streak and gain a win at their next game Saturday against Holy Cross.
