It was a record-breaking night for senior guard Talicia Jackson, who hit her 148th career three-pointer to break the school record for career threes previously held by Kari Gaskins (1995-99) as part of the Eagles' 65-56 victory over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. The win brings AU into a first place tie atop the Patriot League standings at 6-2 in league play and 16-7 overall.
"She's a tireless worker," AU Head Coach Matt Corkery told AUeagles.com. "She made herself a great shooter because of hard work."
Playing in front of 1,177 fans, a new Bender Arena record for a women's basketball game, as part of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the Eagles did not let their fans down, taking the lead from the opening tip.
Senior guard Pam Stanfield scored the game's first points on a pair of free throws before the two teams continued to trade baskets back and forth to tie the game up at 11 at the 13:24 mark.
This was the last time that the Eagles failed to hold the lead throughout the rest of the game, as redshirt junior guard Nicole Ryan hit a three-pointer, starting an 7-0 run that pushed the lead up to 18-11.
The Eagles continued to add to their lead throughout the half, going up by as much as 11, 34-23, on a three-pointer from sophomore forward Michelle Kirk at the 3:59 mark before heading into the locker room up by five at 36-31.
AU's lead did not stay small for long, coming into the second half on a commanding 13-2 run to extend the score to 49-33, their largest lead of the game.
The Mountain Hawks cut the lead down to single digits, 63-56, with 1:07 left to play but a lay-up by freshman guard Lisa Strack sealed the eventual nine point win, 65-56, for the Eagles.
Four Eagles scored in double digits for the game, with Ryan scoring a game-high 16 points on seven of 13 shooting from the field. Stanfield, Kirk and sophomore forward Liz Leer scored 13, 12 and 10, respectively.
The Eagles look to continue their modest two-game winning streak when they host Bucknell at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
You can reach this staff writer at jhall@theeagleonline.com.
