Led by the combination of Michelle Kirk and Liz Leer, the AU women’s basketball team defeated the Navy Midshipmen 66-38 on senior night at Bender Arena to become the first team in program history to record 12 conference wins.
“I think it’s a great accomplishment,” AU Head Coach Matt Corkery said. “It’s something that we hope to extend on Saturday with one more win.”
Kirk totaled 21 points and eight rebounds, while Leer added 14 points and nine rebounds. The duo combined for 53 percent of the team’s offense. Junior center Cassie Consedine paced Navy with nine points.
“We both did play really well,” Leer said. “[Kirk] hit some really nice shots and had some nice assists. [Kirk] and I have been playing together for three years now and I think that’s been a key factor.”
Navy scored the first four points of the game and led 7-5 on an early K.C. Gordon three-pointer. The Eagles would then go on a 14-0 run to take a 19-7 lead halfway through the first half. Kirk had eight points during the early run and Leer added five.
AU’s lead was 21-10 with 5:57 to play in the first half before Navy used an 8-2 run to cut the margin to five. With the Eagles holding a six-point lead, Ashley Yencho nailed a triple to give AU a 29-20 halftime lead.
Within the first five minutes of the second half, AU raced to a 44-26 lead to take full control of the contest. A Lisa Strack layup followed by Kirk’s fourth and final three-pointer of the night capped the run.
The Eagles extended their lead to 25 points twice in the second half — first when they led 55-30 with 7:24 remaining, and again when they were up 61-36 with 2:24 to play. The final margin of victory was 28 points as an Ebony Edwards layup capped a second half in which AU outscored Navy 37-18.
For the game, AU shot 45 percent from the field and 42 percent from beyond the arc. The Eagles also outrebounded the Midshipmen 39-24. Navy shot 32 percent from the field and 28 percent from the three-point line.
Seniors Ohemaa Nyanin and Nicole Ryan were honored in a ceremony prior to the game. Nyanin has started all but one game this season and is second on the team with 5.9 rebounds per game. Ryan, who is third all-time in career three-pointers made, has not played since Dec. 2 at Drexel.
The win improves the Eagles to 19-8 on the season and 12-1 in Patriot League play. With both AU and Lehigh University notching victories on Wednesday night, the two teams remain tied atop the PL with one conference game remaining for both squads. The loss drops the Midshipmen to 15-13 on the year and 7-6 in conference play.
AU will wrap up the regular season with a trip to Easton, Pa., to take on the Lafayette Leopards on Saturday, Feb. 27. In the first contest between the two teams, the Eagles defeated the Leopards 53-31.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
