Behind a strong defensive effort, the AU women’s basketball team defeated Troy University 55-45 Dec. 11 to push its road-winning streak to three.
The Eagles (6-4, 0-0 PL) recorded a season-high 15 steals in the victory while forcing the Trojans (0-8, 0-0 Sun Belt) to commit 27 turnovers.
Alexis Dobbs and Lisa Strack paced a well-balanced AU attack with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Dobbs was 3-6 from 3-point range, while Strack posted a team-high five assists. Jen Dumiak led the Eagles with four steals, while Stephanie Anya recorded three blocks.
In the loss, Sophie Kleeman poured in a game-high 12 points for the Trojans.
The Eagles jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after Sarah Kiely hit two free throws and Alexis Dobbs knocked in a 3-pointer on the next possession.
AU led throughout the entire first half, but the Trojans came within one point when Rosie Hynes connected on a layup to cut the Eagles’ lead to 16-15. AU then went on a four-point run to push the lead back to five and went into the half holding a 22-19 advantage.
Six of AU’s 22 first-half points came off turnovers, while Troy dominated down low by outscoring the Eagles 12-6 in the paint.
The Trojans started out hot in the second half, going on an 11-3 run to take a 30-25 lead with 16:57 remaining in the game.
Stephanie Anya started AU’s comeback when she recorded a three-point play to cut Troy’s lead to four with 11:10 left. Jen Dumiak then recorded the tying and go-ahead baskets on back-to-back possessions three minutes after Anya converted.
After the Trojans tied the game at 42 at the 7:37 mark, the AU offense dominated the scoring for the remainder of the contest, outscoring Troy 13-3 down the stretch. The Eagles converted their free throws in the game’s closing minutes to seal the 10-point victory.
In addition to the team’s defense, the Eagles’ bench recorded 13 second-half points, compared to just two from the Trojans.
The Trojans were impressive down low on the afternoon, outrebounding AU 42-31 in the game.
AU will be off for the next nine days before coming home for a three-game homestand that starts against Loyola University (Md.) Dec. 21. The Eagles will be looking to improve upon their 1-4 record at Bender Arena.
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