The AU women's basketball team extended its winning streak to nine games after defeating Lehigh University 67-50 Feb. 8 in Bethlehem, Pa.
The game started out well for the Eagles (17-6, 9-0 PL), with baskets from Ebony Edwards and Alexis Dobbs to open the game. Dobbs made six 3-pointers on the night, as the sophomore guard totaled a career-high 21 points in the victory.
Jen Dumiak also had a strong performance, recording 18 points for AU. The freshman made an impact immediately, picking up one of her three steals on the night less than a minute after entering the game.
The Eagles went 25-60 (42 percent) from the floor and 9-22 (41 percent) from 3-point range for the contest. But their defense was the main reason for the victory, as they forced 26 Lehigh turnovers.
"I thought our defense was key all night in pressuring Lehigh," AU Head Coach Matt Corkery told AU Athletics. "We found our range in the second half and knocked down some open looks. But it all starts with our effort on the defensive end of the floor, which was there for us tonight."
Alexa Williams scored a team-high 16 points for the Mountain Hawks (13-10, 6-3 PL), who dropped into a three-way tie for third place in the Patriot League with the loss.
With the game tied at 7-7 early on, the Eagles went on an 11-2 run to lead 18-9 with 8:02 to play in the first half. Dumiak scored eight of AU’s 11 points during the run, while Edwards accounted for the other three.
Both offenses stalled after Dumiak’s 3-pointer at the 8:02 mark, and neither side scored a point for nearly three minutes.
Williams helped cut the deficit for Lehigh at the end of the first half, as the Mountain Hawks trailed 24-19 at halftime.
The Eagles came out of the locker room on fire, starting the second half on an 11-2 run to take a 35-21 lead. With 9:52 remaining in the second half, Geleisa George’s jumper put the Eagles in front 52-27 for their largest lead of the game to that point.
AU continued to ride the offensive wave, opening up its lead to 27 points at 63-36 before coasting to the 67-50 win.
AU will next host Holy Cross Feb. 11 at Bender Arena, as the Eagles hope to improve to 10-0 in conference play and move one step closer to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament.
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