Almost one year ago, then junior guard Alexis Dobbs had a chance to tie Bucknell in the Patriot League Quarterfinals but was unable to do so.
On March 6, Dobbs was once again asked to make a key play for the Eagles. This time Dobbs was sent to the free throw line with 8.9 seconds to go in the Patriot League Quarterfinal against Lafayette, with her team up by one.
The now senior Dobbs hit one of her two key free throws, and the final of her team high 14 points, to help secure a 51-49 victory for the Eagles and advance them to the Patriot League semifinals.
“Her senior leadership and how she approaches the game, it’s like you look in her eyes and you know she wants it more than anyone else on the court,” head coach Megan Gebbia said about Dobbs.
After opening the first half with a three-point play from junior guard Jen Dumiak, the Eagle offense went cold missing their next three shots until Michelle Holmes’ layup at 14:37 seemed to kick start the offense for both teams.
A jumper from Lafayette’s Madeline Fahan at the 5:26 mark started a Lafayette rally which saw the Leopards go on a 10-4 run to close out the half, their first lead of the game when Fahan hit a three to put the Leopards up 18-16. When the half concluded, the Leopards were up 23-18.
The Leopards were able to add to the lead in the second half and take a 27-20 lead when Linnel Macklin hit a pair of free throws to give Lafayette its largest lead of the night.
“I think you could see it on their faces that they thought they were going to win and they felt confident in themselves regardless of what was happening on the court,” Gebbia said on being down at the half.
Dobbs and the Eagle offense would go on a 9-2 run, to which Dobbs contributed seven points including one of her three, three-pointers to tie the game at 29 with 14:14 remaining in regulation.
The two teams would exchange score with neither team holding a lead of more than one or two points. When the Leopards took a brief lead when Emily Homan hit two free throws, sophomore forward Abigail Fogg made a layup to give the Eagles the lead with 9:28 remaining.
From there the Eagles would push their lead to as many as five in the last 10 minutes of the second period.
In addition to helping secure the victory Dobb’s three-pointer at 4:14 in the second half would break the program record for career three pointers, with her 215 trey.
Lafayette tied the score at 48 when Maddie Peabody hit two free throws with 1:53 remaining.
AU would respond with two free throws by sophomore forward Michelle Holmes with 56 seconds remaining to take the lead and after Dobbs hit her free throws, hold off the final Lafayette surge to secure the win.
“I think it’s just sweet that we pulled off the win,” Dobbs said. “Like coach said, its the perseverance that made us win this game.”
AU will face the United States Military Academy March 10 in West Point, N.Y. in the Patriot League Semifinals.
