The American University women’s basketball team (5-16) defeated the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen (1-20) 62-55 in their Jan. 28 matchup.
The first quarter started with American on top as the Eagles won the opening tip-off and junior forward Emily Johns opened the scoring, but the Midshipmen quickly responded with two jumpers to take the lead.
Johns, a consistent force for American, took the lead again with a 3-pointer. The first quarter was mainly a back and forth affair, until Navy went on a 7-point scoring run to end the quarter in the lead at 22-14.
The second quarter featured the Eagles attempting to chip away at the Midshipmen’s lead. The scoring in the second was quieter from both teams, and the crowd responded accordingly, nearly falling silent.
The two teams combined for 22 points in the second quarter, compared to their total of 36 in the previous quarter. Navy maintained their lead for the whole quarter as American’s attempts to even it up did not affect them.
American entered the third quarter fresh and ready to attack. Johns once again opened the scoring, and the crowd in Bender Arena regained its voice. The rest of the team followed Johns’ lead and stepped up as well. Freshman guard Laura Nogues stole the ball from Navy and sent it downcourt to fellow freshman forward Molly Lavin for a 3-pointer that had Bender Arena roaring.
Lavin’s shot left the Eagles down by just 3 points. Johns’ free throws a few minutes later tied the game. Navy later retook the lead, but American had reasserted itself and showed they were in this game.
The Eagles entered the fourth quarter down by just 4 points. Junior guard Anna LeMaster scored a 3-pointer to begin the quarter, and Nogues tacked on a layup to regain a lead for the Eagles which they would not lose again.
American outscored Navy 22-11 in the fourth quarter as they took over the scoring. The bench players played a huge role in the added scoring as Nogues and Lavin contributed 11 and 9 points respectively and sophomore guard Bailey Garbee had 4 points in the fourth quarter. A free throw from Nogues capped off the comeback win for the Eagles.
“At halftime we made adjustments to play more as a team defensively. I was really proud of Bailey Garbee and Anna LeMaster stepping up in the end. I thought their defense really made a difference,” head coach Tiffany Coll said. “But really Laura Nogues — I mean she was phenomenal. She’s great off the dribble, but she really just changed momentum for us.”
The Eagles will next travel to Colgate for their game Saturday Feb. 4 at 2 p.m. EST.
This article was edited by Delaney Hoke and Nina Heller. Copy editing done by Isabelle Kravis, Sophia Rocha, Natasha LaChac and Sophie Myers
