The American University women’s basketball team (1-23) lost to the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (9-15) by a score of 68-39 on Feb. 15 in Bender Arena.
American last played Loyola on Jan. 13 in Baltimore, losing 77-38. Historically, the Eagles have dominated the Greyhounds at Bender Arena, winning 12 of 14 games played since 2004. The Eagles were hoping to make it 13 of 15 today.
Both teams came into this game off of losses on Feb. 12. American went against the Lafayette Leopards 72-55 in Easton, Pennsylvania, while Loyola couldn’t get past the Army Black Knights in West Point, New York, losing 64-53.
The Greyhounds instantly made their mark on the game with 2 quick possessions and 2 easy buckets to go up 5 points early. The Eagles got their first points off an offensive board and a quick turnaround layup by freshman forward Cecilia Kay.
A 3-pointer from senior guard Bailey Garbee and a layup by graduate student guard Ivy Bales knotted up the game at 7 points apiece. A layup from Kay gave American their first, and last, lead of the game, putting the Eagles up 9-7.
Freshman guard Elizabeth Archer starred early, getting 2 steals and ending the first quarter on a layup assisted by fellow freshman guard Molly Driscoll. American would end the quarter down 12-11 to the Greyhounds.
The Eagles’ strong defensive start didn’t last into the second quarter, with the Greyhounds quickly jumping out to a 10-point lead. Senior guard Laura Salmerón led the charge for Loyola with 9 points in the second.
To add insult to injury, junior guard Meliah Van-Otoo hit a buzzer-beater three from near halfcourt to end a dominant second quarter for the Greyhounds.
Loyola ended the half up 37-18, out-scoring American 25-7 in the second quarter. The Greyhounds went 10-for-14 from the field, while the Eagles went 3-for-10.
Despite the Eagles putting up as many shots as the Greyhounds, nothing fell for American. At half, the Eagles shot 1-for-11 from beyond the arc compared to the Greyhounds' impressive 6-for-8.
The Eagles found themselves in a familiar situation, down by double digits starting the second half. The bench remained atmospheric, as Kay got the Eagles their first points of the third quarter with a layup.
No matter what American schemed, the Eagles couldn’t stop Loyola from finding the basket. The Greyhounds were up 50-26 with 5:13 left in the quarter. The Eagles squandered many offensive opportunities throughout the third quarter, allowing Loyola to keep pulling further away.
“I thought our execution was good, we just didn’t make our shots,” head coach Tiffany Coll said. “They hit their threes and we didn’t make ours and that was a difference maker.”
The game dramatically slowed down in the fourth quarter, with American controlling the first four minutes. A 7-0 run helped the Eagles slowly crawl back into the picture, down 61-37.
Those 7 points were the last American would put up all game. Loyola added 7 points of their own to end the game with a score of 68-39.
The Eagles shot 16-for-58 from the field, and 3-for-24 from the three. American left 7 points at the free throw line, going 4-of-11 from the charity stripe.
Loyola outrebounded the Eagles 48 to 30. One positive from American was they limited the turnovers, only giving the ball away 10 times during the game.
The Eagles remain at home to face the Army Black Knights on Feb. 19.
“We focus on getting better each day and building from each game,” Coll said. “We’re going to have to work on our boxing out and defending the drive against Army.”
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella, Hannah Langenfeld and Sabine Kanter-Huchting.
