The American University women’s basketball team (1-25) lost at home to the Army Black Knights (20-5) on Feb. 19 in Bender Arena, 63-43. Army came into the game ranked second in the Patriot League, with the Eagles sitting in last, just 1-12 in conference play. The two teams previously faced each other at West Point on Feb. 1, with American losing in an 84-60 runaway.
The Eagles established a presence in the paint early, opening the scoring with a layup by sophomore forward Grace Koepke. Army knotted it with a layup of their own, but Koepke responded with a long 2-point jumper, giving the Eagles a 4-2 lead with 8:27 remaining in the first quarter. It was American’s last lead of the game.
Army hit three 3-pointers in as many minutes, interrupted only by an easy bucket for freshman forward Cecilia Kay off of a nice feed by junior guard Laura Nogues. Koepke hit a tough 2-point jump shot before the Eagles entered a scoring drought that exceeded four minutes. In that time, Army built on their lead with an easy bucket in transition and yet another 3-pointer, ending the quarter with a 20-8 lead.
Nogues scored first in the second quarter, hitting a much-needed 3-pointer for the Eagles to beat a dwindling shot clock. That was followed by another layup for Kay to cut the deficit to 7 points. Neither team scored for nearly three minutes before a series of traded buckets brought the half to a close with American trailing by 10 points.
The Eagles won the second quarter by a 2-point margin, but turnovers and rebounding woes limited their ability to claw back. Army accumulated 5 steals in the first 20 minutes of play, and American’s 9 total turnovers cost them precious scoring opportunities. The Black Knights also dominated the boards, picking up 5 offensive rebounds that led to 7 second-chance points.
Army set a strong tone to open the second half, playing physical defense that held American to just 6 points in the third quarter. Koepke temporarily cooled off, and the Eagles just couldn’t finish at the rim. Initially, American was very successful in isolating senior guard Trinity Hardy, Army’s leading scorer of the season, holding her scoreless in the first half. She emerged from the locker room with a vengeance, however, and dropped 14 in the second. Aggressively driving the lane, Hardy earned repeated trips to the free-throw line, helping to boost the Black Knights’ lead to a game-high 27 points with 7:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Army second string played the majority of their minutes from that point on, allowing the Eagles to score more consistently. Koepke went back to work in the paint, pulling the Eagles within 20 for a final score of 63-43. Army finished the game with 14 steals compared to American’s 2 and won the rebound battle 43-28.
Koepke finished with a career-high 21 points in a night where her effort went unmatched, fighting for space under the basket and diving on loose balls into the final minutes of play. Kay, the Eagles’ leading scorer this season, got just 4 points, but racked up 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Nogues stayed in the game late despite having four personal fouls and ended with 11 points of her own.
Following the game, Koepke attributed much of her success to the team’s performance.
“Our team was doing a good job in the beginning of the game with moving the ball and hitting who’s open,” she said. “My team was setting me up for success with the plays we ran and the looks and the assists that we were able to get.”
American head coach Tiffany Coll praised her top performer, saying, “We know she’s an inside-out presence and it’s just having that consistent confidence every day in herself.”
The Eagles now enter the final stretch of their regular season, with just four games to play before the Patriot League tournament. The Eagles’ next game comes on the road, visiting the Navy Midshipmen on Feb. 26. They return home for Senior Day on Mar. 1 to face the Colgate Raiders.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella, Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Hannah Langenfeld and Nicole Kariuki.
