Senior guard Jen Dumiak’s 20 points, eight assists and six steals anchored a strong performance by AU on Dec. 17. The Eagles built off her strong play to mount a second half surge that launched them past the Manhattan College Jaspers.
The Eagles led by a slim 31-30 early in the second half, but Dumiak sparked a 11-2 run that gave the Eagles a lead they would not relinquish en route to a 60-52 victory in Riverdale, New York Wednesday night.
AU(4-5, 0-0 PL) was unable to hold onto a 10-point lead early in the first half, and the Jaspers (1-8, 0-0 MAAC) fought back to tie the game going into halftime behind the three-point shooting of freshman guards Nyasha Irizarry and Taylor Williams.
The Eagles pulled away in the second half by sharing the ball. AU had assists on 17 of their 23 made baskets and as a team 47.9 percent (23-48) from the field, including 58 percent in the second half. Dumiak pulled the strings for the Eagles, playing the entire 40 minutes and providing a key play each time the Jaspers appeared to be chipping away at the Eagles’ lead.
When the Eagles lead was trimmed to three-points with less than two minutes to play, Dumiak stole the ball from the Jaspers, raced down the court and converted a lay-up. After forcing a Jasper miss, junior forward Arron Zimmerman delivered the knock-out blow in the form of a three-point jumper that established the Eagles final margin of victory.
Zimmerman finished with 11 points for the Eagles and junior forward Michelle Holmes added 12 points and nine rebounds, helping AU hold a 33-29 rebounding advantage over the Jaspers.
With the win, the Eagles ended a two-game losing streak and recorded their first win away from Bender Arena. They continue their seven game road swing with a trip the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore Dec. 20 at 2 p.m.
