There have been prettier games than AU's 58-56 win over Lafayette Sunday. But at this point in the season, a win is a win.
Senior forward Chanel Hunt played her strongest game of the season, scoring 13 points, pulling down 9 rebounds and leading a controlled Eagles offense that completed a 10-point second-half comeback to knock off the lesser opponent and stay in contention for the third seed in the upcoming Patriot League tournament.
"At this point, we're just trying to win every game," Hunt said. "I need to come in and be more aggressive today."
The game began with the teams combining to miss their first 13 shots. An offensive explosion followed the five-minute scoreless drought with both teams getting buckets on the next seven possessions.
The teams went back and forth throughout the first half before Lafayette opened a 10-point lead with 16 minutes left. The Eagles played catch-up for most of the second half before a 7-0 run at the six-minute mark gave them a four-point lead.
Hunt started the run with a 3-point play, and consecutive steals and buckets by senior guard Joanna Barnes and junior forward Abby Lipskis put the Eagles up for the first time in the half.
"We took higher-percentage shots today and had balanced scoring inside," said Eagles head coach Melissa McFerrin.
In the second half, AU made a concerted effort to feed the post on every possession.
"We just couldn't score from the perimeter tonight, so at halftime, we said we were going to feed the post players and hit the offensive boards," McFerrin said. "The girls did a good job taking it to rim with basic power moves and getting to the line."
As the Eagles pounded the ball in the second half, McFerrin looked on with a look of approval as Salem picked apart Lafayette's zone defense, which couldn't collapse quickly enough.
Forward Shannon Dorsey led the Leopards with a career-high 13 points, and center Brianne Welte scored 11 and grabbed 10 rebounds in the defeat.
The most decisive play of the game was a Hunt drive with four minutes left. Lafayette had cut the lead to two on a couple of Welte free throws, and Hunt caught the ball in the left corner. Without hesitation, she pump-faked and drove around her defender and put in a beautiful reverse layup.
"I was trying to go for the layup, but [Welte] was there, so I had to take it to the other side," Hunt said.
The drive put the Eagles up 51-47, but the Leopards answered with a 7-0 run to go up 54-51 with 1:33 left. McFerrin called timeout and reminded the Eagles to pound the ball.
Off the inbounds, Lipskis scored an easy layup. After a defensive stop, Hunt got the ball at the top of the key and drove right to the paint, where she converted on a runner and was fouled. The free throw gave the Eagles a 56-54 lead they would not relinquish.
"Chanel really gave us what we expect out of her every night," McFerrin said. "She grabbed rebounds, hit key shots and was the leader of the offense that we need."
In other Patriot League action, Army won at Bucknell and Navy defeated Lehigh, meaning that the Eagles are currently in fourth place at 6-6 in the league. They sit one game behind Army and one game ahead of Navy and Colgate heading into the season's final week.
The Eagles will host Lehigh on Wednesday night before finishing the season in Annapolis against the Navy Midshipmen, who defeated them earlier in the season. Both games are vital if AU intends to get the third seed and avoid playing archrival and league favorite Holy Cross in the first two rounds of the league tournament.
"We're really approaching these three games like a conference tournament," McFerrin said of the season's final three games. "We've got to beat a lesser opponent [Lafayette] in the first round, then beat one of the league's best [second-ranked Lehigh] and then go on the road and beat a tough team in the finals [Navy], Our goal at this point is just to win out."
And wins don't always have to be pretty, because at this point, a win is a win is a win.
