With 0.9 seconds remaining and her team trailing by one, Lisa Strack nailed a pair of free throws to give AU a hard-fought 40-39 victory over the Army Black Knights Jan. 21 in West Point, N.Y.
The Eagles (13-6, 5-0 PL) remain perfect in Patriot League play and are an impressive 8-1 outside of Bender Arena.
The Saturday game included 11 ties and eight lead changes as the Black Knights (9-11, 3-2 PL) fell short of moving into first place in the conference.
“We showed great persistence and determination in today’s game, and it was a big day for the growth and maturity of our team,” Head Coach Matt Corkery told AU Athletics. “Army is an excellent squad, and I was proud of the way we stuck together and made big plays down the stretch. We had to play every last tick of the clock to get the win.”
With 40 seconds left and trailing 39-38 in a game that was competitive throughout, AU’s defense made a huge stop. The Eagles’ 30 seconds of tight defense led to Army’s Anna Simmers missing a 3-point attempt as the shot clock expired.
Alexis Dobbs rebounded the miss for the Eagles, and Corkery opted against calling a timeout with the clock under 10 seconds.
Dobbs dashed down the court needing to make something happen, and found Strack down the right side. Jen Hazlett fouled Strack as she tried to net the game-winning score, sending the AU senior to the line for two shots.
The senior captain was the right person for the job, as she drilled both free throws to pull AU in front 40-39.
The Black Knights could not get a shot off on their ensuing possession, as their attempted full-court pass was knocked away.
Strack led the Eagles on the afternoon with 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Geleisa George chipped in seven points, four rebounds and two steals in 16 minutes off the bench.
A key stretch for the Eagles came with 11:34 remaining, when Jen Dumiak’s jumper started a 7-0 run that saw AU take a 33-30 lead.
The two teams battled it out down the stretch, with Ti’Asia McGeorge’s 3-pointer giving the Eagles a 38-35 lead. Army scored the game’s next four points and led 39-38 with 3:18 left, as neither team would score again until Strack’s heroics.
The Eagles’ defense (nine steals, 16 turnovers forced) made up for a lackluster shooting night that saw AU shoot 17-56 from the field and 2-16 from 3-point range.
The women’s squad will be at Bender Arena for their next three games, with the homestand starting Jan. 25 against Bucknell University.
