In one of the most exciting games of the season, the AU Women’s basketball team edged out Army on Saturday to remain on the top of the Patriot League.
The Eagles extended their win streak to six and improved to 19-8 overall (14-2 in the Patriot League), while the second place Black Knights fell to 21-6 overall (12-4 in the Patriot League).
AU’s 2-3 zone scheme was one of the key reasons they were able to pull out the win. Their perimeter defense lead by senior guards Jen Dumiak and Shaquilla Curtis caused 14 Army turnovers—a game high—and forced them to take shots late into the shot clock.
The Eagles dominated Army for most of the first half. Despite leading throughout the entire game with three minutes left before the break, the Eagles struggled offensively losing some of their momentum with sloppy passing and little fluidity in their offense.
After leading 27-19 going into the locker room, the Eagles offensive struggles continued in the second half, shooting just over 23 percent from the field. The Black Knights seemed to be gaining momentum, cutting the margin to 29-27. However, the Eagles’ juniors Michelle Holmes and Ari Booth answered with two three-point plays that regained the momentum for the Eagles with only 12 minutes to play.
Offensive rebounding late in the game proved to be crucial for the Eagles, allowing them several opportunities to run out the clock.
“[Rebounding] was huge,” head coach Meghan Gebbia said. “We’ve talked all year about getting double-digit rebounds and we were only one shy today.”
With a little under three minutes remaining, the Black Knights again crept to within two points, but the Eagles had a response again, this time at the 1:16 mark with a three ball from senior guard Shaquilla Curtis as the shot clock expired. But the Black Knights were not done, cutting the lead to 43-41 with 45 seconds remaining.
Following two crucial turnovers by AU, Army’s Daizjah Morris was fouled on an offensive rebound, heading to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game at 43 with 12.7 seconds left on the clock. After netting the first one, Morris missed the second free throw. Booth was fouled on the rebound and sent to the free throw line, where she secured the win for the Eagles.
Holmes was the only double-digit scorer for the Eagles with 14 points, while Curtis contributed six points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
For Army, Kelsey Minato led all scorers with 19 points.
“We gutted this one out on both ends of the floor," Gebbia said. "We didn't shoot the ball well. If you told me that we were going to shoot 34 percent and win, I would have said you were kidding.”
The Eagles travel to Navy on Feb. 25, where they will play their final regular-season road game with the hopes of continuing their win streak and maintaining their dominance in the Patriot League.
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