Black Knights Fall on the Road at American

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Army hung around against American and took a lead early in the fourth quarter, but a 10-1 run helped the Eagles earn the 61-51 victory on Saturday afternoon in Patriot League women’s basketball action.

The Black Knights saw Madison Hovren record her 11th double-double of the year with a game-high 19 points and 14 rebounds. She was 5-of-18 from the floor, but was able to make 8-of-13 from the line. Jess Lewis contributed with 10 points and had seven rebounds and five assists for the Black Knights. Army shot 25.4 percent in the game.

American had four players in double figures with Elina Koskimies leading the way with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting and a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Indeya Sanders had 16 points and was a key player down the stretch for the Eagles in the win. Cecily Carl added 14 and Jade Edwards finished with 11 points. American shot 41.5 percent from the floor and had a 28-14 advantage in points in the paint.

The teams traded buckets in the first five minutes and the Eagles had a 7-5 advantage with 4:43 on the clock. Yancey added a 3-pointer early in the quarter to pace Army.

American was able to take a five-point lead into the second quarter with Edwards leading the way with five points, while Kate Murray added four for the Black Knights.

The Eagles were able to push their lead up to nine points at 20-11 early in the second frame, but Army answered with a three-point play from Hovren and a make from distance by Sarah Bohn at the 7:18 mark.

Army got within three at 22-19 with 4:43 left, but American fired back with a 7-0 run and had the lead up to 10 at 29-19 after a Carl made 3-pointer.

Hovren was able to reach double digits in the first half after hitting a layup at the buzzer and American led 33-25 at the break.

The Black Knights were able to cut the Eagles lead down to three points at the 4:47 mark thanks to a three from the left wing by Yancey and Hovren had three points during the run to get back to within three at 39-36.

Both teams went a bit cold in the final minutes of the period, but Lewis was able to hit two free throws to get Army within one point heading into the final quarter at 41-40.

Army was able to take its first lead since early in the first quarter with Hovren making two free throws at the 6:40 mark to make it 44-43 in favor of the Black Knights.

The Eagles answered with a 10-1 run over the next five minutes to regain the advantage at 53-45 with 1:18 remaining. Sanders was a major factor in the run with six of the 10 points during the run.

American closed out the game by hitting its free throws and came away with the 61-51 victory.