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Spriggs Leads AU to 80-65 Win Over William and Mary
Hunt adds second career double-double

November 26, 2002

Chanel Spriggs netted her second consecutive 20-point game with 26 against William and Mary.

Gameday Central
William & Mary	65
American	80
Box Score
Points: Spirggs (AU) 26; Baier (WM) 18 Rebounds: Hunt (AU) 13; WM - Three Players With 5 Assists: Hunt (AU) 7, Sobota (WM) 4

WASHINGTON — American University’s women’s basketball team (2-1) rolled to a 80-65 win over former Colonial Athletic Association foe William and Mary (1-1) tonight in the home opener for the Eagles. For the second straight game, the Eagles used hot shooting in the second half and the squad pulled away over the final three minutes for the win. Chanel Spriggs led AU with 26 points, her second game in a row scoring over 20 points. Chanel Hunt posted the second double-double of her career, netting 13 points and leading all players with a career-high 13 rebounds. Hunt also dished out a career-high seven assists.

William and Mary took a 2-0 lead off free throws by Jami Lange, but the Eagles would not trail the rest of the game. AU used an early 10-0 run keyed by seven points by Spriggs to open an eight point advantage less than seven minutes into the game. The Tribe cut the lead to two with a lay-up by Megan Baier, but three straight AU buckets returned the margin to eight. The Eagles extended the lead to 11 on a fast break lay-up by Angel McNatt with just under three minutes to play in the half. William and Mary closed the half with three straight points to bring the lead to 28-20 at the break.

With neither team having shot particularly well in the first half, the second half brought on better shooting from both teams. A Kaitlin Schuyler trey gave AU an 11 point lead early in the half, but the Tribe chipped away until Baier drained a three to cut the Eagle lead to three with 15 minutes to play. American responded to the Tribe threat, going on an eight point run to return the cushion to 11.

William and Mary would not go away, as the Tribe sliced the lead to one with just under 10 minutes to play and pulled even twice, but could not take the lead. With American leading 65-61 with 3:40 to play, Maria Werries drained back-to-back three-pointers to open an eight point lead. With the Tribe searching for a basket, the Eagles were able to get a couple of fast break lay-ups to seal the victory.

“The last three times we played William and Mary we didn’t put two halves together,” American Head Coach Shann Hart said after the game. “Tonight we did a great job of finishing during clutch time.”

The Eagle defense also did a fine job shutting down William and Mary star Jen Sobota. Sobota only had six points on one-of-10 shooting from the floor and was hounded by Spriggs most of the game. Baier led the Tribe with 18 points.

AU used its transition game to spark the team to victory over the Tribe, outscoring William and Mary 10-0 on fast breaks. Werries had 15 points for AU with 13 coming in the second half. Katryn Costenbader added 14 for the Eagles along with eight rebounds.

The Eagles swing up to New York this weekend as AU will play Iona on Saturday and Marist on Sunday.