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Stifling Defense Carries Eagles to Win Over Navy, 51-42
Eagles force 24 Midshipmen turnovers

Senior guard Kaitlin Schuyler has scored in double digits in 11 consecutive games, including 11 points in a 51-42 win over Navy on Tuesday night.

Jan. 13, 2004 | Boxscore

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Despite shooting just 15.6 percent in the opening stanza and 25.4 percent for the game Tuesday night against Navy, the Eagles' stifling defense held the Midshipmen to just 29.5 percent shooting on the night and forced 24 turnovers in a 51-42 victory.

The Eagles hit just five of their 32 shots in the opening period and trailed at halftime, 16-13. After Navy hit a bucket to open the second stanza and take a five-point lead, American responded with a 9-0 run to go ahead, 22-16.

Still, Navy fought back to tie the score at 26 on a jumper by Adrienne Rosetti with just over 11 minutes remaining in the contest. It was then that American's defense took over the game. The Eagles did not allow a Navy field goal for more than nine minutes. The Midshipmen's only points in that streak came via the free throw line.

Trailing 44-40 with 1:33 remaining, the Midshipmen began fouling. However, AU came through on the free throw line, hitting five-of-six in the next 29 seconds to take a nine-point lead, 49-40, to seal the win.

The 42 points scored by Navy are the fifth fewest points allowed by the Eagles since the 1978-79 season. In addition, American committed a season-low six turnovers.

American also held Navy's Courtney Davidson, the Patriot League's leading scorer coming into the contest at 18.6 ppg, to just seven points on two-for-10 shooting. Davidson also committed four turnovers in the face of the Eagles' intense defensive pressure. It is the second straight game in which AU shut down the opponent's top scorer, after the Eagles allowed just eight points -- all in the first half -- by Bucknell's Desire Almind, the league's second-leading scorer at 18.3 ppg, in a 50-49 win over the Bison on Jan. 10.

Senior guard Kaitlin Schuyler (Baltimore, Md./Mercy) led the Eagles with 11 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals. Tonight was the 11th consecutive game in which Schuyler scored in double digits. Meanwhile, Kim Salem (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas) scored 10 points and ripped down five boards.

American improves to 7-7 on the season and 2-0 in the Patriot League. The Midshipmen fall to 6-10, 0-2 in the league. AU returns to action this Saturday, Jan. 17, when they host Lehigh beginning at 3 p.m.