March 15, 2010

Patriot League Women's Basketball Release - 3.16.10

Center Valley, Pa.— The American University women’s basketball team has earned a berth to the 2010 Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), where they will play at Old Dominion on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. This marks the third consecutive season the Eagles will compete in postseason play, which sets a new program record.

American (22-9, 13-1 Patriot League) will look to add to its already historic season by picking up its first ever postseason victory. AU has competed in the WNIT on three previous occasions -- 1998, 2008 and 2009. Last season, the Eagles fell at James Madison, 61-59, and were edged at Villanova, 53-51, the year before. In 1998, American was defeated by St. Joseph’s, 77-69.

Additionally, a win against Old Dominion would be the 23rd of the season for AU, which would match the program record for single-season triumphs. The 1998 squad finished with a 23-7 record.

Coming into this postseason matchup against ODU, American has won 16 of 18 games with its only two losses during the stretch coming to Lehigh. On Saturday, AU fell to the Mountain Hawks, 58-42, in the Patriot League Championship Game.

The Eagles are led by Patriot League Player of the Year Michelle Kirk, who averaged a conference-best 17.5 points per game during the season. All-Patriot League First Team selection Liz Leer was named to the PL All-Tournament Team after averaging 13.7 points and 6.7 rebounds during the three tournament games. Additionally, sophomore Lisa Strack received All-Tournament recognition for her 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.

Old Dominion (18-13) captured the Colonial Athletic Association regular season championship with a 14-4 league record. The Monarchs fell in the CAA Championship Game, 67-53, to James Madison on Sunday. The loss was Old Dominion’s second ever defeat in 19 appearances in the tournament.

"We are looking forward to playing ODU this Wednesday in the opening round of the WNIT,” commented American Head Coach Matt Corkery.  “It is a fantastic opportunity for us to play against a great team. It is an awesome feeling to be in the postseason for the third straight season."

The winner of the American-Old Dominion matchup will play the victor in the Providence-Boston University game in the second round of the 64-team WNIT. Click here for the full WNIT bracket.