Jade Edwards scored 21 points, Taylor Brown added 18 and American University beat Bucknell 65-54 in Sunday’s Patriot League tournament title game.
The second-seeded Eagles won the conference championship for the third time, all under coach Megan Gebbia, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.
A three-point play and a layup from Brown kicked off a 10-0 run for the Eagles that gave the Eagles a 44-35 lead with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. Bucknell came right back, cutting the lead to 44-41 before American took a 46-41 lead in the fourth quarter.
Bucknell cut their deficit to one point, but American responded with a 9-0 run that was capped by a three-point play from Edwards with 6:43 left. Leading by 10, the Eagles headed down the stretch and made six free throws in the final minute to seal the win. They were 12 for 12 from the line for the game.
Taylor O’Brien led fourth seed Bison (23-9) with 20 points. Emma Shaffer had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Marly Walls added 10 points.
Ivy Bales had 11 points and seven rebounds for the American (23-8).
Bucknell took a 10-2 lead and led 16-6 before American scored the final 10 points of the first quarter, tying the score at 16. The second quarter was close throughout and American took a lead of 29-26 at halftime.
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