EMMITSBURG, Md. - American defeated Mount St. Mary's 61-34 in non-conference women's basketball action on Wednesday.

Mary Dunn (Whippany, N.J./Morris Catholic) paced the Mount (0-2) with nine points and five rebounds while Ashley Christie (Miamisburg, Ohio/Archbishop Alter) added eight points and five rebounds in the loss.

Liz Leer posted 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Eagles (2-1) and Nicole Ryan added 12 points in the winning effort.

American closed the first half on a run and never looked back to earn its fourth-straight win against the Mountaineers and first since the 2004-05 season.

With Mount St. Mary's holding a 14-10 lead, the Eagles ended the first half on a 12-2 run in the final three minutes and 11 seconds to go into the locker room with a 22-16 advantage.

Lisa Strack started the run with back-to-back baskets to tie the game with 2:22 left in the first stanza. Ebony Edwards gave American the lead for good on a 3-pointer at 1:43. Jessie Kaufman (Damascus, Md./Damascus) momentarily halted the run with a layup at 1:13 to trim the deficit to 17-16, but Leer hit a trey nine seconds later and Strack closed the half with a jumper with four seconds left to give the Eagles a six-point advantage going into the locker room.

American continued its success in the second half to go up 51-22 with 10:58 left. A 3-point barrage was the key to the run as the Eagles made eight consecutive from behind the arc to start the half that powered a 29-6 run to seal the victory. Ryan had nine points in the surge on three from behind the arc while Leer added eight points in the stretch.

In the first half, Mount St. Mary's rallied from a four-point deficit to grab a 14-10 lead with 5:30 left in the half. Trailing 10-6, Christie started an 8-0 run with a 3-pointer at 7:59 before Dunn handed the Mountaineers a 12-10 edge on a 3-ball at 7:06. Sandra Andresson (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentes School) then sank two free throws to increase the lead to 14-10, but American closed the stanza on a 12-2 run and outscored the Mount 41-8 over the next 16 minutes.

Freshman Kelly Guerriero (Floral Park, N.Y./Archbishop Malloy) made her first collegiate basket at the 9:35 mark in the second half. The freshman finished with two points and one rebound in five minutes. Senior Leah Westbrooks (Dublin, Ireland/Holy Faith Secondary School) made her 2010-11 debut off the bench and recorded two rebounds, two steals and a block in 15 minutes.

Mount St. Mary's returns to action on Saturday at home against UMES. Game time is 3 p.m.