WASHINGTON -- American's men's basketball team dropped to 2-2 on the season after a 76-70 double overtime loss to the College of Charleston (4-0). Steven Miles (Alexandria, Va./Coastal Carolina) led the Eagles with 24 points and Patrick Doctor (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park) contributed with 18 points and 14 rebounds for his 17th career double-double. Jeff Bolton led the Cougars with 28 points.
American jumped out to an early 16-7 lead in the game behind 10 early points by Miles. Two three-pointers by Bolton started a Cougars run that continued through the rest of the first half. A Bolton jumper at the first half buzzer gave the Cougars a 30-25 lead and was a sign of things to come.
After Charleston opened an eleven point lead just over a minute into the second half, the Eagles began to respoond. With 12:17 left and the Cougars up 42-33, a Joe Casper (Overland Park, Kan./Rhode Island) lay-up triggered a 15-0 American run in which they held Charleston scoreless for almost seven minutes. The Eagles held a lead of six points with 1:30 remaining in the game. After two made free throws by Glenn Stokes (Silver Spring, Md./Talahassee CC) gave American a 58-55 lead with 15.5 seconds remaining, the Cougars had one more chance. After a Tony Mitchell miss, Charleston rebounded the ball and Bolton made a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining to force overtime.
In the first overtime, the Eagles jumped out to a 66-61 lead behind a Keith Gray (Longview, Texas/Pine Tree) lay-up and two Doctor free throws. After two more free throws by Doctor gave American a 68-65 lead with 5.4 seconds remaining, Shannon Chambers forced a second overtime, making a three-pointer with no time on the clock.
The second overtime belonged to the Cougars. The Eagles committed four fouls which led to four points for Charleston. After a Doctor basket made it 72-70, Bolton ended any hopes of an American victory making a jumper as the shot clock expired. The loss drops American to 26-24 all-time in overtime and was American's first multi-overtime game since the 1999-2000 season.
American, in the midst of a three-game homestand, returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 1, when it hosts Pennsylvania at 1:00 p.m. in Bender Arena. After a defeat of Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 24, the Eagles sit at 1-1 in the homestand.
