Blacksburg, Va.- Senior Glenn Stokes (Silver Spring, Md./Albert Einstein) had another terrific night for the Eagles with 19 points, four rebounds, and three steals, but it wasn't enough as AU fell to Virginia Tech by eight points, 69-61.
In the first half the Eagles trailed by as many as seven points early, however, Stokes scored 16 of his 19 points in the first 20 minutes to keep the Eagles in the hunt. In fact, a three-pointer by Stokes late in the first half gave AU a brief one-point lead (29-28).
American went into halftime trailing by just a point, 34-33, but a slow start in the second half put them into a deep hole. Seven seconds into the half a Carlos Dixon three would put the lead to four, and AU would never get any closer than three points the rest of the night. Overall, the Hokies outscored American 19-9 in the first eight minutes of the second half.
American made several late runs in the second half, mostly fueled by senior Steven Miles (Alexandria, Va./Hayfield). Miles scored all 15 of his points in the second half and twice he brought the Eagles to within three points. The latest was when a Miles free throw brought the score to 56-53 with 4:38 remaining in the contest. For the game Miles finished with 15 points, four rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals.
Junior Jernavis Draughn (Triangle, Va./Potomac Senior) had a season-high three blocks to go along with 13 points and six rebounds. Senior Ric Patiejunas (Vilnius, Lithuania/Vilnius College) shot sixty percent coming off the bench (3-5), scoring eight points and collecting three rebounds in just 15 minutes.
In just 16 minutes of action sophomore Patrick Okpwae continues to display his athleticism. He hauled down three rebounds, blocked three shots and scored on a nifty layup from a Steven Miles pass.
Despite the Tech size advantage AU outrebounded the by two (37-35) and were outscored in the paint by just four points (32-28). However, American only had three small leads in the game, with all three in the first half and never more than three points in total.
In the second half a 36.6.shooting percentage and ten turnovers made things extremely difficult for AU. The Eagles bench did outscore Virginia Tech by eight, 10-2.
Senior Terry Taylor (Chesapeake, Va.) led Tech with 21 points, ten rebounds and two steals. Junior Carlos Dixon (Salisbury, N.C.) notched 16 points, seven assists and three blocks.
American (0-3) will next play at Liberty University on December 3, 2002.
