UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - American University advanced to the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament, after they defeated Navy by 15 points (72-57) in the Patriot League quarterfinals. American entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed, and will now face sixth-seeded Lafayette College Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The game is the second one in a semifinal doubleheader, with No. 1 seed Holy Cross taking on fifth-seeded Bucknell in the first game.
Against Navy, the Eagles relied on a balanced scoring attack, and a stifling defense. All eight players who played for AU scored and collected at least one rebound. Steve Miles (Alexandria, Va./Hayfield) led all scorers with 18 point and all rebounders with 11. It was just his third double-double as an Eagle (his first also came against Navy last year), and he also chipped in with three assists, a block and steal. Miles earned most of his points from the free throw line, where he went 10-for-10, both career highs. Miles' biggest contribution came with 8:08 remaining, when he knocked down a three to break a 17-7 Navy run. The bucket put AU up eight points (61-53), and Navy never got any closer the rest of the way.
"I thought we gave a very good effort today," said American University head basketball coach Jeff Jones. "We matched Navy's intensity for most of the game, and another key was our effort on the boards."
American had started the second half up nine points (39-30), and extended the lead to 15 points (51-36) as five different Eagles scored early. However, AU then went eight minutes in which they scored just two field goals, allowing Navy to get back into the game. The AU defense then toughened up, as they held Navy scoreless for 6:27 (from 8:08 to 1:43). During this time, American rebuilt the lead and a Glenn Stokes (Silver Spring, Md./Albert Einstein) jumper pushed the lead back to 13 points (66-53) with five minutes left.
Stokes finished with 13 points and a pair of assists while Ric Patiejunas (Vilnius, Lithuania/Vilnius College) added nine points on three-of-three shooting and three rebounds. Jernavis Draughn (Triangle, Va./Potomac Senior) registered eight points and six rebounds. Andres Rodriguez (San Juan,Puerto Rico/Colegio San Ignacio) led everyone with four assists, and he netted seven points, including a driving basket to end the first half, giving AU a nine-point bulge.
Navy was led by Jason Jeanpierre, who scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. Jeff Charles added d 10 points.
The No. 2 seeded American (15-13/9-5) will play No. 6 Lafayette in the Patriot League Semifinals on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be a repeat of last year's semifinal contest, which AU won 66-58. The two teams split their regular season meetings, with each team winning at home. The game will be televised live on DIRECTV (channel 611).
