HAMILTON, N.Y. - Matej Cresnik (Velenje, Slovenia/Univerza Ljubljani) scored 17 points, including 10 in the second half, to lead the American University men's basketball team to a 74-71 victory over Colgate. American is now 9-9 overall and 3-1 in Patriot League play.
American started off the game by hitting three straight threes. Jason Thomas (Herndon, Va./Notre Dame Academy) got things started with the first trey of the game at 18:36. Andre Ingram (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) converted an Andres Rodriguez (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Louisville) pass for AU's second bucket, and Thomas came back with another three to give the Eagles an early 9-2 lead.
Colgate battled back to take a two-point lead (13-11) at 12:45. The two teams traded baskets for the next few minutes, with AU holding a four-point lead (27-23) when the Eagles pushed the lead to 14 points on the strength of a 13-3 run. Jamaal Caterina (Portland, Me./Brewster Academy) scored five of the points while four other Eagles chipped in a bucket each. Colgate scored the last five points of the half to finish the first stanza down nine, 40-31.
American led through most of the second half by at least seven points until Colgate cut the lead to four (62-58) on a Mark Linebaugh jumper with 6:46 left in the game. A Cresnik jumper pushed the lead back to seven at 4:48, and AU kept Colgate at bay until the final minute of the game when a Linebaugh three cut the lead to two points with four seconds to go. Jernavis Draughn (Triangle, Va./Potomac Senior) sealed the win with a free throw with one second left. Draughn missed the second free throw but grabbed the rebound to help run out the clock.
Linas Lekavicius (Silale, Lithuaniani/The Miller School) provided a spark off the bench for the Eagles with 13 points in 17 minutes. He was six-of-nine from the field and had one assist. Cresnik finished with 17 points on seven-of-eight shooting and he also had two rebounds and three steals in 32 minutes of action. It was his first start since Maryland and just second of the year. Rodriguez finished with nine points, six assists and three rebounds in 39 minutes of play. Ingram netted seven points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes while Raimondas Petrauskas (Mazeikiai, Lithuania/Lithuanian Physical Culture Academy) scored nine points and snared three rebounds.
Mark Linebaugh led Colgate and all scorers with 21 points. He also chipped in six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Kendall Chones notched 16 points and five rebounds while Alvin Reed scored 14 points.
