Box Score Troy Brewer scored 13 points in overtime to lead the American University men's basketball team to a thrilling 95-92 victory at Lafayette Saturday afternoon in the team's regular season finale.
Brewer finished the game with a career-high 28 points, shooting 9-of-13 from the field and 5-of-9 from three. The junior had 15 points at the end of regulation and made 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the extra sessions. Vlad Moldoveanu led all scorers with 30 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Stephen Lumpkins chipped in 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
The win is the fifth straight for the Eagles who improve to 21-8 overall and 11-3 in conference. This marks just the 10th time in program history American has reached 21 wins and only the second time the Eagles have posted 11 wins in the Patriot League. The victory also marks the first time under Head Coach Jeff Jones American has won 12 games away from Bender Arena.
The Eagles finished the game shooting 56.7 percent from the field and hit 10-of-22 attempts from beyond the arc. American also went 17-of-19 at the line and held a 37-29 advantage on the glass. Lafayette (11-18, 6-8), meanwhile, shot 47.6 percent on the day as American picked up its 14th straight victory over the Leopards.
Tony Johnson scored 29 points to lead Lafayette while Jared Mintz added 26 and Jim Mower 17.
American took a 5-0 lead less than one minute into the game but Lafayette answered with eight straight points for an 8-5 edge. Moldoveanu stopped the run with a pair of jumpers and after Nick Hendra's three-pointer American was back in front 12-8. Brewer extended the margin to 17-12 with his first three before Jared Mintz regained the lead for the Leopards with three straight buckets, 20-19.
Back-to-back dunks by Lumpkins allowed the Eagles to take a 23-20 advantage and Moldoveanu put American up by six with a tough basket in traffic. The teams would go into the half tied at 35, however, as the Leopards closed out the frame on an 8-2 run. A Lumpkins basket with 18 seconds remaining gave the Eagles a 35-33 lead but Tony Johnson evened the score just before the buzzer for Lafayette.
Moldoveanu, Mintz and Johnson each had 12 points at the break to lead all scorers. Lumpkins added eight for American while Brewer and Hendra tallied five apiece. The Eagles shot 56.0 percent in the frame, connecting on 14-of-25 attempts, but Lafayette shot 50.0 percent and held a 20-14 advantage in the paint to keep pace.
The Leopards converted off a pair of turnovers for a 40-35 lead out of the break. Moldoveanu provided the answer for American, hitting a turnaround jumper and three-pointer to match Lafayette, but the Leopards would score the next six points for a 46-40 margin.
American was able to tie the game off another Moldoveanu basket and then regained the lead on Steve Luptak's second three-pointer of the afternoon, 52-51. Scoring slowed significantly after that bucket as the teams combined for just five points over the five-minutes.
Lafayette was the first to regain its shooting touch and opened a 64-60 lead with an 8-2 stretch. Moldoveanu pulled the Eagles to within 64-62 and Lumpkins made it a one-point game, 65-64, as he saved the ball from going out of bounds and dunked it home with 30 seconds to play. Johnson would go to the line to push the score to 67-64 with just 26 seconds on the clock but the Eagles were not done, as Brewer cleaned up a Moldoveanu miss for an and-one to tie the game at 67 and send it into overtime.
Ryan Willen hit a three-pointer to put Lafayette up 72-69 early in the first overtime. Brewer knocked down a jumper on the ensuing possession to make it a one-point game but Lafayette would go back on top by four off a Johnson jumper with just over one minute to play. A Brewer three pulled the Eagles to within 78-79 and with two seconds on the clock, Hendra stepped to the line with the team trailing 79-77. The senior calmly sank both shots, forcing a second overtime.
The Leopards struck first with a pair of free throws by Mintz but back-to-back Brewer three's gave American an 85-81 lead. A Lumpkins bucket pushed the score to 87-81 in favor of the Eagles and after a pair of Moldoveanu free throws, American led by a seven-point margin, 91-84. Lafayette fought back and pulled to within three but missed three three-pointers in the final 11 seconds to allow the Eagles to take the 95-92 victory.
American will return to action Wednesday, March 2 versus Colgate in Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinal action from Bender Arena. The game will be televised nationally by CBS College Sports and will tipoff at 7:00 p.m. Postseason tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (202) 885-TIXX or online by clicking here.
