WASHINGTON -- Sa'eed Nelson needed two points to break the school scoring record on Wednesday night. He got 30, extending his streak of 20-plus point games to six, and led a dominant victory over Lafayette that clinched a top-three seed and a home playoff game for the Patriot League tournament. 

QUICK NOTABLES

• Sa'eed broke the record with a mid-range jumper on his first shot attempt of the day. It was telling, as he went 14-of-18 from the field and reached a season-high 30 points. 
• The win, combined with a Boston University loss to Lehigh, moved the Eagles into a tie for second place in the Patriot League.
• Connor Nelson, Jamir Harris, and Stacy Beckton Jr. joined Sa'eed in the double-figures club as AU picked up its first 20-point win since topping Lehigh, 77-56, on Jan. 27, 2020. 

No one else in American men's basketball history has scored more points than Sa'eed Nelson. A special tribute for a special player. #Salute2Sa | @SilkySa2 pic.twitter.com/M7eQq14YLB

— American U. Men's Basketball (@AU_MBasketball) February 27, 2020

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The historic basket gave AU an early 4-3 lead, but Lafayette came out of the gate hot, taking a 12-6 lead with 13:24 left in the half.
• American responded with a 15-0 run to take control and a 21-12 lead with 9:45 remaining.
• The Eagle lead stretched as large as 14 in the first half, but Lafayette clawed back within seven with 2:13 left.
• Coach Brennan called a timeout to regroup and the Eagles closed the half with six straight points, including a last-second shot from Sa'eed Nelson, to take a 38-25 lead at intermission.
• Lafayette could only get within 13 points in the second half, but American responded with eight straight points to put the game on ice. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Eagles shot the lights out at 57.9 percent. 
• American forced 18 Lafayette turnovers and scored 27 points off the mistakes.

MILESTONE WATCH

• Sa'eed now stands at 2,085 career points and is the all-time leading scorer in American men's basketball history.
• Looking at the Patriot League scoring list, Sa'eed moved into third place on Wednesday, passing Tucker Neale of Colgate. 
• Sa'eed also moved up on the Patriot League career steals list, passing Torey Thomas of Holy Cross to move into second place. 

History in Bender. With this bucket, Sa'eed Nelson passes Boo Bowers on AU's all-time scoring list, breaking a record that has stood for 39 years.#AUMBB | #Salute2Sa | @SilkySa2 pic.twitter.com/gDeu3sEdlZ

— American U. Men's Basketball (@AU_MBasketball) February 27, 2020

Sa'eed Nelson (@SilkySa2) has that mamba mentality! Sa'eed's dad says Kobe Bryant was his son's favorite player! @AU_MBasketball@AUeagles#AUMBB | #Salute2Sa pic.twitter.com/Qt9Q7UUd8r

— WUSA9 Sports (@WUSA9sports) February 27, 2020

UP NEXT

• The Eagles close the regular season with a matchup against Holy Cross on Saturday, Feb. 29.
• Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. in Worcester, Mass

PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS IN BENDER ARENA

• American will enter the Patriot League Tournament as either the No. 2 or 3 seed, and will host a Quarterfinal Round game in Bender Arena on Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m.

PL QUARTERFINAL TICKET INFO

• Ticket prices for the quarterfinal game, set by the Patriot League, are $14 for adults and $7 for seniors (65+) and youth (under 13).
• Rates for groups with 10+ are $5 per person and must be purchased in advance through the box office.  AU students with valid AU ID will be admitted free of charge.
• Tickets are now on sale via AUeagles.com/Tickets. Fans can also visit the Athletics Ticket Office in person, or call (202) 885-TIXX (8499) Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to secure their seats.

KEEP UP WITH US

• For the latest on American University Men's Basketball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_MBasketball), Facebook (/AU.MBasketball) and Instagram (@au_mbasketball).