FARMVILLE, Va. – A string of missed free throws by Western Carolina and made 3-pointers by American University men's basketball almost erased a seven-point deficit in the final minute on Saturday night, but the Eagles couldn't put together a quality offensive possession as time expired, giving the Catamounts an 80-79 win at the Jerome Kersey Classic.

QUICK NOTABLES

• Jaxon Knotek set new career-highs in points (21), 3-pointers (four), and blocks (three) to pace the Eagles. He went 8-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
• Matt Rogers came off the bench and was solid all night long, setting a new career-high with nine rebounds and matching his career-high with 12 points. He was an efficient 5-of-6 from the field.
• The Eagles blocked eight shots, which is tied for fourth in program history. Knotek had three while Lorenzo Donadio and Johnny O'Neil both had two swats.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Unlike last night against Longwood, American started out the game with the first five points. Western Carolina countered with the next 12 points to take control early.
• AU responded with a 10-2 run, including eight points from Knotek, in the middle of the first half to cut the deficit to one at 26-25 with 4:34 remaining in the period.
• The Catamounts then used an 11-2 run of their own to head into the locker room with a 42-31 advantage.
• Something head coach Mike Brennan said in the locker room resonated with American, as the Eagles jumped out to a 14-1 run to go ahead 45-43 with 14:31 to play, punctuated by a Knotek three that forced a Western Carolina timeout.
• From there, the game went back-and-forth as neither team held a lead of more than a possession until inside four minutes remaining.
• Western Carolina went on a stretch of making 5-of-6 from 3-point range to push its lead to seven with 1:02 remaining in the game.
• The Catamounts missed three straight 1-and-1 free throws, keeping American's hopes alive down the stretch. Stacy Beckton Jr. and O'Neil both buried 3-pointers to get the Eagles within one at 78-77 with 17 seconds left.
• After Nick Robinson made two free throws for Western Carolina with 12 seconds left, the Catamounts fouled AU, sending Beckton Jr. to the line for two shots with the Eagles trailing by three points. He calmly sank both shots to get AU back within one.
• On the other end, Western Carolina missed both free throws with seven seconds left, but a scramble for a rebound after the second miss wasted precious time. The Eagles gained possession but were unable to get a good shot off as Beckton Jr. slipped in the paint as time expired.  

BY THE NUMBERS

• Lincoln Ball found his 3-point shot tonight, going 2-of-3 from deep and a career-high eight points.
• Colin Smalls had 11 points and a team-high three steals.
• American's bench outscored Western Carolina's by a 38-15 margin. It was by far the highest bench production for AU this season, surpassing yesterday's 24 bench points.
• A night after struggling mightily from beyond the arc, the Eagles set a new season-high with 10 made 3-pointers, shooting 45.5 percent from long range. 

UP NEXT

• American will conclude the Jerome Kersey Classic with a game at UMBC on Tuesday night.
• Due to a previously agreed-upon home-and-home series, the Eagles will travel to Catonsville to close out the round-robin tournament.

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).