WASHINGTON – Just two days removed from a hard-fought game against Loyola Maryland, American University men's basketball returns to the friendly confines of Bender Arena to take on Lafayette on Monday night.
 
QUICK INFO 

• Date/Time: Monday, January 24, 7:00 p.m. 
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena) 
• Ticket Info: AUEagles.com/Tickets
• Series History: AU leads, 38-27 
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Dan Laing (pxp) and Jimmy Patsos (color)

UPDATED COVID PROTOCOLS FOR BENDER ARENA

• In response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in our region, American University Athletics is announcing increased safety measures for events at Bender Arena
• Concessions: Due to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, concessions will temporarily not be available to patrons for home events at Bender.
• Eagles Club Hospitality Suite: Due to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, there will be a temporary pause on all Eagles Club Hospitality operations for men's and women's basketball games.
• These measures are in addition to the ones already in place, which include all patrons wearing masks at all times while inside Bender Arena, and proof of vaccination required prior to entering the gym.

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Due to the Patriot League's emphasis on regional mini-conferences a season ago, AU and Lafayette haven't met since Feb. 26, 2020.
• In that meeting, Sa'eed Nelson broke American's all-time scoring record with his first field goal of the game. He went on to score 30 points in a 79-59 win over the Leopards.
• Prior to AU's win in the last meeting, Lafayette had won seven straight matchups in the series.
• This game was originally scheduled for Jan. 7, but was postponed due to health and safety protocols within American's program.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• Last time out, American (5-12, 1-4 PL) put together its best shooting performance of the season (63.0 percent), but fell to Patriot League-leading Loyola Maryland on the road, 78-73.
• Connor Nelson shot the lights out at Reitz Arena, making 7-of-10 shots from beyond the arc on his way to a career-high 23 points. His 3-point FG percentage (70 percent) ranks second in program history for a single game.
• Since stepping into the starting lineup in late November, Matt Rogers has been up to the task. He leads the conference and currently ranks first in program history by shooting 66.0 percent from the field this season. The 6-9 sophomore averages 9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
• Stacy Beckton Jr. is on milestone watch during his fifth season as an Eagle. He has now played in 103 career games and is 29 points away from becoming the 33rd player to reach 1,000 career points. He currently has 90 career blocks, which ranks ninth in program history. He is two swats away from moving into eighth place on AU's all-time career blocks list and 11 away from being the sixth Eagle with 100 career blocks.
• Elijah Stephens has continued to improve as his rookie campaign rolls along. Since Patriot League play began, he has been dishing dimes at a solid pace. He's averaging 4.3 assists per game in his last three appearances. In conference play, the 5-9 guard averages 9.4 points per game on 54.1 percent shooting. Stephens is one of two Eagles to appear in all 17 games this season (Johnny O'Neil).

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LAFAYETTE

• Lafayette (4-11, 1-3 PL) head coach Fran O'Hanlon announced on Friday his plans to retire at the end of this season. The longest-tenured and winningest coach in Patriot League history, O'Hanlon has spent 27 seasons on the bench and racked up 356 career wins.
• The Leopards are coming off a statement win on their home floor over Army, topping the Black Knights 68-54 behind 16 points from Leo O'Boyle. That game took place on Jan. 16, as Lafayette has been on pause since then due to health and safety protocols.
• 7-footer Neal Quinn ranks third in the Patriot League with an impressive 7.7 rebounds per game. Joining him in the PL Top 10 for rebounding is Kyle Jenkins, sitting in sixth with 6.2 rpg. 
• As a team, Lafayette drains 9.7 three-pointers per game, which ranks second in the PL.

TICKET INFO

• Tickets, starting at just $7 each, are available for purchase for fully vaccinated fans by clicking here.   A limited amount of premium location sideline seats also still remain.  Admission is free for AU undergraduate, graduate and WCL students with current AU ID.
• AU Athletics asks that you consider pre-purchasing digital tickets prior to arriving on campus. The ticket office is transitioning to contactless tickets so that we may offer the safest and most effective way to minimize contact upon entry.
• Digital tickets also give fans more control in the management of tickets including the ability to forward/share ticket(s) with friends and family. You may either present digital tickets on a smart phone device or download and pre-print ticket(s) at home with a valid QR code.
• Thank you for your help and cooperation in advancing contactless ticketing for the health and safety of our entire AU community.

AU HOOP TALK WITH COACH BRENNAN, PRESENTED BY 1757 GOLF CLUB

• Check out and watch the newest episode of AU Hoop Talk with Coach Brennan presented by 1757 Golf Club by clicking here.
•  In this week's episode, Coach Brennan talks about how his team has handled the adversity of a constantly-changing schedule the last few weeks.
• All prior show episodes from this season can also be seen archived here.

HOW TO WATCH ESPN+ 

• A subscription to ESPN+ is available for purchase via ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or the ESPN App. Fans can access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed. To subscribe, click here. It costs $6.99/month or $69.99/year. 

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).