WASHINGTON – American University men's basketball makes its return to Bender Arena on Wednesday night against Navy for the 8th Annual Sustainability Awareness Game.  
 
QUICK INFO 

• Date/Time: Wednesday, February 16, 7:00 p.m. 
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena) 
• Ticket Info: AUEagles.com/Tickets
• Series History: Tied, 49-49 
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Dan Laing (pxp) and Jimmy Patsos (color)

INSIDE THE SERIES

• With a narrow 47-45 win in Annapolis last month, Navy has now won five straight times in the series.
• Four of those meetings came last season with the Patriot League's emphasis on regional mini-conferences.
• American has a 24-14 advantage in games played at home, including a 19-8 mark in games played at Bender Arena.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• American (7-18, 3-10 PL) returns to Bender Arena after playing three straight road games. Last time out, the Eagles finished strong to close out a surging Holy Cross 60-54 on Monday night. It was AU's first road win of Patriot League play.
• Matt Rogers led the team with 20 points, his second 20-point performance of the season. The sophomore big man added eight rebounds.
• Colin Smalls became the first Eagle to make at least 10 free throws in a game since Sa'eed Nelson did so against Navy on Jan. 9, 2019. Smalls went 10-of-12 from the charity stripe and scored 19 points.
• Stacy Beckton Jr. is creeping up the all-time scoring list, now sitting at No. 27. Based on his scoring average, he has a chance to move as high as No. 26 by the end of the season. Additionally, he currently has 96 career blocks, which ranks seventh in program history. He is two swats away from moving into sixth place on AU's all-time career blocks list and four away from being the sixth Eagle with 100 career blocks.
• Jaxon Knotek has been a valuable bench contributor the last few weeks. The senior sharpshooter has hit a triple in five straight games dating back to Feb. 2, 2022. Prior to this streak, Knotek's last trey came on Dec. 1, 2021 at Stony Brook.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NAVY

• Navy (17-8, 10-4 PL) is riding a three-game winning streak and has won five of their last six games. The only blemish was a one-point loss to Lehigh on Feb. 2 when the Mountain Hawks completed a 15-point comeback in the final three minutes of action.
• Last time out, Navy topped Army on the road in a defensive slugfest 52-49. Tyler Nelson led the Mids with 16 points on 7-of-15 from the field.
• The Mids currently stand in second place in the conference with a 10-4 mark in PL play. Navy boasts the best defense in the conference both in scoring (59.2 ppg) and FG percentage (40.9).

SUSTAINABILITY NIGHT INFO

• "Go Green," but wear red, white, and blue to Bender Arena to cheer on the American University men's basketball team at the 8th Annual Sustainability Awareness Game against Navy. 
• This year's event will focus on how the AU community can reduce waste, specifically food waste. 
• Attendees will be able to engage with numerous environmental student organizations and a bicycle will be given away to a random student in attendance.
• Other sustainability initiatives at the game include:
  • Zero Waste students on hand to help fans sort their waste into either compost, recycling, or landfill trash bins.
  • A zero waste-themed student 'bottle-bowling' competition on the court.
  • Recognition of AU's student Compost Crew and Zero Waste Office.
• Attendees will support the Eagles as well as spotlight AU's environmental goals and accomplishments.
• The matchup is planned each year by AU Athletics, Facilities Management's Energy & Engineering and Grounds teams, and the Office of Sustainability and is supported by corporate partners Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, The Fulcrum Group, Siemens, Aramark Higher Education, DC Sustainable Energy Utility, E.C. Ernst Electrical Contractors, and E-Finity.
• Click here for complete details on sustainability night promotions and activities.

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
• 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.
• All patrons are required to wear masks at all times while inside Bender Arena, and proof of vaccination is required prior to entering the gym.

BENDER ARENA GREGORIO'S CONCESSIONS STAND RE-OPENS FOR REMAINDER OF 2022 HOME GAMES

• Starting on Wednesday, Feburary 9, AU Athletics is proud to announce that concessions operations will re-open to Bender Arena patrons.
• The Eagles have partnered with Gregorio's Trattoria to provide an enhanced concessions menu for all remaining home basketball games this season.
• Fans can enjoy Gregorio's favorites including menu selections of pizza, Italian sausage and peppers, hot and cold sub sandwiches and wraps, chicken fingers, hot dogs, chips and more, as well as a full selection of refreshing Pepsi products.

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 reflects on the career that Stacy Beckton Jr. has had over the last five years to become the 33rd member of AU's 1,000-point club.
• 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).