WORCESTER, Mass. – The inside presence of the Eagles could not be contained by Holy Cross as 10th-seeded American University men's basketball beat the seventh-seeded Crusaders 69-63 in the first round of the Patriot League Championships on Tuesday night. It was the first PL Tournament victory since 2016 for American, who moves on to play a quarterfinal at second-seeded Navy on Thursday.

BY THE NUMBERS

• All-PL Third Team selection Stacy Beckton Jr. recorded double figures in scoring for a sixth straight game, and scored over 20 points for a second game in a row, leading the Eagles with 23. He nearly made it a double-double with nine rebounds.
• Freshman Elijah Stephens, named to the All-PL Rookie Team earlier this week, had an outstanding effort, dishing a career-high eight assists while scoring 12 points (8-of-8 free throws).
• Senior Josh Alexander came off the bench for 10 points, while sophomore Johnny O'Neil added eight points along with a career-high four steals.
• The Eagles did not hit a single three-pointer in the contest, which has not occurred since at least 2007. They only attempted three triples. 
• In the paint was where AU shined, finishing with a whopping 50-28 advantage in points in the paint. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• American hit just two of its first eight shots in a lackluster start that saw the Eagles trailing 11-6 just over five minutes in.
• An 8-2 run put AU in the lead for the first time at 14-13, and after the Crusaders went back up by one, the Eagles ran off eight straight points capped by a Colin Smalls dunk at 8:08 for a 22-15 lead. 
• With 6:53 to go in the first, a Beckton Jr. bucket gave AU its largest lead of the first half, 26-17.
• The Crusaders went on a run of their own to get back within two, but would never match it the rest of the way.
• Both teams were scoreless for nearly the final three minutes of the first half, and AU had a 32-28 lead at the break.
• Holy Cross was never out of reach in the second half, but the Eagles primarily led by two or three possessions. 
• AU's largest lead was 10, 65-55 in the final two minutes, but the Crusaders chopped that to three with 13 seconds left after a couple free throw misses by the Eagles left the door open.
• Stephens, who was perfect at the line, hit a crucial two free throws with 12 seconds left to keep Holy Cross at bay and seal the win.
• Overall, AU was 19-of-25 (76 percent) at the stripe and shot 53 percent from the field.

UP NEXT

• American will play a quarterfinal game at Navy on Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m.
• AU fans and alumni wishing to attend the game at Navy's Alumni Hall should purchase tickets online through the Navy Ticket Office by clicking here, or by calling 800-874-6289.  
• Eagle fans wishing to sit with fellow AU supporters may try and purchase tickets in/near sections W & V behind the AU bench. 

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).