Elijah Stephens taking the ball down the floor in a men's basketball game at Harvard on November 29, 2023
Kayleigh Halasz
75
American Americ 4-4,0-0 Patriot
80
Winner Harvard HU 6-2,0-0 Ivy League
American Americ
4-4,0-0 Patriot
75
Final
80
Harvard HU
6-2,0-0 Ivy League
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
American Americ 31 44 75
Harvard HU 42 38 80

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Comeback Attempt Falls Short for Men's Basketball at Harvard

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Stronger play in the second half made things interesting, but wasn't quite enough for American University men's basketball to complete a comeback attempt at Harvard (6-2), and the Eagles (4-4) fell 80-75 to the Crimson. Down by as many as 14 late in the first half, AU made it a three-point game with three minutes left but could get no closer.

Notable Numbers
  • Just one rebound shy of a double-double, senior Matt Rogers finished with 20 points and nine rebounds along with three assists and two steals.
  • Senior Lincoln Ball led a rebounding effort that saw AU finish with 38 compared to 24 for Harvard, including a 14-4 edge on the offensive glass. Ball finished with a career-high 11 boards to lead all players in the game.
  • Freshman Matt Mayock and junior Elijah Stephens both posted 14 points for AU, with Mayock hitting four three-pointers and Stephens dishing a game-high five assists.
  • The Eagles had four players score in double figures, as senior Lorenzo Donadio added 10 and hit both of his attempts from long range.
  • Turnovers proved costly for AU all game long, with the Eagles committing 14 to Harvard's seven. The Crimson finished with a 21-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
First Half
  • The story of the first half for American, unfortunately, was Harvard freshman Malik Mack, who scored 22 points in just those first 20 minutes. Mack would finish with 26 in the game.
  • Early on, the Eagles kept pace and had a 12-11 lead on a Donadio bucket at 12:27. 
  • After the Crimson went up 17-12, the Eagles scored a quick five points capped by Mayock's second trey to tie it up 17-17 at the 15-minute mark.
  • From there, Mack took over and would finish the half shooting 7-of-7 from the field including four three-pointers.
  • The Crimson used a 12-2 run, fueled almost entirely by Mack, to take a 37-24 lead with 4:30 to go.
  • AU was later down by 14 in the final minute before a Donadio three-pointer in the final seconds made it an 11-point game, 42-31 at the break.
Second Half
  • AU came out blazing from long range to open the second period, hitting five treys in the first five minutes. 
  • Back-to-back three-pointers from Mayock cut the 11-point halftime deficit to four, 47-43 at 17:11, but it was as close as the Eagles could get until the final three minutes.
  • The second long-range shot by Rogers in the second half had the Eagles within six near the 15-minute mark, but the gap soon became 12.
  • Down eight with four minutes to go, the Eagles got five straight points from Rogers and had the margin down to three, 70-67 at 2:51.
  • Although the Crimson went just 2-for-5 at the line from that point until the final 10 seconds, the Eagles were unable to close the gap.


Up Next
  • The Eagles will return to the friendly confines of Bender Arena where they'll look to improve their home record to 5-0 on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. against St. Francis (Pa.).
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