WASHINGTON – Despite leading for 37 minutes of the contest, the American University men's basketball team suffered a 75-73 loss to Saint Francis (Pa.) after the Red Flash (4-5) completed a comeback in the final minutes. The loss ended the Eagles' perfect start in Bender Arena this season, moving them to 4-1 at home and 4-5 overall.
 
Notable Numbers

• Senior Matt Rogers picked up his second double-double this season with a game-high 24 points to go with a game-high 15 rebounds. Rogers also hit a career-high of four three-pointers, going 4-of-7 from long range.
• Junior Elijah Stephens posted a season-high 17 points, going 7-of-11 from the field.
• AU got five assists from sophomore Geoff Sprouse, and four apiece from seniors Lincoln Ball and Lorenzo Donadio. Ball also led the Eagles with three steals and posted six rebounds, while Donadio picked up seven boards.
• The Red Flash, who have averaged just 4.6 three-pointers a game so far this season, hit 11 in the game to match American's total.
• Turnovers continued to be costly for the Eagles, who committed 15 in comparison to the Red Flash's nine. Points off turnover were 19 to 12 in favor of Saint Francis.

First Half

• The Eagles had a quick start to the game, going on a 9-0 run to keep the Red Flash scoreless for the first five minutes.
• Sophomore Jermaine Ballisager Webb came off the bench to hit a quick 3-for-3 in a row in the eighth minute to increase American's lead to 18-5.
• In the 13th minute, Ball pick-pocketed the ball from a Saint Francis defender to cause the turnover and was rewarded at the basket on a give-and-go with the layup on a Colin Smalls assist, giving American its largest lead of 20 points, 28-8.
• In the final minutes of the half the Red Flash went on a 6-0 run to reduce the Eagles' lead to 40-29 going into halftime.
• At one point late in the first half, American was shooting over 70 percent from the field. The Eagles finished the half at 61.5 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range. 

Second Half

• Coming out of the half with momentum, the Red Flash went on a 5-0 run in the first two minutes and eventually went 4-for-4 from three-point range to cut well into the Eagles' lead.
• Near the 15-minute mark, Saint Francis made it a five-point game, but Smalls answered with a three that began a 9-1 run for the Eagles, putting them back up by a score of 59-46 with 11 minutes left.
• That's when the cold spell began for AU, and over the final eight minutes Saint Francis went on a 22-5 run. The Red Flash took the lead for the first time in the game on a jumper with less than a minute left in regulation.
• In the final 30 seconds, Saint Francis went 4-of-4 at the free-throw line to stay in the lead, while two three-point attempts missed the mark for AU. Rogers finally hit one at the buzzer but it was too late for the Eagles.

Up Next

• The Eagles will start their one-month hiatus from Bender, playing four straight games on the road. First up is Saint Joseph's on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.

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).