BALTIMORE, Md. – The American University men's basketball team held on after UMBC stormed back from a 22-point second-half deficit. The Eagles made 53 percent of their shots from the field and added 15 three-pointers, and sophomore Jermaine Ballisager Webb scored 17 points coming off the bench.

Notable Numbers

• After missing the game at Virginia Tech, senior Matt Rogers scored 13 points, including 10 in the second half, adding seven rebounds and two steals.
• Sophomore Jermaine Ballisager Webb led the Eagles in scoring with 17 points in just 14 minutes coming off the bench.
• The Eagles made 53 percent of their shots from the field, including 15 three-pointers, shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc. 
• The contest marked the second college basketball game this season where both teams made 15 or more three-point shots, with the first instance being American's 103-74 win over Hood College.
• Junior Elijah Stephens added 16 points for AU, including critical free throws in the second half. Stephens' four steals are a career high.

First Half

• Both teams got off to a fast start, and back-to-back slam dunks from Ballisager Webb brought American's deficit to just 15-12 with 14:44 left in the half.
• A three-pointer from Matt Rogers gave American its first lead of the game, 17-15, at 13:19.
• Ballisager Webb scored to keep American on a 17-3 run, as the Eagles held a 25-18 lead with 10:01 to go in the half.
• Back-to-back three-pointers from sophomore Geoff Sprouse and senior Lincoln Ball had the Eagles on a 10-0 run, keeping a 36-23 lead with 6:29 left in the half.
• Ballisager Webb led the way with 11 first-half points coming off the bench.
• American shot 61 percent to UMBC's 31 percent in the half, including shooting 59 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Eagles turned a seven-point deficit at the 15:49 mark into a 17-point halftime lead.

Second Half

• Ballisager Webb picked up where he left off with two early baskets, as American led by 15 at the 16:00 mark.
• A Matt Rogers three-pointer gave American a 22-point lead at the 12:18 mark. That would be American's largest lead of the game.
• UMBC fought back with a 9-2 run midway through the second half to cut the American lead to 76-64 with 8:15 left in the game.
• A second run from the Retrievers brought it to a four-point game with 1:55 remaining, as American led 81-77.
• UMBC made 10 of 14 three-point attempts in the second half to spark their comeback attempt.
• With UMBC poised to cut the AU lead to one possession, Elijah Stephens forced a turnover and drew a foul, making both free throws to extend the Eagles' lead to six with 1:42 to play.
• With under seven seconds to play, Geoff Sprouse converted two critical free throws to give American a four-point lead and effectively seal the game.

Up Next

• American will host Lehigh in its Patriot League opener on January 3 at 7:00 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).