WASHINGTON – The American University men's basketball team will look to rebound from its home loss to Colgate on Saturday with another critical Patriot League matchup as the Eagles travel to Lafayette for a 7 p.m. tip off on Wednesday night.
The Leopards are currently tied with Colgate for first place in the conference, with American close behind.
Quick Info
- Date/Time: Wednesday, January 31; 7:00 p.m.
- Site: Easton, Pa. (Kirby Sports Center)
- Series History: American leads 39-31
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: Gary Laubach and John Leone
Inside the Series
- There are 70 games on record between American and Lafayette, with American leading 39-31.
- The Leopards have won four out of the last five contests and boast a 19-15 record when playing at home.
- The last time these two teams met, Lafayette handed American a heartbreaking double-OT loss in the Patriot League semifinals.
What to Know About American
- In its last game, American ran into a red-hot Colgate team, falling at Bender Arena 73-54. Senior Matt Rogers led all scorers with 19 points, adding 5 rebounds. The Eagles got off to a strong start and led by 7 early, but Colgate quickly took the lead and never looked back.
- Senior Matt Rogers leads AU and ranks fifth in the PL with 15.1 points per game, adding 6.3 rebounds per game (fifth in PL). Rogers recently became the 15th player in program history to score 1,000 career points and grab 500 rebounds.
- American leads the Patriot League in several offensive statistical categories: field goal percentage (46.0), three-point field goal percentage (36.0) and three-pointers per game (9.3).
- Junior Elijah Stephens leads AU and ranks second in the PL with 5.2 assists per game (41st nationally). His assist/turnover ratio of 2.4 also ranks second in the PL, and his 12.1 points per game rank eighth in the PL. Stephens now ranks eighth all-time at AU with 321 career assists.
- First-year head coach Duane Simpkins has 11 career victories and has brought a new energy to the program. The Eagles run a faster offense and so far are averaging 7.1 more points per game than in 2022-23, as well as making 2.9 more 3-point field goals per game.
Scouting the Leopards
- Lafayette enters Saturday's game with a 8-13 record overall, but having won 7 of their 8 Patriot League contests, the Leopards are tied for first place in the conference with Colgate.
- Despite not winning a single game against a Division I opponent in its nonconference schedule, Lafayette started conference play by rattling off seven wins in a row.
- In its last game, the Leopards suffered their first loss of the PL season, a 62-48 loss to Boston University.
- The Leopards lead the Patriot League in field goal defense, allowing opponents to make just 41.3 percent of their shots, and blocked shots, blocking 4.52 per game.
- Junior Justin Vander Baan ranks 9th in the country, blocking 2.52 shots per game. He also leads the Leopards in scoring with 9.6 points per game.
- Mike McGarvey is in his first full season as head coach at Lafayette after taking over as acting head coach for five games last season. He led the Leopards to the PL championship as acting head coach.
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