EASTON, Pa. – A shorthanded American University men's basketball team overcame several key injuries to knock off Lafayette, the top team in the Patriot League, 69-66. Senior Matt Rogers led the Eagles in scoring with 23 points while junior Elijah Stephens added 19.
 
Notable Numbers

• Five Eagles played over 30 minutes in the game. Rogers added eight rebounds to his 23 points in 35 minutes on the court.
• Stephens left the game briefly with an ankle injury but returned to finish with 19 points and five assists.
• After making just 1-of-4 free throws in the first half, American made 9-of-13 in the second half, ultimately critical to winning the game.
• The Eagles once again made more than 10 three-pointers, knocking down 11-of-31 to outpace Lafayette's nine from beyond the arc.
• American's 17 assists were a significant increase from its 10 against Colgate.

First Half

• The Eagles started the game by forcing a Lafayette shot clock violation on the opening possession. Then, Rogers made a floater to give AU a 2-0 lead.
• American held Lafayette scoreless for more than three minutes to start the game. American led 5-2 at the 16:55 mark.
• Rogers scored 10 of American's first 14 points with the help of a pair of three-pointers, as AU led 14-12 with 11:45 left in the half.
• Both senior Colin Smalls and sophomore Geoff Sprouse exited the game with injuries during the first half.
• A Matt Mayock three assisted by senior Lorenzo Donadio forced a Lafayette timeout as American was on a 6-0 run over a 3:47 stretch. American led 20-14 at the 7:03 mark.
• With the Eagles on an 11-2 run over a seven-minute stretch, American led 25-16 with four minutes left in the half.
• The shorthanded Eagles squad made six three-pointers and out-rebounded Lafayette 20-16 to take a 31-21 lead into the locker room.

Second Half

• Both teams traded long balls early, with the Eagles and the Leopards combining to make seven three-pointers in the first five minutes of the half. American led 44-32 with 15:04 left in the game.
• With 12:56 left in the half, Stephens left the game with an injury. He returned later in the half.
• Lafayette made 6-of-7 threes to start the half and cut American's lead to 49-45 with 10:33 to play.
• American was called for four fouls in two minutes but maintained a 56-49 lead with 4:30 to play.
• Lafayette cut American's lead to four points with 43 seconds to play.
• Stephens finished the game 7-of-8 from the free throw line, and his critical free throws in the final minutes led to American's 69-66 win.

Up Next

• The Eagles will return home to Bender Arena for its Black History Month Celebration against Bucknell on Saturday, February 3 at 4 p.m. For more information, click here. 

Keep Up With Us

• For the latest on American University Men's Basketball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on X (formerly Twitter) (@AU_MBasketball), Facebook (/AU.MBasketball) and Instagram (@au_mbasketball).