ALBANY, N.Y. – After coming back from a big first-half deficit to take a lead early in the second, the shots stopped falling for American University men's basketball down the stretch in a 74-66 loss at Siena.
Matt Rogers exploded for 26 points to lead the Eagles, who fall to 1-2 while the Saints improve to 3-0.
Notable Numbers
- Rogers made 11 field goals including 3-of-4 from long range in his first breakout game of the young season.
- The only other player to reach double figures in scoring for AU was Colin Smalls with 11 points.
- Elijah Stephens scored nine points and led the Eagles with four assists.
- Siena had four players in double digits, led by Justice Shoats with 18 points. Brendan Coyle and Peter Carey scored 16 each, with Coyle getting 14 of those in the second half.
First Half
- Siena hit 11 of its first 11 attempts from the field in a red-hot start on its home court, taking its first 10-point lead with 11 minutes left in the half.
- The Saints finally missed a shot at 10:34, but continued to extend its lead as AU struggled.
- With 5:41 to go in the half, Siena had its largest lead of 15 points, 34-19, thanks in large part to a 12-point effort from Carey.
- Just under the five-minute mark it was still a 14-point lead for the Saints on a Tajae Jones layup, but it was the final bucket they scored in the period.
- Rogers answered with a jumper to start what became a 14-0 closing run for American.
- Five more points in the run came from Rogers, and freshman Wyatt Nausadis hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to tie the game for the first time at 36-36.
- After a slow start, the Eagles finished the half shooting 50 percent and hit 6-of-10 from long range while the Saints did not make a three-pointer.
Second Half
- Rogers scored the Eagles' first five points of the second half, giving them a three-point lead at the 18-minute mark.
- After two ties, a trey for Smalls matched that three-point lead, 46-43, and the Eagles later took their largest lead of five points near the midway point as Rogers kept up the intensity.
- Siena's first three-pointer of the game with 7:11 remaining tied the game for the final time, and became part of a 19-3 run that put the Saints up by 11 with just over a minute to go.
- The Eagles managed seven points in the final minute, but could come within no fewer than six points.
Up Next
- The Eagles will face their biggest test of the year as they head to #10 North Carolina for an 8 p.m. game on Friday, Nov. 15.
Keep Up With Us
