CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – With a lead in the final five minutes, the game was never out of reach for American University men's basketball, but the Eagles came up just short in a 63-58 loss at the University of Virginia (7-5) on Sunday afternoon. AU (6-6) hit 11 three-pointers and turned the ball over a season-low seven times while staying within striking distance or in the lead for the entire contest in front of a sizable home crowd of 12,384.
Notable Numbers
- Matt Mayock hit 4-of-5 from long range and led the Eagles with 16 points, hitting 6-of-8 from the field overall and grabbing five rebounds.
- The Eagles got 12 points apiece from Matt Rogers and Colin Smalls, with Rogers leading AU on the glass and grabbing seven boards.
- AU made 9-of-9 free throws, with Rogers and Greg Jones hitting 4-of-4 each.
- Lincoln Ball added a game-high four steals to five rebounds, also tying for the team lead with three assists.
First Half
- The Eagles led for the first five minutes of the game, and never trailed by more than seven.
- Geoff Sprouse hit AU's third triple at 12:26 for an 11-10 lead, and the first two-pointer of the half by Rogers put the Eagles up 13-12 at the 10-minute mark.
- With an 8-0 run, the Cavaliers took a 20-13 lead at 6:55, and matched that margin at 23-16 within the same minute.
- Two free throws for Jones had the Eagles back within three just under the four-minute mark.
- After UVA went back up by five, Mayock and Julen Iturbe both drained shots from long range in the final minutes to keep it close.
- The Cavs held a four-point, 32-28 lead at the break after scoring the final bucket with 20 seconds to go.
- UVA grabbed just four offensive boards in the half, but managed a 9-2 advantage in second-chance points.
- The Eagles recorded just two steals, but had an 8-0 lead in fast break points at halftime.
- Rogers led AU with eight points and four boards, while Mayock hit 2-of-3 from beyond the arc for six points at the break.
Second Half
- Smalls hit his first three attempts from beyond the arc to start the second half, with the second and third of those giving AU leads.
- Mayock followed Smalls' third triple with a jumper for a 41-37 advantage at 13:22.
- The half was played at a fast pace with few whistles, and the game breezed through an entire media timeout before taking both the under-16 and under-12 back-to-back.
- UVA finally scored after a five-minute drought to come within one at 11:14, but an AU scoreless stretch followed.
- Mayock ended the drought for AU with a three-pointer at the nine-minute mark for a 44-42 lead, and Sprouse followed with another for AU's largest lead of five, 47-42 at 8:16.
- Three ties followed after a 7-0 UVA run. After the final tie at 51-51, the Cavs took the lead for good and went up by as many as six with 15 seconds left.
- AU twice cut the deficit to three points in the final 10 seconds thanks to a Mayock three and a Jones jumper, but Virginia went 4-for-4 at the line to keep its advantage.
Up Next
- The Eagles will finish the non-conference slate at home against UMBC, taking on the Retrievers at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29 in Bender Arena.
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