WASHINGTON – The Eagles were within three points with a minute remaining, but American University men's basketball ultimately fell short against Lafayette by a final score of 68-62. With the loss, American remains third in the Patriot League with an 8-6 conference record (14-13 overall).
 
Junior Elijah Stephens returned to the lineup for the Eagles, playing limited minutes.
 
Notable Numbers

• Senior Matt Rogers led the way for American with 17 points and seven rebounds, making six of his seven free throws in the process.
• Freshman Matt Mayock added 16 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-5 from behind the arc. Senior Lincoln Ball was also in double digits with 10.
• Lafayette's Devin Hines led all scorers with 20 points, including making 5-of-7 from three. Entering the game, he was a 31 percent shooter from beyond the arc.
• Lafayette's Luka Savicevic made 4-of-5 three-pointers. Entering the game, he was a 24 percent shooter from beyond the arc, with 11 makes on the season.

First Half

• Rogers carried the Eagles in scoring over the first five minutes, converting on a jumper and a three-pointer. Like Rogers for AU, Lafayette's Devin Hines made the Leopards' first two first two field goals, hitting two from distance to help Lafayette to an 8-5 lead at the first media timeout.
• After Lafayette scored to make the score 10-5, Adrian Samuels knocked down a three. A personal foul on Lafayette after the play gave the ball immediately back to the Eagles, allowing Ball to find Mayock open behind the arc to complete a six-point swing and give American an 11-10 lead.
• Mayock's three started a stretch that saw him score nine of American's next 12 points, including a driving move to get inside and score from beneath the basket. Lafayette matched American's effort during the stretch, scoring 12 points of its own to maintain a 22-20 lead with 3:28 left on the clock.
• With a late foul on the Eagles, the Leopards hit two late free throws and went into halftime with a narrow 27-26 lead over American. 
• Lafayette made 41 percent of its shots in the first half, compared to the Eagles' 35 percent.

Second Half

• Lafayette opened the half with a 6-2 run. That was when freshman Greg Jones responded, grabbing an offensive rebound and an ensuing putback layup on back-to-back possessions. A three on the following possession gave him seven unanswered points in less than a minute to put the Eagles back ahead 35-33.
• The teams traded baskets and leads over the next five minutes, with senior Lorenzo Donadio knocking down a three to get his first points of the night. It was Lafayette that regained a two-point lead at the media timeout with 11:29 left in the game, with the score 42-40.
• Lafayette made five consecutive field goals amidst a 14-5 run to take an eight point, 53-45 lead with 8:09 on the clock.
• American refused to break, however, and responded with a quick 8-2 run of its own, helped by threes from Ball and Rogers to get the score back within two.
• The Eagles hung close but struggled to break through to retie the game. Still, the game was within a possession with a minute left and Lafayette leading 63-60 with both teams already in the bonus.
• Lafayette converted a layup on the next possession, forcing American to foul, and ultimately putting the game out of reach. The Leopards went on to win by a final score of 68-62.
• The Leopards made 56 percent of their shots in the second half, including 8-of-15 from three.

UP NEXT
The Eagles will stay at home to host Boston University in Bender Arena this Wednesday, February 21 at 7 p.m. for their penultimate home game of the regular season.
 
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