WASHINGTON – Coming off back-to-back Patriot League wins including its first road win of the season, American University men's basketball is looking to keep the streak going and take a season sweep from Holy Cross. The Eagles (9-9, 3-2) head to Worcester, Mass., to face the Crusaders (10-8, 2-3) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, after having defeated Holy Cross 75-64 at home on Jan. 5.
Quick Info
- Date/Time: Saturday, January 18; 1 pm
- Site: Worcester, Mass. (Hart Center)
- Series History: AU leads, 29-24
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: Kevin Gehl, Jacob VanRyn
Records Watch
- Senior Elijah Stephens scored seven points in the Eagles' win over Bucknell on Jan. 11, and became the 35th member of the 1,000-point club for AU men's basketball. Stephens now has 1,025 career points.
- In the midst of his career-high 33-point effort against UMBC, grad student Matt Rogers moved into 10th place all-time on AU's career scoring list after starting the game in 13th place. With two more 20-point games since then, Rogers has vaulted into eighth place all-time with 1,567 points.
- Rogers has 666 rebounds, which ranks him 20th all-time. He was the 15th player in AU history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, but is now only the sixth player all-time to hit 1,500 points and 500 rebounds.
- With 622 career field goals made, Rogers ranks sixth all-time, while his career field-goal percentage of .549 ranks fifth.
Inside the Series
- This is the 54th meeting between American and Holy Cross, with American leading the series, 29-24.
- AU has won three of the last five contests, and beat the Crusaders 75-64 in this season's earlier meeting on Jan. 5 in DC.
- American has won five games in a row at the Hart Center Arena.
- The last time Holy Cross beat American in Worcester was Feb. 2018.
- The Eagles have a 18-10 lead in home games against the Crusaders, and won last season at home 84-65 before narrowly falling 58-56 on the road a few weeks later.
What to Know About American
- The Eagles have found some momentum of late with a come-from-behind home win over Bucknell, and their first road win of the season at Loyola Maryland. The Patriot League has proven very difficult for road wins, as home teams stand at 22-3 so far.
- Graduate student Matt Rogers, the Patriot League's Preseason Player of the Year, leads AU and ranks fourth in the Patriot League with 16.5 points per game. Starting with a career-high 33-point effort vs. UMBC on Dec. 29, Rogers is averaging 20.7 points per game over the last six contests, including 22 points at BU and 20 vs. Bucknell. Rogers, who is one of six players in program history with both 1,500 points and 500 rebounds, now ranks eighth all-time at American with 1,567 points.
- During AU's win over Bucknell on Jan. 11, senior point guard Elijah Stephens became the 35th player in program history to join the 1,000-point club. One game later, Stephens also passed 400 career assists. Stephens was averaging 13.4 points per game before suffering a fractured nose and concussion during AU's win over GW on Dec. 4. He missed two games before having to wear a mask for the next six, but looked back to form at Loyola Maryland with 19 points and five assists.
- Rogers currently ranks in the top 10 in the Patriot League in scoring (4th, 16.5 ppg), rebounding (10th, 5.5 rpg), field-goal percentage (5th, 53.7), and free-throw percentage (9th, 73.5). Sophomore Greg Jones ranks second in the PL in free-throw shooting at 86.9 percent, with senior Elijah Stephens in third at 84.1 percent. Grad student Colin Smalls is seventh in that same category at 79.2. Lincoln Ball lis ninth in the PL with 5.6 rebounds per game, and Stephens is seventh with 3.3 assists per game.
- American has drained 10 or more three-pointers six times this season, with all six coming in the most recent 10 games. The Eagles made a season-high 13 triples in an OT win over GW on Dec. 4, and made 12 treys in the Holy Cross win on Jan. 5. Last year, AU had 12 games with 10 or more three-pointers, but that number was only five total in 2022-23 prior to the arrival of head coach Duane Simpkins.
What to Know About Holy Cross
- Holy Cross enters Sunday's game with a record of 10-8 overall and 2-3 in Patriot League play. The Crusaders entered their last meeting with the Eagles on a four-game win streak, but including the loss to AU on Jan. 5, they are now 1-3 in their last four games.
- Freshman Max Green, already a five-time PL Rookie of the Week, leads the Crusaders with 13.3 points per game and is second with 5.2 rebounds per game, while sophomore Joe Nugent is close behind with 13.1 points and leads the team with 5.3 rebounds per contest. Nugent leads the PL with 2.9 three-pointers per game.
- Holy Cross tops the league with a field-goal percentage of .456 and with a free-throw percentage of .762.
- Dave Paulsen is in his second season as head coach of Holy Cross after two years as an assistant at Fordham, six years as head coach at George Mason, and seven years as head coach at Bucknell.
Keep Up With Us
