WASHINGTON – American University men's basketball brings a three-game win streak back home to Bender Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 22, as the Eagles host Lehigh at 7 p.m. The official game sponsor is the Kogod School of Business, a strong connection for the men's basketball program as 11 of its 17 student-athletes are Kogod majors.
Quick Info
- Date/Time: Wednesday, January 22; 7 pm
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
- Series History: Lehigh leads, 34-28
- TV: ESPN+
- Talent: Dan Laing, Gordon Austin
Kogod's Dean and Director's Leadership Award
- Last July, the Kogod School of Business and AU Athletics announced the creation of the Dean and Director's Leadership Award to support outstanding business school students (major or minor) who exemplify leadership in both their academic and athletic careers.
- The scholarship, which will be awarded to one men's student-athlete and one women's student-athlete per academic year, will be funded through the Kogod Dean's Fund. The initial awards of $15,000 will be disbursed over three years, with two annual awardees receiving $2,500 scholarships apiece.
- AU's Director of Athletics and Recreation JM Caparro and Kogod Dean David Marchick are spearheading the award. Marchick participated in (and completed) the 3,041-mile Race Across America to raise $100,000 in support of student scholarships and AU Athletics.
- The final list of nominees was announced last week, and the two winners for year one will be announced at Wednesday night's game.
Inside the Series
- There are 61 games on record between American and Lehigh, with Lehigh leading 34-28.
- The Mountain Hawks have won four out of the last five contests, and the teams split meetings last season with each winning on its home court. AU holds a 16-11 lead all-time in home games.
- Matt Rogers had two strong games against Lehigh last year, averaging 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds over the two contests. He also shot 64 percent from the floor.
What to Know About American
- The Eagles return home in the midst of a three-game win streak, with the last two coming on the road at Loyola Maryland and Holy Cross. The last time AU was at home, it put together a huge second half in a come-from-behind win over Bucknell on January 11. Home teams have done extremely well in Patriot League play, with a record of 25-6 so far.
- Senior guard Elijah Stephens is the fourth player in program history to eclipse both 1,000 points and 400 assists. Grad student Matt Rogers is just the sixth player in program history with both 1,500 points and 500 rebounds. Stephens ranks 33rd with 1,025 points, while Rogers is eighth with 1,577 points. In career assists, Stephens ranks seventh with 411. Rogers ranks sixth all-time with 626 field goals made, and is also sixth with 121 games played.
- Rogers, the Patriot League's Preseason Player of the Year, leads AU and ranks third in the Patriot League with 16.2 points per game. He also ranks in the top 10 in the Patriot League in rebounding (10th, 5.4 rpg), field-goal percentage (6th, .536), and three-point field-goal percentage (10th, .397). Stephens is fourth in the PL with 1.4 steals per game and sixth with 3.7 assists per game, and Lincoln Ball is eighth with 5.6 rebounds per game.
- American leads the Patriot League in free-throw percentage at 75.2. Sophomore Greg Jones is second individually at 86.6, while Stephens is third at 84.8. Grad student Colin Smalls is right there as well, in fifth at 80.7. AU hit 9-of-9 at UVA, 15-of-17 at home against Holy Cross, 12-of-13 at BU, and 14-of-16 on the road at Holy Cross. The Eagles also lead the PL in opponent three-point percentage at .321 after placing a strong emphasis on perimeter defense.
- AU's success so far comes despite a number of injuries. Stephens missed nearly three full games and then had to wear a face mask for six more after a fractured nose and concussion. Three-point specialist Geoff Sprouse has missed five straight games with an ankle injury, Smalls missed the Loyola Maryland game, and freshman Eric Michaels missed six games between Dec. 4 and Jan. 11 after MCL surgery on his knee.
What to Know About Lehigh
- Lehigh enters Wednesday's game looking to right the ship after a slow start to Patriot League play. The Mountain Haws are 6-11 overall and just 1-5 in the league this far.
- The Mountain Hawks have lost five straight games since getting a win in their conference opener, a 66-64 overtime victory at home against Bucknell. Lehigh has won just won game away from home all season, a 60-59 win at LIU on Dec. 21. Overall, the Mountain Hawks are 1-9 on the road.
- It was not supposed to be a year at the bottom of the standings for Lehigh, which was picked fifth in the preseason Patriot League poll. Senior guard Tyler Whitney-Sidney earned a spot on the preseason all-league poll, and has put together a solid season thus far with 12.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.
- Senior guard Keith Higgins, Jr. has been the leader for Lehigh this year, pouring in 17.9 points a game and adding 5.0 rebounds a contest. Higgins has not been in action since the win over Bucknell, however.
- Dr. Brett Reed is in his 18th season at the helm at Lehigh, where he is the program's all-time winningest coach. He came into the season with the second-most wins all-time in Patriot League history and the second-highest winning percentage among active coaches.
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