WASHINGTON – In a game featuring 11 ties and 19 lead changes,
Greg Jones hit a clutch go-ahead three-pointer with 1:22 left, marking the 20th lead change, and American University men's basketball held on for an 81-77 win over Colgate. The victory extended the Eagles' win streak to five, snapped the Raiders' five-game streak, and moved AU into a tie for first in the Patriot League.
Matt Rogers was pivotal down the stretch, scoring 10 of his game-high 26 points in the final five minutes.
Notable Numbers
- Rogers hit 9-of-14 from the field including 3-of-4 from long range, while also making 5-of-6 free throws to lead all players in scoring. His eight rebounds were a team high as well.
- Interestingly, Greg Jones, Colin Smalls, and Matt Mayock all matched Rogers at the free-throw line by going 5-for-6.
- Jones also tied Rogers from beyond the arc by hitting 3-of-4, and finished with 18 points overall.
- After scoring AU's first nine points of the second half, Elijah Stephens totaled 15 in the game, hitting 5-of-8 field goals while also dishing a team-high four assists. For the second game in row, Stephens was turnover-free.
- Smalls rounded out AU's four players who reached double digits in scoring, adding 10 points and coming up with two steals.
- After allowing Colgate to drain 6-of-12 from long range in the first half while only hitting 3-of-8 themselves, the Eagles turned the tables and hit 6-of-12 three-pointers in the second half while the Raiders were just 2-for-7.
- The Eagles kept their turnovers to single digits for a sixth time in the last eight games, committing just nine compared to 12 for Colgate, and finishing with a 23-13 lead in points off turnovers.
First Half
- American hit 7-for-11 early and led for the first nine minutes, but Colgate stayed close and hit 7-of-10 to take its first lead at 10:46.
- An 8-0 Colgate run just past the midway point of the half gave the Raiders a seven-point, 26-19 lead, and they grew that to their largest lead of eight points with 6:49 to go.
- With a 7-2 run in answer, the Eagles narrowed the gap to three on two occasions before tying the game 35-35 on a Rogers three-pointer with 1:48 left.
- Rogers followed with a steal and a layup for AU's first lead in over 10 minutes, but Colgate's Jeff Woodward (25 points) scored back-to-back layups to end the period and put the Raiders up 39-37 at the break.
Second Half
- The entire second half saw the teams never separated by more than two possessions, and most often only by one.
- Stephens came out strong and hit his first three field-goal attempts, ultimately scoring AU's first nine points of the back-and-forth half.
- The lead changed hands 13 times in just the second half, which also saw seven ties.
- Rogers scored eight points in a row for AU for a 73-69 lead at 3:28, but Colgate had it tied up again less than a minute later.
- The Eagles came up with a huge stop thanks to a block for Mayock and a defensive rebound, and Jones hit his go-ahead triple on the ensuing possession for AU.
- Rogers and Stephens both hit 2-of-2 free throws in the final minute to keep Colgate at bay, with Stephens' makes giving AU a four-point lead with seven seconds left.
- Colgate's Jalen Cox pulled up for a three-point shot on the Raiders' final possession, but it missed the mark and Lincoln Ball collected the rebound for AU.
Up Next
- The Eagles go back on the road for their next game, a 7 p.m. contest at Lafayette on Wednesday, Jan. 29. They return home to Bender next Saturday, Feb. 1 vs. Army at 2 p.m. on "Cassell Hall of Fame Induction Day." Click HERE to purchase tickets.
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