WASHINGTON – In a grind-it-out defensive battle, American University men's basketball forced 19 turnovers and held Boston University in check to earn a 48-44 home win. The victory snapped a four-game skid against the Terriers and guaranteed the Eagles a home quarterfinal in the Patriot League Championships.
Greg Jones and
Matt Rogers led AU (18-11, 12-4) with 13 points each, while
Lincoln Ball grabbed nine rebounds in the low-scoring matchup.
Notable Numbers
- American committed only two turnovers in the first half, and finished in single digits with nine while posted 12 steals on BU's 19 turnovers.
- Despite shooting just 32 percent from the field and hitting only two three-pointers, the Eagles sealed the game with key free throws down the stretch. AU finished 10-for-12 from the foul line.
- In his Senior Day game, Elijah Stephens scored 10 points and led all players with five steals, also hitting 4-of-4 free throws.
- In seven minutes of action on his Senior Day, Mason Whittaker scored on his only attempt from the field, got three rebounds, and posted one steal.
First Half
- The defensive battle began in the first half, with AU shooting just 29 percent but holding BU to 25 percent.
- The early minutes saw the Eagles hit 3-for-3 and BU sink its first two triples, but the scoring slowed to a trickle after the first few minutes.
- During a six-minute scoreless stretch for AU, the Terriers took a 10-8 lead, but Whittaker tied the game for a third time at 10-10 at the halfway mark of the half.
- Eric Michaels put AU on top 12-10 at 6:42, starting a 12-1 run that gave the Eagles a 20-11 lead on a pair of Jones free throws with 27 seconds left.
- BU hit its third three-pointer with four seconds left, putting AU's halftime lead at six points, 20-14.
Second Half
- The Terriers quickly made it a one-point game in the second half with a dunk followed by a triple.
- AU held on to its lead for all but a minute and a half, but BU was within five or fewer points until the last four minutes.
- After Ball made a layup at 10:24 for a 35-30 lead, BU scored six quick points for its only lead of the half, 36-35 at 7:36.
- Matt Mayock gave AU a lead back at the six-minute mark with a driving layup, and the Eagles never trailed again.
- Only the second triple of the game for AU came from Jones at 2:23 for a 46-38 lead, and that was enough of a cushion to hold off the Terriers the rest of the way.
- Stephens made a pair of free throws at 15 seconds to put AU up 48-41. BU hit its eighth and final trey with six seconds left, but even after a free-throw miss on a one-and-one, the Eagles' defense held strong.
Up Next
- The Eagles are back at home for a final time in the regular season on Wednesday, Feb. 26, hosting Navy at 7 p.m. For tickets, click HERE. After the regular season finale at Colgate on March 1, American will host a PL quarterfinal at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 6. For tickets to that game, click HERE.
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