WASHINGTON - Back home for four of its next five games, American University men's basketball starts off the stretch on CBS Sports Network against Lafayette at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10. The Patriot League-leading Eagles (15-10, 9-3) will look for a season sweep of the Leopards (10-15, 5-7) at their 11th annual
Sustainability Awareness Game, presented by Platinum Level official game sponsors DAVIS Construction and Pepco.
Parking Information
- Until 5 p.m., parking is only permitted in the School of International Service (SIS) or The Katzen Art Center Garage (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. on weekdays).
- Guests using these locations must utilize the hourly rate pay boxes inside each respective garage.
- Those arriving after 5 p.m. are free to park in the Sports Center garage attached to Bender Arena.
The Market Food Pantry February Food Drive Presented by Wegmans
- All fans are encouraged to bring canned or non-perishable food items to the game.
- AU Athletics & TEAM AU Corporate Partner Wegmans are sponsoring a February Food Drive in benefiting AU's 'The Market' student food pantry.
- Members of AU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will be on hand at the entrance to Bender Arena, helping to collect donations to combat food insecurity on AU's campus.
Sustainability Awareness Game
- Monday will be men's basketball's Sustainability Awareness Game, presented by Official Game Sponsors DAVIS Construction and Pepco.
- The game is planned each year by AU Athletics, the Office of Sustainability, Facilities Management's Energy & Engineering and Grounds, and the Office of Parking and Commuter Services. It serves as a tip-off to this year's Campus Race to Zero Waste competition, running now through March 23.
- Attendees will be able to celebrate AU's sustainability accomplishments and efforts across campus by engaging with environmental student organizations.
- In addition to DAVIS Construction's presenting sponsorship of the evening, the Eagles also extend appreciation to the following corporations for their support: Airlie Hotel and Conference Center and Airlie Berkshire Farm, Chartwells Dining Services/AU Kitchen, Furbish Co., The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, Aramark Higher Education, Busch Systems, E.C. Ernst Electrical Contractors, Mid-Atlantic Truck & Equipment, Siemens Industries, Inc., and Sustainable Building Partners.
- AU students receive free admission to the game with an AU ID, and AU faculty, staff, alumni, and fans receive $5 off per ticket when using the online coupon code GREEN25. Also, be sure to check out the "Getting To Guide" for green-friendly ways to get to the game.
Quick Info
- Date/Time: Monday, February 10; 6 pm
- Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
- Series History: American leads, 41-32
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Talent: Jason Knapp, Mo Cassara
Hospitality Offerings and Enhanced Fan Experience
- American has a new hospitality area for all fans this season, as well as revamped premium courtside seating as part of an upgrade to the fan experience in Bender Arena on game days.
- The Perch is a new game day hospitality area offering beer, wine and seltzers for purchase.
- In addition to our concession menu from Gregorio's Trattoria, fans can now enjoy select beverages and snacks just steps from the baseline in Bender Arena. Fans must be 21+ years old to enter.
- Additionally, Bender Arena's courtside seats have been moved closer to the action, with additional seating now available in the end zone baseline area for fans to experience all the action - up close and personal.
Inside the Series
- This will be the 74th meeting between American and Lafayette, with AU leading 41-32.
- Lafayette has won three of the last five contests, but American took home a road win on Jan. 29, 75-68. Matt Rogers scored 21 points in that one, leading four Eagles in double digits. AU trailed by seven with 5:46 to play, but closed out the game going 12-of-12 at the free-throw line to secure the comeback victory.
- The teams split regular-season meetings last year with the Eagles edging the Leopards in Easton, 69-66, but losing 68-62 at home despite three players scoring in double figures (Matt Rogers with 17, Matt Mayock with 16, and Lincoln Ball with 10).
- Lafayette knocked AU out of the Patriot League Tournament in 2023 in a double-overtime thriller.
What to Know About American
- The Eagles are alone in first place in the Patriot League at 9-3, one game ahead of Army and two ahead of Bucknell and Colgate.
- They suffered a streak-breaking loss at Bucknell last Wednesday with a shorthanded squad due to illness and injury, but rebounded with an overtime road win at Lehigh on Saturday. The Eagles' streak reached seven in a row, and they've now won eight of their last nine.
- With the exception of their 19-point win at Loyola Maryland, all eight wins in AU's 8-1 streak were close (within 10 points) including four decided by four or fewer points.
- The Loyola Maryland win was AU's first game on CBS Sports Network this season, with Monday's game vs. Lafayette marking the second.
- After playing three of their last four games on the road, the Eagles will now play four of their next five at home where they are 8-1 this year.
- Graduate student Matt Rogers, the Patriot League's Preseason Player of the Year, leads AU and ranks fourth in the PL with 16.9 points per game.
- Rogers played through illness on Feb. 5 at Bucknell and scored below average with nine points, but rebounded with a 27-point effort at Lehigh. He is just the fourth player in program history with both 1,500 points and 600 rebounds, now with 1,692 points (sixth all-time) and 705 rebounds (10th all-time).
- AU leads the Patriot League and ranks 36th in NCAA DI in free-throw percentage at .766, a number that would break a 60-year-old program record, with the 1964-65 team currently holding that mark at .750. In PL games, AU has hit an impressive 177-of-221 free throws (.801).
- Greg Jones ranks second in the PL in free-throw percentage at .881, Elijah Stephens is fourth at .851, Colin Smalls is fifth at .805, and Matt Rogers is 10th at .763.
- Senior guard Elijah Stephens is the fourth player in program history to eclipse both 1,000 points and 400 assists. He now ranks in a tie for 29th with 1,105 points, and seventh with 430 assists. Stephens had zero turnovers in three of the last seven games he's played, and only one at Lafayette on Jan. 29.
- Stephens has missed four games this season (La Salle, St. Joe's, Virginia, Bucknell) and all four were losses for AU.
What to Know About Lafayette
- Lafayette comes into Monday's game having won two of its last three since falling to AU on Jan. 29. The Leopards have struggled on the road this season, going just 3-10.
- Senior center Justin Vander Bean leads the Leopards with 12.3 points per game. He also pulls down a team-best 6.7 rebounds a contest. Alex Chaikin, a freshman guard, has made an immediate impact, putting up 11.9 points per game, and has earned a spot in the starting lineup over the last 13 contests.
- Only one player – sophomore guard Mark Butler, who is dishing out 3.2 assists a game – has started all 25 games so far this year.
- Lafayette leads the PL in opponent field-goal percentage at .429, and is also tops in the league with 4.08 blocked shots per game.
- Mike McGarvey is in his second full season at the helm in Easton after taking over late in the 2022-23 season. That year, with just two regular season games as a Division I head coach under his belt, he brought the Leopards to the Patriot League championship game. Last year, Lafayette finished tied for second in the conference.
Best Patriot League Start in 10 Years
- The Eagles' 9-3 start to Patriot League play is their best in 10 years, since the 2013-14 team won 10 straight games to open league play. That team finished 13-5 overall in the PL and went on to win the program's third Patriot League Championship.
- It has been a strong turnaround since AU started the PL season this year at 1-2, including a 23-point loss at Navy in the Eagles' conference opener on January 2.
- With its win at Lafayette on Jan. 29 and extending with its win over Army on Feb. 1, AU had its longest conference win streak (seven games) since that 2013-14 season.
Make Your Free Throws
- AU's team free-throw percentage of .766 leads the PL, ranks 36th in NCAA Division I, and would break the previous program record of .750 from 1964-65 if it held through to the end of the season.
- The Eagles went 9-for-9 at Virginia, 15-for-17 vs. Holy Cross, 12-for-13 at BU, 14-for-16 at Holy Cross, and 16-for-17 at Lafayette. AU's shooting at the line was crucial in its win at Lafayette, as the Eagles hit 12-for-12 in the final minutes to help erase a seven-point deficit.
- Greg Jones (2nd, .881), Elijah Stephens (4th, .851), Colin Smalls (5th, .805), and Matt Rogers (10th, .763) all rank in the top 10 in the Patriot League in free-throw percentage.
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