WASHINGTON – Down 11 at halftime, American University men's basketball stormed back to defeat Lafayette 71-69 in the Patriot League Championship quarterfinals on Thursday night in Bender Arena. The win marks AU's first 20-win season in 11 years and sets up a semifinal showdown in Bender against four-time defending PL champion Colgate on Sunday at 2 p.m.
For tickets to Sunday's PL semifinal, click
HERE.
Notable Numbers
- Sophomore Greg Jones led American with 17 points, hitting 3-of-4 from long range while posting five rebounds.
- The Eagles got a big game from grad student Lincoln Ball who delivered a career-high 13 points, a team-best six rebounds, and four assists.
- AU caught fire from deep, hitting 7-of-11 three-pointers in the second half after struggling early.
- Sophomore Matt Mayock was 4-for-5 from the field on his way to scoring 10 points off the bench.
- Point guard Elijah Stephens finished with eight points and five assists, scoring six points early in the second half to help build momentum.
- Leading scorer Matt Rogers was held to a season-low five points, but they included a crucial three-pointer and two free throws for AU's largest lead in the second half. He also posted four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
- Lafayette freshman Alex Chaikin was unstoppable from long range, going 8-for-10 on his way to a game and career-high 29 points.
First Half
- Ball scored the first five points in a solid start for the Eagles, including his first attempt from long range.
- Down 9-15 at the 12:26 mark, American used a 14-3 run to take a 23-18 lead with seven minutes left.
- Mayock scored seven points in the run, and Stephens closed it out with a layup after AU held the Leopards scoreless for three minutes.
- The momentum then shifted entirely to Lafayette, as AU missed its last nine attempts of the half.
- Over the final seven minutes, the Leopards used a 16-0 run to take a 34-23 lead into the break.
- Rogers took only two shots in the first 20 minutes, and was scoreless at halftime.
Second Half
- Eight seconds in to the second half, a three-pointer from Jones helped set the tone, and the Eagles went 6-of-7 from the field to start the period.
- After hitting a trio of triples in the first half, Chaikin went 5-for-6 from long range in the second which kept AU from tying early on despite making shots at a high percentage.
- Down 52-41 at the 13-minute mark, the Eagles exploded with a 14-0 run over the next four minutes, taking a 56-51 lead on a highlight-reel tip-in for Ball at 9:10. Ball scored six points in the run, which also included triples for Geoff Sprouse and Wyatt Nausadis.
- The Eagles trailed twice more as the lead changed hands, the second time at 61-59 with 5:55 to go before Sprouse drained his second three-pointer of the game.
- Jones extended the lead to four with his third triple, and Rogers made a pair of free throws at 3:09 for AU's largest lead of six points, 67-61.
- Chaikin struck again at 2:22, but both teams went scoreless over a two-minute stretch until Jones made both ends of a 1-and-1 with 21 seconds left.
- It was Chaikin again to put Lafayette back within two, but another strong free-throw shooter for the Eagles, Colin Smalls, hit both ends of a 1-and-1 with 10 seconds to go.
- The Leopards got one final bucket as time ran out, but the Eagles' cushion was enough.
Up Next
- The Eagles are back at home on Sunday, March 9, hosting Colgate in a Patriot League semifinal at 2 p.m. For tickets, click HERE. Colgate fans who wish to sit in the opposing team's section should buy from the Raiders' ticket office.
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