HAMILTON, N.Y. - A late scoring drought proved costly in Hamilton, as American University men's basketball watched a double-digit lead slip away in a nine-point closing run by Colgate. After leading by 11 with seven minutes left and still holding a five-point edge with under four minutes remaining, the Eagles went scoreless down the stretch and suffered their first Patriot League loss.

Notable

• Senior Geoff Sprouse hit 4-of-6 from long range in an impressive performance, leading the Eagles with 14 points.
• Also reaching double digits in scoring was junior Matt Mayock, who scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and hit both of his three-point attempts.
• Freshman Madden Collins pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and tied for game-high honors with five assists.
• The Eagles committed just 10 turnovers to Colgate's 11, but the Raiders took advantage and finished with a 15-6 edge in points off those turnovers.
• Free throw chances heavily favored Colgate, as the Raiders made 14-of-23 while the Eagles rarely went to the line and were 3-for-6.
• Colgate's Ben Tweedy led all players with 19 points.

First Half

• It was a tight game for the first 10 minutes, but a 10-0 run capped by a driving layup for Mayock at 6:50 gave the Eagles a 25-16 lead.
• Seven Eagles scored in the first 12 minutes, and by halftime all nine players to see game action had scored for AU.
• Colgate pulled to within three points near the five-minute mark, but the Eagles scored eight straight points including triples from Mayock and Sprouse to take their first double-digit lead, 33-22.
• Both teams made layups in the final minute and American went into the break up 35-24.
• The Eagles shot 61 percent from the field in the half and hit 4-of-7 from long range.
• Sprouse and freshman Chris Eagan led AU's nine scorers at halftime with six points apiece.

Second Half

• Colgate came out with a 6-0 run in the first minute to make it a five-point game, 35-30, and soon cut it to three points on three occasions.
• Up 41-38, a 9-2 run for American with triples from Sprouse and sophomore Julen Iturbe gave AU a 10-point, 50-40 lead at 12:32.
• Junior Wyatt Nausadis scored five straight points for AU, with a trey at 7:10 that matched the Eagles' largest lead of 11, 57-46.
• The Raiders scored eight unanswered before Sprouse ended the run with a layup, and he soon drained his fourth three-pointer for a seven-point, 62-55 advantage with 3:43 remaining.
• Sprouse's bucket was the last for AU in the game. The Eagles missed four shots and turned the ball over three times in the final stretch as Colgate closed the game on a 9-0 run.
• Sam Wright was at the line for the Raiders with three seconds left and missed the second, but the bouncing rebound eventually went to Colgate and used up the remaining time on the clock.

Next Up

• The Eagles will return home for back-to-back games on Saturday, Jan. 10 against Holy Cross at 4 p.m., and Monday, Jan. 12 against Navy at 7 p.m.

Keep Up With Us

• For the latest on American University Men's Basketball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Instagram (@au_mbasketball), X (@AU_MBasketball), and Facebook (/AU.MBasketball).