BOSTON - Nine ties, 22 lead changes, and 40 minutes of back-and-forth basketball ended in heartbreak for American University men's basketball as Chance Gladden's step-back jumper with three seconds left gave Boston University a 75-73 win in the Patriot League quarterfinal. Freshman
Madden Collins scored a game-high 22 points for AU, and sophomore
Julen Iturbe scored 12 points including two free throws that tied the game with 16 seconds left.
NotableÂ
- The Eagles had tough luck in close games this season, going 2-5 overall in games decided by three points or less after going 5-1 the season before.
- Collins made 9-of-12 from the field in 22 minutes of action, totaling 20 or more points for the seventh time in his rookie campaign.
- With 429 points, Collins finished his year ranked second all-time in program history for points scored as a freshman, behind only all-time leading scorer Sa'eed Nelson (447 points).
- Junior Greg Jones added a game-high seven rebounds to nine points, with junior Matt Mayock also scoring nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.
- In his final game for American, senior Geoff Sprouse posted eight points and a game-high four assists along with six boards.
- The Eagles out-rebounded the Terriers 28-24, and finished with a 24-15 advantage in points off turnovers after committing just eight compared to BU's 13.
First HalfÂ
- The largest lead of the first half was seven points for BU, which occurred twice near the midway point.
- Twelve lead changes marked a back-and-forth period, and the Eagles' scoring run of 9-0 ending near the six-minute mark was the largest run by either team.
- Mayock scored five points in that run which was capped by a long jumper for freshman Kade Sebastian at 6:08, putting AU up 25-23.
- The Eagles led 34-33 on a Collins three-pointer at 2:29, but two points on a Mayock dunk were the only ones scored by AU the rest of the way as BU closed the half on a 7-2 run for a 40-36 lead.
Second HalfÂ
- With 10 more lead changes and four ties, the second half was a thrilling one.
- BU built two nine-point leads early, but an 11-0 run capped by a Sprouse three-pointer at 12:11 put AU back on top, 51-49.
- From that point on, the largest lead was five for either team in a tight game down the stretch.
- Donte Tisinger hit 3-of-3 from long range for the Terriers, with the third of those giving BU a 71-66 lead with 1:30 remaining.
- Collins converted a three-point play to pull AU within two, and after a Gladden layup at the other end, Collins answered again.
- With 32 seconds left, Collins stole the ball from Gladden and the Terriers fouled Iturbe on a shot with 16 seconds to go.
- Iturbe made two clutch free throws, but BU used up plenty of clock time before Gladden hit his game-winner.
- A final 30-foot three-point attempt for Sebastian missed the mark as time expired.
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