The American University men’s basketball team defeated the Howard University Bison 74-66 in Bender Arena on Oct. 28 in their only exhibition game of the season.
Coming into the game, the Eagles looked to start their season with a statement win against a non-conference opponent to build momentum for the regular season — and they did just that.
At the start of the first half, the Eagles and Bison traded shots, but neither team could get anything to fall until graduate forward Matt Rogers scored on a fast break opportunity with a thunderous dunk through traffic, earning both the bucket and the foul.
“I'm just glad Geoff [Sprouse] passed it to me because I was wanting that one off the little shovel pass, but it's really exciting just to get the fans hyped up again. Just hearing the crowd out here again, it was packed tonight even for just the exhibition game. So I'm excited people came out to it,” Rogers said postgame.
Early on, the Eagles’ defense was extremely effective, forcing numerous Howard turnovers. American ran an effective half-court trap, generating 8 turnovers and capitalizing with 14 points off those turnovers in the first half alone.
With 6:21 left in the first half, the Eagles led by eight, their largest lead of the game, but the Bison wouldn’t go down without a fight. As the shot clock wound down and Howard held the last possession of the half, freshman guard Blake Harper hit a heavily contested corner 3-pointer at the buzzer, cutting American’s lead to one at halftime, 38-37.
The beginning of the second half was a struggle for the Eagles. Howard came out swinging and immediately scored a 3-pointer and took a two-point lead. The Bison began full-court pressing American, stifling their offense. On top of that, the Eagles struggled with limiting their fouls, picking up 6 team fouls with 16 minutes remaining and falling behind by 8 points.
That’s when second-year American head coach Duane Simpkins called a much-needed timeout, allowing the Eagles to regroup.
During the timeout, Simpkins reminded his team of a drill they ran in practice. He told them to stay focused on one possession at a time.
“We got to just string them down one possession at a time. One offensive possession and a defensive. It just put them all together, and our guys respond very well to that,” Simpkins said postgame.
Directly after the timeout, junior guard Geoff Sprouse broke American's four-minute scoring drought with a mid-range pull-up jumper to cut the lead to 5. Rogers followed with a 3-pointer, then immediately scored with a post-hook shot, tying the game at 48 with 12:32 remaining.
At this point, American regained momentum, trading buckets with Howard. Although both teams scored back-to-back, the Eagles managed to stay within striking distance, only down 1 point with three minutes left. In this stretch, Howard, already in the foul bonus, struggled to convert free throws, going 6 for 16 in the second half, shooting under 40 percent.
With three lead changes in the half, the Eagles were down by 1 with 2:23 remaining when Sprouse hit a clutch 3-pointer to regain the lead at 67-65. That shot turned the tide, and the Eagles pulled away. After two more missed free throws from the Bison, Rogers took control with a step-back 3-pointer from the wing, sealing the game and securing a hard-fought American win.
Though Howard challenged the Eagles in the second half, Simpkins expressed confidence in his team’s resilience.
“You get a sense of who your team is by looking at them and getting a feel for their energy. Those guys, they were locked. I never got a sense of panic, and that wasn't the case all the time last year. And for a coach, that's very comforting. And it wasn't just like the seniors, it was Matt Mayock, who's a sophomore. It was Greg Jones, who's a sophomore. It's like, I felt that they were there, you know, that was really a positive,” Simpkins said.
Matt Rogers, who was named to the All-Patriot League First Team last season, led the offense, posting 29 points, an assist and 4 rebounds. Sophomore forward Matt Mayock followed with 12 points, an assist and 5 rebounds. Geoff Sprouse contributed 10 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds.
Looking ahead, both Simpkins and Rogers agreed they need to strengthen their defensive game plan and address weaknesses on plays where opponents cut backdoors.
The Eagles faced the La Salle Explorers in Philadelphia on Nov. 4 for their non-conference season opener and will return to Bender Arena for their home opener against Harvard on Nov. 10.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Delaney Hoke and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Emma Brown, Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Nicole Kariuki.
