The American University men’s basketball team (12-9) defeated their conference rival the Colgate Raiders (9-12) 81-77 in Bender Arena on Jan. 25. The game was a wire-to-wire affair that saw 11 ties and 20 lead changes.
The Eagles are now tied for first place in the Patriot League. Sophomore forward Greg Jones scored a clutch 3-pointer that sealed the game.
Heading into the game, the Eagles sat third in the Patriot League with a 5-2 record and were riding a four game winning streak thanks to a game-winning buzzer beater on Jan. 22 against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. The win over Colgate propelled them to tie for first place with the Raiders.
The dominant Colgate Raiders, winners of five straight games and the last four Patriot League championships dating back to 2021, looked to extend their win streak and separate themselves from the rest of the Patriot League standings.
Fans in Bender Arena greeted the Raiders with loud boos. This game was personal for American fans, who saw the Raiders blow them out by 19 points in Bender Arena last season.
“Last year they kicked our ass quite honestly, right here at home. We knew it was going to be a tough game,” head coach Duane Simpkins said.
Graduate student forward Matt Rogers got things going for the Eagles, winning the tip and taking it straight down to Colgate’s side of the court. He missed his first layup, but immediately rebounded and put it back up for the first bucket of the game.
Graduate student guard Colin Smalls also had a quick start, landing a 3-point shot on his second chance after a block by a Colgate player. He followed that with a steal and assist to senior guard Elijah Stephens for an easy layup as he blew right by his defenders. The Eagles led 7-3, 17:23 on the clock.
Both teams traded baskets back and forth throughout the half. However, the Raiders took an 8-point lead, their largest of the game, off a 3-pointer with 6:49 left in the half.
With 2:31 remaining, Jones missed his shot, but secured his rebound and muscled his way through multiple Colgate defenders for the put back, cutting their lead to three. On the following play, Rogers hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie at 35-35 with 1:48 remaining.
A Raider hit a buzzer beater at the end of the half for the lead. The Eagles went into halftime trailing 39-37.
The second half was just as dramatic as the first with many lead changes.
Stephens entered the second half of play hot. With 19:14 remaining, he showed his defensive prowess, getting a steal and taking it to the other end to hit a step back 3-pointer.
He followed that up with a smooth fast break pull up midrange shot and then another 3-pointer to take a 46-45 lead with 16:15 left.
The Eagles’ ability to make free throws kept this game so close. Colgate kept committing fouls, but the Eagles were unfazed, making 18 of 24 free throws.
“We knew this game was going to come down to making free throws,” Simpkins said.
With only two minutes left in regulation, American found themselves tied 73-73 with the Raiders.
Jones played hero by hitting a clutch 3-pointer — to put the Eagles up three with 1:22 remaining — that sent the crowd of 2,230 roaring. That shot was the dagger, and the Raiders were forced to play the intentional foul game. The Eagles won 81-77 and moved up to first place in the Patriot League.
Rogers led the team in scoring and rebounds with 26 points and 8 rebounds. Stephens dropped a team-high 4 assists and 2 steals. Notably, he had 0 turnovers.
Rogers shot a near perfect 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, something that many Patriot League centers don’t have in their arsenal. Rogers talked about how his shooting abilities have expanded his game in this league.
“I feel like it takes my game to the next level,” Rogers said. “When they come to guard me, it’s going to be a little different. Just know that I’m going to space the floor out. I’m going to create other shots for my team.”
Jones preached staying ready when stepping up to take big time shots in high-stakes moments.
“If the ball’s passed to me and I’m open, I got to shoot it. It could be anyone in that position. It just happened to be me. So I just know that if the ball comes my way, I got to be confident enough to shoot it,” Jones said.
The Eagles don’t have a reputation for being a fast-paced team, but Simpkins commented on how they adapt when playing against fast-paced teams like Colgate.
“We can play with pace too,” Simpkins said. “I think sometimes people misconstrue pace. If you shoot bad shots in the first 10 seconds, like yeah, you can say you’re playing with pace, but we want to get quality shots with pace, and I think we’re doing a really good job at that.”
The Eagles travel to play Lafayette on Jan. 29 looking to extend their win streak and maintain hold of first place.
“I think a win like this can build a lot of momentum. There’s a lot of confidence for us. And so obviously we want to keep it rolling, I think we will keep it rolling,” Jones said. “Our team is confident, everyone’s confident. Good vibes in the locker room, so I definitely don’t think there’s any question that we can keep first place.”
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks and Olivia Citarella.
