The American University men’s basketball team (11-9) defeated the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (6-12) 68-67 in Bender Arena on Jan. 22 following a game-winning buzzer beater by graduate student guard Lincoln Ball.
After sweeping the season series against Holy Cross with a statement win away in Worcester on Jan. 18, the Eagles looked to extend their three-game winning streak at Bender. Before the game, the Eagles ranked third in the Patriot League, behind Army and Colgate.
On the other side of the matchup, the Mountain Hawks were in last place in the Patriot League and looked to snap a five-game losing streak.
Graduate student forward Matt Rogers won the tipoff and immediately started the game on a 5-0 run by himself. He went to work in the post with a quick layup and followed with a transition top-of-the-key 3-pointer.
Once freshman forward Eric Michaels checked into the game, he immediately made his presence known. He showcased his strength on his first possession, backing up his defender for a layup. On the next possession, Michaels got the ball down low again for another layup, and the Eagles took a 9-2 lead with 15:07 on the clock.
American benched Rogers about halfway into the first because he picked up two early fouls, giving Michaels extra minutes. With 10:55 remaining, American then took a 10-point lead off another Michaels layup. In the first half alone, he scored 9 points, which was a career-high for him.
American seemed to be steamrolling the Mountain Hawks, but Lehigh fought back. The Mountain Hawks tied the game off a layup and then took the 29-27 lead after getting a steal and fast break bucket with 2:44 remaining.
The Eagles regrouped. A layup from sophomore forward Greg Jones and three made free throws from senior guard Elijah Stephens and Michaels gave the team a 32-29 lead going into halftime.
Rogers only played six minutes in the first half due to his foul trouble.
Coming into the second half of play, Rogers got a steal, and Jones hit a fast-break 3-pointer to get things rolling for American, extending their lead to 6 with 19:22 remaining.
Lehigh went on a run, tying the game at 37-37 off a made free throw. They hit a 3-pointer 40 seconds later to take a 40-39 lead.
Lehigh stayed hot from 3-point range and hit another one to extend the lead to 45-40 with 12:16 on the clock. Graduate student guard Colin Smalls squeezed through his defenders for a contested layup. He followed that up with a huge 3-pointer to tie the game at 47 with 10:30 left to play.
From there, American and Lehigh exchanged baskets and leads. Lehigh pulled away after another 3-pointer that put them up 53-50 with 8:30 remaining.
By minute 2:46, the Mountain Hawks extended their lead to 7, but American showcased their resilience and started their rally.
Rogers got the rally going after getting fouled with 2:28 left to play. He hit both of his free throws and cut the lead to 6 points, Lehigh up 61-55.
American began to full-court press Lehigh on the following possession and forced a Lehigh miss. Smalls got a rebound, pushed it out to Stephens and kicked it out to sophomore forward Matt Mayock who hit a clutch 3-pointer. Lehigh was forced to call timeout with 1:59 remaining, as their 7-point lead was now cut to 2.
After a Lehigh layup and four made free throws, the Eagles found themselves down 66-59 with only 32 seconds left in the game.
Jones was sent to the line twice and hit all four of his free throws, cutting the lead to 66-63 with 19 seconds remaining. Ball was forced to foul and sent a Lehigh player to the line, but he missed one of his shots, which only put the Eagles down 4 points.
Stephens got the ball and raced down the court so the Eagles could get a quick shot off. He found Mayock wide open at the top of the key who was able to cash in another clutch 3-pointer. The Mountain Hawks’ lead was cut to just 1 with 10 seconds remaining.
As Lehigh inbounded the ball, the trio of Jones, Mayock and Ball suffocated the Lehigh player and forced a jump ball, giving American possession. Eagles head coach Duane Simpkins called a timeout to draw up the final play of the game.
Down by 1 with 5.2 seconds remaining in the game, the Eagles left the timeout and Stephens inbounded the ball to Rogers. Rogers got the ball and lost his handle in the paint, but he recovered the basketball. He kicked it out to Ball, who hit the buzzer-beater to win the game. His teammates rushed the court to celebrate his game-winner, American having secured a 68-67 victory.
Jones led the team in scoring with 14 points, followed closely by Michaels with a career-high 13. Stephens added 5 assists, and Ball led the team with 3 steals.
Postgame, Ball revealed that the play wasn’t originally designed for him to take the shot.
“We had drawn it up for Matt Rogers. We wanted him getting right, then probably getting fouled. He’s hard to guard, but when I saw it kind of diverted I was like, ‘just run to the ball and hopefully Matt can find me,’” Ball said. “I didn't know how much time was left on the clock. I just told Simpkins I’ve never shot a one-handed push floater from the elbow before in a game in my life. But it was just being in the right place at the right time.”
“Linc is a winner,” Simpkins said. “He does a number of things you just don’t see on a stat sheet, and that’s what helps you win. Not just games, but championships.”
Twenty games into their campaign, American have played about two-thirds of their regular season games. With the regular season coming to a close and the playoffs on the horizon, Simpkins commented on the overall energy in the locker room.
“Well after tonight they’re feeling pretty damn good. I think outside of the winning, we have a very connected team. I felt last year we had a connected team, but at times where there was adversity, I don't think that we were as together as you wanted us to be,” Simpkins said. We’re much better now, and as a coach that helps you sleep at night.”
Jones, who has shown immense growth on both sides of the court in his sophomore season, reiterated that his goal, above all, is to win a championship.
“I want to win a championship every single year. That’s the main thing. It doesn’t matter if I’m playing 15 minutes or 30 minutes a game,” Jones said.
Next up, American takes on the Colgate Raiders on Jan. 25 in Bender Arena. The Raiders currently sit in first place in the Patriot League with a 6-1 record in conference.
“We’re going to treat this like any other game, and that’s the way it should be. You know I like our group. I like our group against anybody,” Simpkins said.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella and Ariana Kavoossi.
