The American University men’s basketball team (22-12) is headed to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 years after sinking the Navy Midshipmen (15-19) 74-52 in the Patriot League Championship on March 12 in Bender Arena.
Graduate student forward Matt Rogers was crowned as the tournament’s most valuable player. Rogers, along with sophomore forward Greg Jones and graduate student guard Colin Smalls, were also recognized as Patriot League All-Tournament players.
This game was the biggest test on the biggest stage so far this season for the Eagles. Though they dominated the Patriot League this season, Navy swept them in the season series. According to Eagles head coach Duane Simpkins, the team studied Navy’s film more closely to ensure his players’ readiness.
American, who boasts the top defense in the Patriot League, has not been to the NCAA tournament in 11 years.
The Navy Midshipmen have been the Patriot League tournament's Cinderella story. Coming into the tournament, they were the No. 5 seed and upset both the higher seeded Boston University Terriers and the Bucknell Bison. The Midshipmen looked to pull off one final upset against the No. 2 seed Eagles.
At the top of the game, Rogers won the tip and senior guard Elijah Stephens got things rolling for the Eagles, cashing in a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game. On the other side of the ball, Stephens got a steal and passed it out to Smalls for a quick transition layup as the Eagles took a 5-0 lead with 18:37 to go.
Once the Eagles took the quick lead, Navy trailed the rest of the way.
Only two minutes into the game, Navy sophomore guard Jordan Pennick was called for a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game, after he hit Jones that sent him to the ground in pain. But Jones won’t let that moment create bad blood between the two.
“I’ll always have it in the back of my mind, but we’re still playing basketball at the end of the day. I can’t let that get to me, and I can’t go and do something back. It is what it is,” Jones said.
Pennick scored 22 points against the Eagles on Feb. 26 and is also Navy’s second leading scorer. His early ejection was a tough loss for the Midshipmen.
With 11:31 remaining in the half, Rogers pump faked and lost his defender, giving him the space to get an emphatic dunk, forcing Navy to call timeout and regroup. Eagles led 15-10.
After the timeout, graduate guard Lincoln Ball finessed a scoop layup to extend the lead 17-10. Smalls followed that up with a shot clock-beating 3-pointer to give the Eagles a 10 point lead with 8:35 to go.
Sophomore forward Matt Mayock displayed his aggressiveness driving down the lane and scored back to back layups. The Eagles led 25-17 with 5:38 on the clock.
Defensively, both teams were going at it, but Navy could not stop the hot shooting of the Eagles. At halftime, the Eagles had a 9 point lead.
As the second half began, the Eagles picked up right where they left off and started to pull away.
Junior guard Geoff Sprouse and Rogers each hit back to back 3-pointers that extended their lead to 51-34. Navy called timeout, but with 13:40 left to play, they were running out of time to mount a comeback.
Coming out of the timeout, Rogers slammed in another dunk that sent everyone in Bender on their feet.
With 6:11 left on the clock, Rogers attempted a layup, but he was fouled hard and sent to the ground. After officials reviewed the play, they called a flagrant 1 on Navy junior forward Mike Woods.
Rogers found Mayock wide open on the wing, and he hit the 3-pointer with 4:22 left to go. That shot was the dagger and sealed the deal for the Eagles, giving them the 18 point lead.
The Eagles went on to win 74-52 as fans rushed the court to celebrate with the team as they snapped their 11-year championship drought.
The tournament MVP, Rogers led the team in scoring with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block. Smalls had 11 points, shooting 3 for 5 from behind the arc. Stephens led the team with 4 assists and 3 steals.
After a very physical and chippy game that included two flagrant fouls called on the Midshipmen, Stephens expects for a rivalry to build in the future.
“They know that we play aggressive. They also play aggressive. We’re going to bump heads every time we play each other,” Stephens said.
Ball talked about the importance of giving his all, especially as his time in an Eagles jersey is quickly coming to an end.
“I don’t want to have any regrets, and I don’t have any regrets right now. You play as hard as you possibly can day in and day out,” Ball said. “That gets you a result of 74-52 to win the championship.”
Ball’s number one supporters throughout his collegiate career have been his family, and he was thrilled that his family was in attendance to watch him win the Patriot League.
“I have the best family. I’m so grateful and thankful and blessed by the Lord. They’ve been at every game the last four years,” Ball said. “They love AU basketball as much as anyone else.”
Bender Arena featured a sold out crowd and rocked with energy all night.
“I remember my first season here, it was COVID. We didn’t have fans. And to see the last game at Bender Arena being a full-packed house, it’s amazing,” Smalls said.
Though it was Smalls’ last game ever at Bender, he’s grateful that it ended with a championship win.
“It’s not sad. End on top,” Smalls said.
Rogers shared similar sentiments as Smalls and is thrilled to have punched his ticket to the NCAA tournament.
“Five years and a hundred and thirty-something games. It means the world to me. I’ve been here for so long, put so many hours in this program. I’m glad I could go out on top for these fans. This community deserves it,” Rogers said.
Senior forward Mason Whitaker has battled injuries his entire collegiate career, but is grateful to have been able to give his all to the team and create lifelong bonds with his teammates.
“I love these guys. We’ve been together for a long time. I’m around them more than my family and a lot of my friends, so it’s special,” Whitaker said. “We really love each other. We work hard and want to play for each other. I think tonight has been a testament to that.”
Sprouse admires the skills and leadership of the graduate trio of Rogers, Smalls and Ball and will miss playing with them once the season ends.
“They set the tone for us this whole year. They were amazing leaders on and off the court. We’re going to definitely miss those guys,” Sprouse said. “They left their mark on this program.”
The Eagles have punched their tickets to the NCAA tournament, but have to wait until Selection Sunday on March 16 to find out who their first round matchup will be.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks.
