Feb 29, 2008

Men's Basketball Hosts Lafayette on Saturday with Chance to Clinch Patriot League Regular Season Title


Feb. 29, 2008

Game Notes Get Acrobat Reader

BROADCAST INFORMATION:

  • WWRC 1260 AM (Play-by-Play: Mike Vaillancourt; Color: Jeremy Huber) in the Washington, D.C., metro area
  • Eagle Vision All*Access. Click here to watch or subscribe.
  • Lafayette Sports Network (WGPA-AM 1100) in the Lehigh Valley

The American University men's basketball team on Saturday hosts Lafayette College in Bender Arena in a game in which the Eagles could clinch the Patriot League regular season title.

American is currently tied with Navy atop the PL standings at 9-4. Though the Midshipmen have the tiebreaker in the head-to-head matchup between the two schools, an American win would clinch at least a share of the PL regular season title, and an AU win along with a Navy loss - the Mids play in Hamilton, N.Y., versus Colgate at 2 p.m. on Saturday - would result in an outright regular season title and the corresponding first seed in the PL Tournament for the Eagles.

AU leads the all-time series with Lafayette, 20-16, after defeating the Leopards, 87-76, in Easton, Pa., earlier this season. In that game, junior guard Garrison Carr scored a career-high 32 points, hitting six three-pointers while surpassing the Eagles' school record for single-season three-pointers made. American has now won six straight versus the Leopards.

The Eagles snapped a six-game winning streak on Wednesday at Navy, but American has won seven of its last 10 games. Carr leads the way for AU's offense, scoring 18.3 points per game.

Lafayette has lost six of its last seven games, beginning with the loss to the Eagles on February 2. The Leopards have three players averaging double-digits, led by Andrew Brown's 16.6 ppg. Bilal Abdullah averages just over 14 ppg, while Matt Betley adds just over 11 ppg. The Leopards are one of the better offensive teams in the PL, averaging 75.0 ppg.

Regardless of the outcomes on Saturday, American has clinched a home game in the first and second rounds of the PL Tournament, pending a first-round win. Tickets for Saturday's game or the Patriot League Tournament can be purchased by calling (202) 885-TIXX or by clicking here.