3 January, 2007
by Elliot Smilowitz
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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| St. Francis (4-9) |
44 |
19 |
63 |
| American (8-6) |
33 |
40 |
73 |
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Trailing by as much as 18 early, the American Eagles used defense to rally, allowing just 23 points in the final 23:55 of the game on the way to winning 73-63 over Saint Francis University. Arvydas Eitutavicius led the Eagles with 20 points off the bench.
Saint Francis stormed out of the gates to a 16-8 lead. They continued extending the lead, maxing out at 40-22 with just under 4 minutes left in the half. The Red Flash created the lead by shooting 8-of-10 on three-pointers in the first half. However, the Eagles used an 11-4 run at the end of the first half to trim their deficit, with Eitutavicius scoring 5 of those 11. The second half began the same way, with the Eagles running off 8 unanswered points to come within 3. Once American was within 44-41, the Red Flash tried to stem the momentum with a Marquis Ford three-pointer, but Andre Ingram responded in kind, nailing a trey himself. American finally overtook the lead with 8:00 to go on two free throws by Arvydas Eitutavicius, who is leading the Patriot League with a 90.7-percent free throw percentage. The Eagles continued to build their lead with defense, eventually making it double digits with 1:13 remaining on, again, an Eitutavicius free throw.
Saint Francis’s Cale Nelson matched Eitutavicius with 20 points off the bench. The Eagles also got bench contributions from Travis Lay, with a season-high 12 points, and Jordan Nichols with 10 rebounds. Ingram also had 13 points and Derrick Mercer had 11 points and 6 assists. Ford and J.R. Enright had 14 points apiece for the Red Flash.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
After American’s rally brought them within 1 point, Saint Francis responded with 4 quick points to make it 51-46. The Eagles hit two quick baskets to cut it to 1 again, while the Red Flash could do nothing but miss shots and throw the ball away. American took the lead on 2 free throws by Eitutavicius, before Ingram punctuated the run with a three-pointer to give American a 55-51 lead.
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| Key sign it was over |
After a three-ball by Saint Francis cut their deficit to 7 with 1:10 to go, Mercer and Ingram each hit both of their free throw attempts, and Eitutavicius got to the hoop for a lay-up when the Eagles passed the ball over the Red Flash’s pressure defense. American used flawless execution late in the game to seal it.
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| Key performance |
Eitutavicius not only led the team with 20 points but scored them with great efficiency, going 8-of-13 from the floor. He added 3 rebounds and 3 assists, showcasing an all-around game that is massively improved from last year.
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| Key statistic |
Saint Francis shot 13-for-25 in the first half, but just 6-for-28 in the second half.
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| Notes |
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American tried a new starting lineup, with Brian Gilmore at forward replacing Paulius Joneliunas. Gilmore was scoreless in 8 minutes, Joneliunas scoreless in 3. Lay and Nichols took most of the minutes at power forward, putting together a combined line of 14 points and 16 rebounds in 43 minutes.
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American scored 40 second-half points despite just 2 three-pointers. They did it by shooting 11-for-19 on two-point shots and 12-for-16 from the line.
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The Eagles dominated the paint, outscoring Saint Francis inside 36-8.
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The Red Flash are 0-2 against the Patriot League this season. They also lost to Bucknell by 4.
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