11 February, 2007
by Elliot Smilowitz
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1st |
2nd |
OT |
Final |
| American (12-13, 4-7 Patriot) |
22 |
29 |
13 |
64 |
| Colgate (9-15, 4-7 Patriot) |
23 |
28 |
7 |
58 |
| Cotterell Court – Hamilton, NY |
Boxscore |
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Seventh time’s the charm for American. After losing their last 6 games of 8 points or less, the Eagles finally won a close one 64-58 in overtime over the Colgate Raiders. American used a pair of free throws from Arvydas Eitutavicius with 0.5 seconds left in regulation to force the extra period.
The first half was a balanced affair, with no team opening a lead larger than 5. The second half was a different story, though, as Colgate began on a 9-2 run. All 9 of the points came on three-pointers from Kyle Chones. The Raiders widened their lead to double digits, before American tied the game with a 10-0 run, highlighted by three-point plays by Andre Ingram and Derrick Mercer. The teams jostled for control into the final seconds of regulation, where Dan Gentile tipped in a Jon Simon miss with 0.5 seconds remaining for a 51-49 Raider lead. American seemed out of luck, but Kyle Chones bailed the Eagles out by fouling Eitutavicius before the inbounds pass was thrown. Eitutavicius, one of the nation’s best free throw shooters with a 91.8-percent free throw percentage coming into this game, hit both free throws to force overtime.
In the extra session, Colgate gained a quick 3-point lead on a Kendall Chones three-point play, but American responded with a 10-0 run, including 4 more points from Eitutavicius, to ice the game.
Jon Simon scored a game-high 19 points, and Kyle Chones added 16 points and 7 rebounds. Twin brother Kendall Chones pitched in 12 points. American had 4 players in double figures, led by Eitutavicius and Mercer with 13 apiece. Linas Lekavicius had 12 points and Ingram added 11.
With the win, American is tied with Colgate for fourth place in the Patriot League at 4-7. American owns the tiebreak by virtue of their season sweep of the Raiders. The fourth seed in the Patriot League Tournament gets home-court advantage in their first-round matchup.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
American had the ball and a 49-45 lead with 2:55 to go in regulation, but Brayden Billbe missed a jumper. Kyle Chones converted a traditional three-point play to cut their deficit to 1. After Eitutavicius missed a shot, Jon Simon was fouled and hit 1 of 2 free throws to tie the game. After the teams exchanged misses, Derrick Mercer committed an offensive foul with 23 seconds left. Colgate took a 51-49 lead with 0.5 seconds left on a Dan Gentile tip-in. But on American’s inbounds, Kyle Chones fouled Eitutavicius, who hit both free throws to send the game to overtime.
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| Key sign it was over |
Eitutavicius hit 2 free throws to give American a 1-point lead with 2:07 left in overtime. After Mercer stole the ball from Simon, Eitutavicius hit a basket to give American a 58-55 lead. From there, the Eagles 6-for-6 from the line to ice the game.
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| Key performance |
Eitutavicius again played a big role off the bench, scoring 13 points and grabbing 3 rebounds. His free throw shooting acumen was the reason American got a chance to win it in overtime.
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| Key statistic |
Colgate had 18 turnovers, “led†by Daniel Waddy’s 5. American outscored Colgate 20-8 in points off turnovers.
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| Notes |
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The win was Jeff Jones’ 100th career win as head coach of American.
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Colgate had 12 offensive rebounds to American’s 7. However, American outscored Colgate 8-6 on second-chance points.
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American tightened their bench for the game, with Eitutavicius and Travis Lay the only backups to garner more than 5 minutes.
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Colgate hosts Lehigh Wednesday night, while the Eagles welcome Army.
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