11 November, 2006
by Elliot Smilowitz
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1st |
2nd |
OT |
2OT |
Final |
| American (1-0) |
26 |
18 |
9 |
6 |
59 |
| Fairfield (0-1) |
21 |
23 |
9 |
1 |
54 |
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American got its season off on the right foot, winning a double-overtime thriller 59-54 at Fairfield. Andre Ingram led all scorers with 19 points, and backcourt-mates Derrick Mercer and Linas Lekavicius added 14 and 10 respectively. The game featured heroics from both sides to get to the second overtime.
Down by 2 with six seconds left in regulation, Mercer drove to the hoop and was fouled by Anthony Johnson. Mercer calmly hit two free throws to tie the game at 44. It went to overtime after a missed prayer by Fairfield.
In the first overtime, American turned with 5-point deficit into a 3-point lead with six seconds left, when Ingram hit two free throws. However, Jonathan Han hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to tie it up and send it to a second overtime.
Once there, center Paulius Joneliunas established himself with a basket, a block and a steal as the Eagles staked a six-point lead with 3:18 left. Fairfield would score just one point in the second overtime, on a Herbie Allen free throw.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
With American down by five and reeling with a minute and a half left in the first overtime, Ingram converted a four-point player with a trey and a free throw to make the score 50-49. After a Brayden Billbe block of an Allen layup, Linas Lekavicius hit a jumper to put the Eagles up a point. Though Fairfield forced a second overtime, momentum was on American’s side for good.
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| Key sign it was over |
After an Allen free throw cut Fairfield’s deficit to 59-54 with 1:57 left in the second overtime, Marty O’Sullivan missed a jumper. American ran 32 seconds off the clock before turning the ball over. After Allen lost the ball, the Eagles ran off another 32 seconds before giving up the ball. Now there was just 35 seconds left and Fairfield was in desparation mode.
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| Key performance |
Senior guard Ingram had a game-high 19 points, including 4 three-pointers in 9 attempts. He added a team-high 9 rebounds, playing in 48 minutes. Ingram poured in 6 of American’s 9 points in the first overtime.
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| Key statistic |
Fairfield was just 3-for-14 from the field in the two overtime periods, including 1-for-6 from beyond the arc. In contrast, American hit 5 of 11 field goals in overtime.
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| Notes |
| – |
American hit just 6 of 25 three-point attempts. Garrison Carr was 0-for-5 from long range, and Arvydas Eitutavicius was 0-for-4.
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After big offensive outputs in exhibition games, Billbe scored just 2 points on 1-of-5 shooting. He added 3 rebounds and 2 blocks.
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Fairfield’s Michael Van Schaick took only 3 shots all game. He finished with 5 points and 3 boards in 25 minutes of play.
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American was badly outrebounded, 54-38. Fairfield’s O’Sullivan grabbed 16 boards off the bench.
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Prior to this game, American had lost their last five season-openers.
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Georgetown transfer Cornelio Guibunda saw his first action with the Eagles, playing 3 minutes in the first half.
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