American University rides 25 points from Matt Rogers to Patriot League championship, 74-52 over Navy
WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Rogers scored 25 points and second-seeded American University defeated Navy 74-52 on Wednesday night to claim the Patriot League Tournament Championship.
American (22-12) has made three previous trips to the NCAA Tournament, the last in 2014.
Geoff Sprouse, Rogers and Colin Smalls all made 3-pointers as the Eagles pushed their lead from 11 points to 56-38 with 12 minutes left in the second half. The lead reach 20 on a tip-in by Rogers with about four minutes left and his 3-pointer with two minutes remaining made it 72-48.
Smalls finished with 11 points. Sprouse made 3 of 4 3-pointers and scored nine points off the bench. He had three assists.
Austin Benigni had 18 points and Donovan Draper had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Navy. It was the fourth double-double and ninth double-digit rebound game of the season for Draper, listed as a 6-foot-4 forward.
American led all the way and made 10 of 14 shots inside the 3-point arc and 6 of 13 beyond it for 55% overall shooting in the first half. American led 37-28 at halftime. It was 20-15 before Sprouse's 3-pointer kick-started an extended 13-6 run that gave the Eagles a 33-21 lead with three minutes left in the half.
Fifth-seeded Navy, which defeated No. 1-seed Bucknell 83-77 in the semifinals, finishes the season at 15-19 overall.
___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
recommended
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Arrivederci, JTA!
During his three seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Juan Toscano-Anderson was the only Mexican-American player in the NBA. Now, his professional basketball career is taking him out of North America entirely. According to 'Il Piccolo,' which is a local newspaper in Trieste, Italy and not a magazine devoted to small woodwind instruments, JTA will be portando il suo talento nel Mar Adriatico — that is, taking his talents to the Adriatic Sea. He's agreed to a deal with Pallacanestro Trieste, a team based in Trieste that plays in Italy's Serie A, the top professional league. Toscano-Anderson was a member of the Warriors' 2022 title team after absolutely clawing his way into the NBA. Born and raised in Oakland, JTA went undrafted out of Marquette in 2015, then spent the first three seasons of his pro career playing for teams in Mexico and Venezuela, so he's no stranger to playing internationally. He joined the Santa Cruz Warriors in the fall of 2018, then made his NBA debut in 2020, two months shy of his 27th birthday. By the 2021-22 season, Toscano-Anderson was a part of the rotation, playing 73 games that season and starting six. Though undersized as a 6-foot-6 forward, JTA's high basketball IQ, quality defense, and screen-setting were valuable for a Warriors team still trying to operate on 'two timelines.' He was athletic enough to participate in the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest, and in 2021 made one of the most impressive out-of-bounds saves you'll ever see. While we're here, let's watch him dunk on Andre Drummond. Toscano-Anderson signed with the Los Angeles Lakers before the 2022-23 season, but didn't find his niche like he did as a Warrior. He was a throw-in in the deal that sent Russell Westbrook out of L.A. in exchange for Forever Warrior D'Angelo Russell at midseason. JTA finished the season with the Utah Jazz, played a few games for the Sacramento Kings in 2023-24, then spent last season with the Mexico City Capitanes of the G League. JTA will be forever beloved in the city of Oakland and among Warriors fans, and it's truly impressive to carve out a 10-year pro career anywhere after going undrafted. But it goes to show how difficult it is to stay in the NBA. If Malcolm Brogdon, the Sixth Man of the Year two years ago, still can't find an NBA home, it's incredibly tough for a guy like Toscano-Anderson. He'll be able to see a former Warrior teammate in Serie A. Nico Mannion plays for Olimpia Milano, who competes in both Serie A and the EuroLeague, though the Warriors have held onto his rights. We wish Juan Toscano-Anderson a fond, 'Arrivederci!' Let's hope that Serie A has a dunk contest.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Michigan and Sherrone Moore didn't get HAMMERED by the NCAA, but we might get hammered later
Happy Friday! It's a Dear Andy & Ari episode, but first we have to break down the most pressing news of the day: the NCAA punishing Michigan for the sign stealing scandal. In what has been viewed a minimal punishment by most, Michigan essentially got away with paying a fine and adding one game to Sherrone Moore's suspension. Watch here as Andy & Ari dive deep into this scandal. 0:00 Intro: NCAA punishes Michigan 16:51 What Dave Portnoy thinks 17:52 NCAA's perspective 27:55 Dear Andy & Ari: Urban Meyer or Kirby Smart 49:13 Kentucky's Identity 1:01:27 Two G5 Bids in CFP? 1:06:33 Annointing Arch 1:10:27 Producer River vs the Mockingbird Dear Andy & Ari kicks off with an incredible question regarding coaches in the last 20 years: Urban Meyer or Kirby Smart? Andy & Ari dive deep into the weeds in comparing the two college football icons. Next, we take a visit to Mark Stoops and the Bluegrass State to evaluate the identity of the Wildcats. With veteran QB Zach Calzada entering the fold in Lexington, what are honest expectations for the program, and how in the world do they turn it around? Andy & Ari dive deep into the Wildcats. Later, a thoughtful fan notices a scenario that could happen in the American conference. Could this conference produce two CFP teams in Tulane and USF? It's possible. To close, Producer River has had a wild week. On his morning walks, a mockingbird has attacked River two days in a row now. How will this war end between Producer River and the mockingbird? Find out here Subscribe to On3! ⬇️ Welcome to On3 | The best of college football and recruiting Listen to Andy & Ari On3 on podcast! Spotify 🎧: Apple 🍎: Follow Andy Staples on Twitter: Follow Andy Staples on Instagram: Follow Ari Wasserman on Twitter: Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Like/Follow us on Facebook Hosts: Andy Staples, Ari Wasserman Producer: River Bailey Interested in partnering with the show? Email advertise@
San Francisco Chronicle
42 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cardinals' Brendan Donovan scratched from lineup versus Yankees due to foot soreness
ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Brendan Donovan was scratched from Friday's game against the New York Yankees with left foot soreness. Donovan had been scheduled to bat leadoff and play second base. Donovan has been dealing with leg and foot injuries since missing four games after being removed from a game against Toronto on June 10 with a sprained capsule in his left big toe. Donovan was also held out of St. Louis' contests on Aug. 10-11 against the Cubs with left groin soreness. Donovan is batting .279 with nine home runs and 45 RBIs this season, but has hit .234 in 46 games since injuring his toe. St. Louis was already set to play short-handed on Friday as Willson Contreras remained out of the lineup for a second consecutive game with a right foot contusion sustained when he was hit by a pitch from Colorado's Kyle Freeland on Tuesday night.
