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February 2 , 2003

Boxscore

Ric Patiejunas made just the second start of his collegiate career count with eight points and two rebounds.

American Overpowers Army 79-64
Eagles connect on 13 treys

WEST POINT, N.Y. - American University used a balanced scoring attack, strong defense and outstanding three-point shooting to knock off Army by 15, 79-64. The Eagles had six players with eight or more points, created 19 turnovers and notched 13 treys, the second-highest total AU has ever had in a game (14 is the school record).

Army got off to a fast start behind the shooting of Andy Smith, who nailed three three-pointers in the first six minutes of the game, including a four-point play that gave Army a brief 12-4 lead (15:19). Smith finished the first half with 16 points, 22 for the game and six treys. However, AU got untracked after the first 15 minutes of the game and despite trailing by one point (22-21) with 5:42 left, the Eagles closed out the first half with a 21-8 run to take command.

Glenn Stokes (Silver Spring, Md./Albert Einstein) scored ten of AU’s final 21 points of the half on a pair of threes, two layups and a pair of free throws. Ric Patiejunas (Vilnius, Lithuania/Vilnius College) had a three (tying the game at 24 apiece) and layup during the Eagles run. It was just the second start of Patiejunas’ career and he responded with eight points, two rebounds an assist and steal in 19 minutes.

After ending the first half with a flurry of threes, both teams got off to a slow start in the second half. In fact, they scored just six points apiece in the first six minutes. However, Andres Rodriguez (San Juan Puerto Rico/Colegio San Ignacio) buried a wide open three at 10:44. Rodriguez then stole the inbounds and fed Steve Miles (Alexandria, Va./Hayfield, Va.), who hit a three to put the Eagles up 17 points (59-42), which was AU’s biggest lead of the game. Eventually the lead went to 20 points, and never dipped below 14.

“I thought our defense gave us a lift,” said American head coach Jeff Jones. “Especially on the offensive end. We got a lot of steals and created some turnovers, all of which gave us some good looks at the basket.”

Jernavis Draughn (Potomac, Va./Triangle) continued his efficient play of late with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting, and seven rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. Matej Cresnick (Velenje, Slovenia/University of Ljubljana) chipped in with nine points and two boards, while Rodriguez finished with eight points, four assists and two steals.

American won the battle of the boards by six (29-23), and scored 28 points off of the 19 turnovers they created. AU shot 54.2 (13-24) from behind the arc, which is their second best percentage of the season.

The win over Army is AU’s second road win of the year and lifts them to 9-11 overall and 4-3 in conference play. They will next host Bucknell on February 8, 2003 at Bender Arena. The game is at 1:00 p.m.