Jan. 27, 2007
Box Score
| More Coverage at Lafayette News Stand
EASTON, Pa. - American senior Andre Ingram scored 23 points, 18 of those coming from behind the three-point line, as American handed Lafayette a 73-59 defeat in Patriot Leagueaction on Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center.
Andrew Brown and Matt Betley led Lafayette (8-14, 2-5) with 12 points apiece.
The first half saw a see-saw battle, with neither team establishing more a than five-point lead throughout the first 20 minutes. A Brown three-pointer at the 9:45 mark gave the Leopards a 17-12 lead. American (11-10, 3-4) responded, using a 10-0 run over the next five minutes to give the Eagles a 22-17 advantage with 4:55 left before intermission. American led 32-28 at the break.
The Eagles jumped their lead to seven at the beginning of the second stanza, using a Travis Lay bucket at 15:46 to give American a 43-36 lead. A quick 6-0 run from the Leopards, culminated by an Andre Hines basket cut the deficit to one with 14:39 to play.
Leading 52-48 with just under nine minutes left, American made its run. Four straight free throws on consecutive possessions, followed by a fastbreak three-pointer from Arvydas Eitutavicius and a Lay offensive rebound and putback capped the decisive 8-0 run and gave American a 12-point advantage (60-48) with 5:33 remaining.
The American lead never fell below double digits for the rest of the game, as the Eagles stretched the advantage to as many as 16 on their way to a 73-59 win.
Lay and Eitutavicius joined Ingram in double-digit scoring with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Betley and Brown were the only Leopards in double figures.
Lafayette shot 43 percent (20-for-47) from the field, but was an uncharacteristic 7-for-22 (32 percent) from behind the three-point arc. American was 10-for-22 from three-point land, six of those triples coming from Ingram.
The Leopards were outrebounded 37-27. Lay's double-double came on 15 points and 10 boards. Ted Detmer led Lafayette with seven rebounds.
The Leopards will take the next six days to regroup and shift their focus to the second half of the Patriot League season, starting at Holy Cross on Saturday Feb. 3. Tip-off is set for 3:30 at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass.
NOTES
HELP FROM HILLIARD: Senior tri-captain Jamaal Hilliard made his first appearance since Dec. 11 and scored eight points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field in 20 minutes. He had been sidelined since Dec. 11 with a foot injury.
