Jan. 31, 2009
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Bogged down by foul trouble, the Lafayette men's basketball team allowed American to pull away with a 78-65 victory in Bender Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles (13-7, 5-1) reached a double bonus situation by the eight-minute mark while Lafayette (6-15, 2-5) didn't get into a single bonus situation until 1:43 remaining. As a result, American converted 21-of-31 from the free throw line compared to Lafayette's 15-of-16.
Three Leopards scored in double figures as Jeff Kari and Andrew Brown led the team with 12 points each. Ryan Willen contributed 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Brian Gilmore led four in double digits for American with 22 points. Garrison Carr tallied his season average of 18 and Jordan Nichols and Derrick Mercer chipped in 11 each.
Lafayette hit 55.6 percent of its shots from the field in the first half but couldn't keep up the pace in the second. The Leopards converted 19.2 percent for a total of 37.7 percent for the day.
With the score tied at six, Carr hit a three-pointer to spur the Eagles on a 15-3 run, 21-9, with 11:11 remaining.
Freshman Jim Mower provided a much-needed boost off the bench in the first half, firing off eight points in five minutes of playing time. He converted a three-point play at 7:59 remaining that jolted the Leopards back to life.
Michael Gruner made a layup and a three-pointer on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 30-24 with 5:33 remaining.
A pair of Brown free throws cut the deficit to one, and when Mower's three-pointer bounced into the basket at 1:53 remaining, he gave Lafayette a 38-36 advantage.
American committed a turnover on its next possession, allowing Lafayette to pour on three more points from Willen. By halftime, the Leopards led 43-39.
Mercer helped the Eagles regain a 51-48 lead with seven points in the first three-and-a- half minutes after the break.
Lafayette was constantly at American's heels, but the Eagles always managed to chip in a few quick points to stay one step ahead. The Leopards tied the score on two different occasions in the second half.
Kari hit a three in transition to tie it at 55, but Carr answered with five straight points. Kari tied it again at 62, but the Eagles converted 5-of-6 from the free throw line with 6:42 remaining as part of a 15-0 run that last until 1:18 to go in the game.
Lafayette finishes its three game road trip on Monday with its final non-conference game of the season at Fairleigh Dickinson at 7 p.m.
NOTES:
Starters Andrew Brown and Ryan Willen both sat for nearly five minutes in the second half with four fouls each.
Deirunas Visockas went down with an injury at the three-minute mark and was helped into the locker room. He did not return to the court.
