WASHINGTON, D.C. – Defense and foul shooting proved to be the difference in overtime on Saturday afternoon as the Lafayette men's basketball team earned its first road victory in Patriot League play at American in overtime, 84-79.

Tied at 69-69 into the extra session, Lafayette took control with a four-point lead after the first three minutes and a seven-point edge with less than a minute to play. American didn't score from anywhere other than the foul line until the 37-second mark, and by then it was too late as the Leopards hit 13-of-17 from the charity stripe in extra time to close it out.

Senior co-captain Paulius Zalys led a group of five double-figure scorers offensively, the first time this season with five reaching that mark. Zalys posted 21 points on 8-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the foul line, while sophomores Alex Petrie and Justin Jaworski added 16 and 13, respectively, junior Lukas Jarrett chipped in with 12 and freshman Isaac Suffren posted 10.

Following a first half that saw Lafayette take control midway through and lead by a 33-28 score at the break, both sides clicked offensively at the start of the second, with sophomore E.J. Stephens' strong finish through traffic in transition keeping the margin at three possessions, up seven, 45-38, with 15:14 to play. The Leopards kept the Eagles at bay over the next three minutes as Jarrett's layup off a Stephens lay-off made it 51-45 into the under-12 timeout.

American made its run around the nine-minute mark as an 8-0 spurt put them in front by two, but Petrie's triple stopped the bleeding and put Lafayette back up one, 56-55, with eight minutes left. Lafayette stayed on the upper hand with Jaworski's three from the top of the key moving the advantage to four, 65-61, with just over three minutes remaining.

The final three minutes were played possession by possession as the Leopards headed under the final minute with a three-point edge, 69-66. American's Sam Iorio found an open spot on the left wing, though, with 25 seconds left and drained the triple to tie it at 69-69, the last bucket in regulation as the game moved to an extra period.

American controlled the glass in the game by a 39-29 margin, but was only able to convert its 11 offensive rebounds into seven points. The Leopards' defensive performance forced 19 American turnovers, the most from a Division I opponent this season, with the Eagles registering just 12 assists on their 25 field goals.

The win moves the Maroon and White to 2-4 in Patriot League play and 5-12 overall. With the loss, American falls under .500 on the year at 8-9, sitting at 2-4 in conference action.

Lafayette will aim to carry momentum into its midweek contest, traveling to Hamilton, New York on Wednesday for a meeting with Colgate at 7 p.m.