EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette continued the 2023-24 Patriot League slate with a 69-66 loss to American on Wednesday evening in Kirby Sports Center.

Junior guard Devin Hines' led Lafayette with 17 points. The West Palm Beach, Fla. native also grabbed four rebounds and dished two assists. Kyle Jenkins (15) and Eric Sondberg (12) rounded out the double-digit trio with Jenkins collecting a team-high seven rebounds and a pair of steals.

Lafayette fought its way out to a 12-11 advantage at 13:34 in the first half when Ryan Pettit sank a 3-pointer and-one for a four-point play. The sophomore guard netted six points in the initial stretch.

The Eagles used four scorers to made a 9-2 run by the 8-minute mark, overtaking the Leopards, 20-14. American shot 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in the remainder of the period for a 10-point advantage at the halftime break, 31-21.

The teams played even for the opening minutes of the second half, as the Eagles remained on top, 42-32 at 16:48.

Sondberg (3) and Luka Savicevic (1) continued to add deep shots to the Leopard total, closing the gap to one point, 49-48, by the 10-minute mark.

Lorenzo Donadio and Matt Rogers teamed up to fuel an 11-3 American run to 2:40 to stay out of reach, 60-51. Rogers led the opponent with 23 points and eight rebounds, shooting 9-for-19 from the field.

Hines secured five free throws and a pair of driving layups in the final 52 seconds, as Lafayette cut the deficit to four points on several occasions.

The Eagles shot 48 percent from the field on 50 attempts overall and totaled 11 3-pointers as American travels home with a 69-66 victory. Lafayette narrowly matched its opponent in order to close a 10-point gap two times, shooting 25-of-53 from the floor and 39.1 percent from beyond the arc on 23 attempts overall.

Lafayette out-rebounded American 31-29, including a 7-6 margin on the offensive glass.

The Leopards travel to Army on Saturday for a 6 p.m. tip-off.


For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on X @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.