EASTON, Pa. - American used a 16-for-17 outing from the charity stripe to defeat men's basketball, 75-68, on Wednesday evening in Kirby Sports Center.

Lafayette's top performance came through senior center Justin Vander Baan's 17 points and eight rebounds. The Northbridge, Mass. native's two blocks moved him to second all-time on College Hill with 161 swats in three years. After passing 2001 graduate Frank Barr's 160 blocks, his sights are next set on first place: Robb Dill '04 with 191.

Alex Chaikin and Caleb Williams also scored in double figures with 15 and 10 points, respectively, as Lafayette shot 45 percent from the floor overall.

American got off to a hot start, posting a 22-7 advantage by 10:53 with 5-of-8 from 3-point range.

The Leopards fired back with an 18-6 run through the next seven minutes, trailing by three, 28-25 at 3:54. Chaikin's seven points commanded the spell as Lafayette sank 8-of-12 from the floor, including two shots beyond the arc.

The Maroon and White outscored the opponents 6-5 in the remaining time, with the help of five steals and a Vander Baan jumper with two seconds left, to close the gap to 33-31.

Lafayette kept fighting through the first 10 minutes of the second half, edging the Eagles in a 19-14 stretch. Misha Bednostin's dunk gave the Leopards their first lead, 50-47 at 11:18.

The contest continued neck and neck as Vander Baan's six points competed against five Eagles on the scoresheet to keep the 63-59 advantage at the three-minute mark.

Lafayette was held to just two buckets thereafter, resulting in a 17-5 closing run for American.

The Leopards were forced to foul in order to regain possession in the final 2:36 as the Eagles hit all 12 attempts from the line, led by seven from Greg Jones.

American shot 41 percent from the field and totaled 11 shots from long range. Matt Rogers paced the Eagles with 21 points and eight rebounds.

American bested Lafayette from the charity stripe, going 16-for-17 compared to 6-for-12. The Leopards out-rebounded the opponents 38-32, including an 11-8 margin on the offensive glass.

Next up, the Leopards travel to Colgate on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip-off.


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