WASHINGTON, D.C. - Men's basketball took Patriot League-leading American to the wire in a 60-58 loss on Monday evening at Bender Arena, aired live on CBS Sports Network.

American's Matt Rogers was credited with the game-winning bucket, driving in for a mid-range jumper in the middle of the arc at the three-second mark, during the Eagles' final possession of the second half.

Andrew Phillips (17) and Alex Chaikin (16) were Lafayette's main options on the court as the only two in double figures. Justin Vander Baan recorded a team-high eight rebounds and five assists.

Foul shots played a large role in the contest, as Lafayette ended with 10-of-18 compared to American's 9-of-11. Mark Butler collected six of his eight attempts from the charity stripe.

The Eagles created a 14-8 lead during the opening 10 minutes of play, knocking down 5-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Greg Jones commanded the outing with seven points.

American continued ahead to 24-14 at 6:53, bookending a 10-6 spurt with 3-pointers by Elijah Stephens and Colin Smalls.

Chaikin tallied his second long-distance bucket of the evening four minutes later to help Lafayette close the gap to five, 28-23.

A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Phillips sent the Leopards into the locker room trailing 32-26 at halftime.

In the second half, Butler's trio of free throws paved the way for an 8-4 stretch, launching the Maroon and White to a two-point deficit, 36-34 at 15:25.

Lafayette earned its first lead of the evening, 47-44, from two more Butler free throws amid a 9-0 run that spanned from 10:06 to 6:53.

Vander Baan's dunk at 3:08 kept the Leopards on top, 53-50, and fired up the offensive unit as the Eagles were forced to call a timeout.

The pause aided American, which returned for an 8-3 bridge into the last minute. Chaikin's layup with 23 seconds on the clock tied the game at 58.

American worked the ball to Rogers, who was able to give the hosts a final advantage in their last possession using a jumper at the three-second mark.

The Leopards drafted a play to get the ball up court to freshman Caleb Williams, deep on the right side. His potential game-winning attempt bounced just off the side of the rim as time expired, 60-58.

American shot 45 percent from the field compared to Lafayette's 40 percent. The Leopards secured eight 3-pointers and held the Eagles to five.

Rogers paced the opponent with a double-double, including 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The Maroon and White out-rebounded the Eagles 33-30, including a 7-4 margin on the offensive glass. 

Next up, the Leopards host Bucknell on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip-off in the Gameday Zero Waste Challenge, partnered with Lafayette Sustainability.


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