Box Score

WASHINGTON, D.C. (1/17/10) – Sophomore forward Yaw Gyawu (Lilburn, Ga.) scored 22 points to lead all scorers, but American shot 61 percent in the second half en route to a 73-63 win over Colgate.
   
Stephen Lumpkins led the Eagles with 19 points. Steve Luptak pitched in 18 off the bench, and Vlad Moldoveanu scored 16. The trio combined for 36 of 53 points in the second half, to overcome a 30-27 halftime deficit.
   
Senior guard Kyle Roemer (Martinez, Calif.) scored 19 points, and senior forward Ben Jonson (Dallas, Texas) contributed 10 points and four steals for the Raiders. Junior guard Joe Hoban (West Chester, Pa.) scored five points and dished five assists.
   
Gyawu, Jonson, and Roemer scored all of Colgate's points in the first half, when the lead changed hands six times. American led 11-5 in the early going, but a Jonson layup gave Colgate an 18-17 lead with 5:40 remaining. The lead changed three more times before Gyawu made a layup to give Colgate a 28-26 advantage. After a Lumpkins free throw, Roemer closed the first half scoring with a fast-break layup.
   
Colgate's inability to score in the paint--coupled with Luptak, Lumpkins, and Moldoveanu combining to make 11-of-13 second half shots--ultimately doomed the Raiders' chances of winning.

The Raiders missed 10 layups in the second half, many of them coming in the beginning portion of the stanza when neither team was finding the mark. American took the lead for good when Joe Hill hit a three-pointer from the wing, claiming a 39-36 advantage. Luptak then followed Hill's shot with another three-pointer. Colgate cut American's lead to three points twice, the latter time occurring when Roemer made a layup to trim the margin, 51-48, with 4:59 remaining.

The Eagles grabbed two offensive rebounds on their next possession before Moldoveanu scored on a layup. After Colgate came up empty, Luptak converted on a four-point play, making a free throw after getting fouled on a three-pointer from the elbow, granting American a 57-48 lead. Roemer made one-of-two free throws on the other end, leading to another three from Moldoveanu that sealed the game.
   
American outscored Colgate 24-12 in the paint and shot 8-for-16 from beyond the arc.
   
Colgate (5-12, 1-2) will travel to face Lehigh (11-7, 2-1) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be aired live on Patriot League All-Access.