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Eagles Cruise Past Army, 65-48, in First Round of PL Championship Tournament
Rodriguez's 16 points leads four Eagles in double-figures

March 6, 2004 | Boxscore

Senior guard Andres Rodriguez led AU with 16 points in a 65-48 win over Army in the Patriot League quarterfinals Saturday.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - American University men’s basketball raced out to a 22-3 advantage to start the game and then cruised in a 65-48 win over Army in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Championship Tournament Saturday at Show Place Arena.

AU held the Black Knights to 29 percent shooting in the opening period, compared to 54 percent shooting for the Eagles, to build up a 39-21 lead at the half. American held Army scoreless for 5:21 after the Black Knights’ Josh Wilson hit a free throw at the 16:27 mark of the first. Meanwhile, AU went on a 12-0 run to build up a 22-3 lead.

“I thought we started off the game with a great deal of energy,” AU Head Coach Jeff Jones said. “When we really gear up on the defensive end, the ball tends to go in the basket on the offensive end.”

Andres Rodriguez (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Louisville) led four Eagles in double-figures with 16 points. Andre Ingram (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) and Jason Thomas (Herndon, Va./Notre Dame Academy [Mass.]) had 13 points a piece.

The win was the fifth consecutive for American. AU had not won five straight games since the 1991-92 season.

Josh Wilson scored 16 points for Army, which finishes its season 6-21.

AU returns to action tomorrow in the Patriot League semifinals. The second-seeded Eagles will square off against the winner of tonight’s Lafayette/Colgate matchup. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.