In a battle of long-time Washington-area rivals, Mount St. Mary’s emerged victorious over American University, securing an 83-72 win in the NCAA Tournament’s First Four matchup of No. 16 seeds on Wednesday night. The game marked the 71st meeting between the two programs, with American having won the previous four matchups and leading the all-time series 37-34.
Mount St. Mary’s (23-12) was powered by standout performances from Dola Adebayo and Jedy Cordilla, who each scored 22 points. Their efforts helped propel the Mountaineers to a decisive victory and a date with No. 1 seed Duke in an East Region first-round game on Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
American (22-13) suffered a major blow early in the contest when their leading scorer, Matt Rogers, injured his right knee just four minutes into the game. Despite attempting to play through the pain, Rogers ultimately exited with 5:28 remaining in the first half and did not return. The star forward, who averages 17 points per game, finished with just seven points in eight minutes and spent the second half watching from the bench on crutches.
Both teams started the game on fire, shooting over 60% from the field in the early going and combining to make eight of their first 19 three-point attempts. Mount St. Mary’s guard Dallas Hobbs provided a momentum boost, draining a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Mountaineers a 48-38 halftime lead. Hobbs finished the night with 17 points.
Despite missing leading three-point shooter Carmelo Pacheco, who has been sidelined with a broken finger since the regular-season finale, Mount St. Mary’s maintained their hot shooting from deep. Malcolm Dread’s three-pointer extended their lead to 64-51 with 11:26 left, effectively putting the game out of reach.
Geoff Sprouse led American with 18 points, sinking six three-pointers off the bench, while Elijah Stephens added 12. However, the Eagles struggled to keep pace in the second half without Rogers’ offensive presence.
With the win, Mount St. Mary’s improved their all-time NCAA Tournament record to 3-6. They now turn their attention to their next challenge—top-seeded Duke. The Mountaineers will need to maintain their offensive efficiency and find ways to contain the ACC champions if they hope to pull off a monumental upset in the next round.
