WASHINGTON (AP) -Brian Gilmore scored 22 points to lead American University to a 78-65 win over Lafayette on Saturday.
Lafayette tied American (13-7, 5-1 Patriot League) 62-62 on Jeff Kari's 3-pointer with just over nine minutes remaining. But the Eagles responded with a 14-2 run and held the Leopards (6-15, 2-5) to 5-of-26 shooting (19.2 percent) in the second half to preserve the win.
American trailed 43-39 at halftime despite leading by as many as 14 points. The Eagles opened the second half with an 11-5 run, as Derrick Mercer scored 11 points during the run.
Garrison Carr added 18 points for American, which is having its best league start to league play since the 1981-82 season as a member of the East Coast Conference.
Kari and Andrew Brown each scored 12 to lead Lafayette, which lost its 10th straight on the road.
American shot 55 percent from the field.
