Mount St. Mary’s Tops American 83-72, Sets Up Showdown with No. 1 Duke/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Dola Adebayo and Jedy Cordilla each score 22 points to lead Mount St. Mary’s past American. Matt Rogers exits early with a knee injury, a major blow to American’s offense. The Mountaineers will now face No. 1 seed Duke in the East Region on Friday.
March Madness Quick Look
- Winner: Mount St. Mary’s (23-12)
- Loser: American (22-13)
- Final Score: Mount St. Mary’s 83, American 72
- Next Game: No. 1 Duke vs. Mount St. Mary’s – East Region, Friday in Raleigh, NC
Mount St. Mary’s Tops American 83-72, Sets Up Showdown with No. 1 Duke
Deep Look: Mount St. Mary’s Punches Ticket to Face Duke
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Mount St. Mary’s earned a shot at top-seeded Duke after defeating American University 83-72 in the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday night.
Dola Adebayo and Jedy Cordilla each dropped 22 points, leading the Mountaineers to victory and securing their third-ever NCAA Tournament win.
“We’re going to Raleigh with the same mentality—give everything we’ve got,” said Mount St. Mary’s coach Donny Lind. “To play Duke is an amazing opportunity.”
American’s Tough Break: Rogers Goes Down Early
American suffered a devastating loss early in the game when Matt Rogers, the team’s leading scorer (17 PPG), injured his right knee just four minutes in.
- Rogers initially tried to play through the pain but collapsed again with 5:28 left in the first half.
- He finished with just seven points in eight minutes before watching the second half on crutches.
- Coach Duane Simpkins vowed to bounce back, saying, “This is going to hurt for a while, but we’ll be back.”
Fast-Paced First Half
- Mount St. Mary’s closed the half on a high note, as Dallas Hobbs hit a buzzer-beating three to give them a 48-38 lead at halftime.
- Hobbs finished with 17 points in the biggest game of his career.
“I was nervous,” Hobbs admitted. “This was the biggest game I’ve ever played in.”
Mount St. Mary’s Stays Hot in Second Half
Even without leading 3-point shooter Carmelo Pacheco (broken finger), the Mountaineers continued to shoot well from deep.
- Malcolm Dread’s three-pointer extended the lead to 64-51 with 11:26 left.
- American kept fighting, but without Rogers, their offense struggled.
Coach Lind praised the opponent’s resilience:
“Credit to American. They battled the whole time, even after losing Rogers.”
What’s Next: A Clash with the Blue Devils
With the win, Mount St. Mary’s advances to face No. 1 Duke on Friday in Raleigh.
Hobbs is embracing the challenge:
“Playing Duke is a huge deal, but we’re sticking to our game plan and looking for a win.”
Game Notes:
- Mount St. Mary’s improved to 3-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- American leads the all-time series 37-34, despite Mount St. Mary’s snapping their four-game losing streak against the Eagles.
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