By Missy Grimes
3/12/2025
Eagles and second-year head coach Duane Simpkins claim program’s fourth title; Matt Rogers earns MVP honors
WASHINGTON – Second-seeded American (22-12, 13-5 PL) defeated No. 5 Navy (15-19, 10-8 PL), 74-52, on Wednesday at Bender Arena to capture the 2025 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball title and punch its ticket to the 2025 NCAA DI Men’s Basketball Championship.
Second-year head coach Duane Simpkins and the Eagles earned the program’s fourth Patriot League crown behind 25 points and eight rebounds from Championship MVP Matt Rogers (Gr. F). Graduate student guard Colin Smalls added 11 points to join Rogers and Eagles’ sophomore forward Greg Jones on the 2025 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball All-Tournament Team.
Navy was led by 18 points and four assists from junior guard Austin Benigni, who earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Benigni set the Patriot League Championship record with 36 made free throws through three games of the tournament. He broke the single-game mark for made free throws with 20 in the Mids’ upset win over No. 1 Bucknell in the semifinals.
Bucknell junior center Noah Williamson also earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after averaging 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots in two games.
2025 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship MVP
Matt Rogers, American Gr., F
2025 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball All-Tournament Team
Matt Rogers, American, Gr., F
Colin Smalls, American Gr., G
Greg Jones, American, So., F
Austin Benigni, Navy, Jr., G
Noah Williamson, Bucknell, Jr., C
PENFED CREDIT UNION PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
AT NO. 1 AMERICAN EAGLES (22-12, 13-5 PL) 74, NO. 5 NAVY MIDSHIPMEN (15-19, 10-8 PL) 52
Bender Arena/Washington, D.C. 7 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
BOX SCORE
WASHINGTON – Graduate student forward Matt Rogers scored 19 of his game-high 25 in the second half to lead No. 2 American to a 74-52 victory over No. 5 Navy to clinch the Patriot League Men’s Basketball crown.
*Rogers shot 10-of-17 from the floor and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to capture Tournament MVP honors.
*Eagles’ graduate student guard Colin Smalls scored eight of his 11 points in the first half, connecting on 3-of-5 from beyond the arc to help the Eagles build a nine-point first-half lead.
*Junior guard Geoff Sprouse and sophomore forward Matt Mayock added nine points apiece, leading an American bench unit that outscored the Mids’ reserves, 23-12.
*Navy junior guard Austin Benigni scored a team-high 18 points and dished out four assists to lead the Mids and earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
*Junior forward Donovan Draper recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Midshipmen.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
*The Eagles opened the game on a 9-0 run, including five points from graduate student guard Colin Smalls, who led AU with eight first-half points.
*Sophomore forward Greg Jones also connected on a free throw during the Eagles’ early run after a flagrant two foul by Mids’ sophomore guard Jordan Pennick, which caused his ejection at the 18:28 mark.
*Navy responded behind a pair of 3-pointers from sophomore guard Jinwoo Kim to bring them within three points at 9-6.
*Smalls capped a 7-0 run that spanned nearly three minutes to help the Eagles build a 20-10 lead at the 8:35 mark in the first half.
*A technical foul by AU’s Rogers started a 5-0 personal run by Draper to cut the Eagles lead to five with less than eight minutes remaining in the half. Draper led the Mids with nine points and five boards before halftime.
*Four straight points from sophomore forward Matt Mayock extended AU’s lead back to double digits before a Benigni layup broke up the run.
*A 3-pointer from Navy’s Lysander Rehnstrom with one second remaining in the half brought the Mids within nine points at 37-28.
Second Half
*Rogers scored seven points, including a 3-pointer at the 13:33 mark, during a 14-6 run by American extending the lead to 51-34 to open the second half.
*Benigni paced the Mids through the second half, accounting for 13 of the Mids first 17 points after the break, scoring 10 and assisting a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Cam Cole.
*A late 12-1 run put the Eagles in front by as many as 24 points, at 72-48 with 2:05 remaining in the game.
*AU connected on 5-of-12 from beyond the arc, while the Mids slumped, shooting just 1-of-11 from 3-point range in the second half.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.
COURTESY THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
