At the under-4 timeout, American (AU) was in position to pull off a major upset at Virginia.
The Eagles held on to a two-point lead (51-49) after the Cavaliers erased a five-point lead to briefly tie the game.
That's when the game got away from AU.
There was a jumper by Virginia's Andrew Rohde to tie the game. The Eagles missed layups on back-to-back possessions, while the Cavaliers got a layup from Elijah Saunders and a three-pointer by Taine Murray.
Virginia was up five on the strength of a 7-0 run.
The Eagles would never see the lead again, even though they would twice reduce the Cavaliers' lead to three points in the last ten seconds.
AU would lose a tough one 63-58 without starting guard Elijah Stephens and backup big man Eric Michaels.
Head coach Duane Simpkins has a lot of good things to unpack before the Eagles' last non-conference game against UMBC.
AU has shown it can win the Patriot League during the non-conference schedule.
It starts with the experience on the roster. Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year Matt Rogers (Grad Student) averages 14.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Even though Rogers is only a 30% three-point shooter, he is still a perimeter threat because of his passing ability. It was one of the advantages of playing in a more Princeton-style offense under former AU coach Mike Brennan.
Colin Smalls (Grad Student) and Elijah Stephens (Senior) give Simpkins an experienced, versatile backcourt.
Smalls has expanded his offensive game to be a three-point threat, which was necessary if he wanted to maximize his ability on that end of the floor. Smalls isn't lightning quick or overly strong, so for him to get baskets at the rim, it has to come through actions and not individual ability.
Being an improved three-point shooter has helped him become more effective. Earlier in the season, Smalls had a three-game stretch where he went 13-20 from three.
Though Stephens has shown some scoring ability, his strengths are getting AU into its sets, distributing, and defending.
Last season, Stephens was named for the Patriot League all-defensive team and was second in the conference in assists per game.
The Eagles have multiple scorers that need the ball in the right spots on the floor, and that's one of Stephens' superpowers. His absence hurt AU down the stretch against Virginia on both ends of the floor.
Behind the veterans are a pair of sophomores who are providing significant contributions.
Mike Mayock (Sophomore) has the most offensive upside on the roster. Against Virginia, he was a bonified three-level scorer who made the Cavaliers pay for almost every defensive mistake.
Mayock finished the game 6-8 from the floor and 4-5 from three, scoring 16 points against one of the best defensive teams in the nation. It was his fourth double-digit game in the last six.
Greg Jones (Sophomore) came to AU with the reputation of being a hard-nosed defensive stopper whose offensive game would grow over his college career.
Give Simpkins credit. Jones is already ahead of the curve on the offensive end while losing nothing on the defensive end. He's also a 50/50 play monster.
Jones had a 16-point game in a win over George Washington and a 19-point game in a loss against Saint Joseph's. He had nine points against Virginia but had hard luck from the three-point line as two of his three three-pointers spun in and out.
Jones' improvement from being a player who could score around the rim to developing into a perimeter threat has given the Eagles offensive depth they haven't had in a few seasons.
As the college basketball nation turns to conference play, AU has positioned itself to knock off Patriot League giant Colgate.
Pulling it off will take a balance of experience and youth.