BALTIMORE – Sa'eed Nelson was fouled with three-tenths of a second left on the overtime clock, and he made two of three free throws to give American University a 93-91 victory over Loyola University Maryland on Wednesday night in Reitz Arena.
 
Nelson's free throws came after a Connor Nelson steal on the Greyhounds' final possession. Nelson took a 25-plus foot 3-point attempt, but he was fouled on the shot. He finished with a team-high 21 points as one of five Eagles (9-9 overall, 5-2 Patriot League) to reach double-figures.
 
Jaylin Andrews, who had a career-best 25 points, tied the game with an and-one in the paint for Loyola (9-11, 1-6) with less than a minute to play. Down three, Andrews drove the left side and put up a layup attempt while being fouled; it bounced multiple times on the rim before falling, and the sophomore made the ensuing free throw to knot the game at 91-91.
 
Nelson misfired on the offensive end for American, and KaVaughn Scott grabbed the rebound for Loyola, but a turnover sent the ball back to the Eagles with less than 10 seconds on the clock.
 
American appeared to have secured a win in regulation when Stacy Beckton, Jr., made two free throws with 16 ticks on the clock. Andrew Kostecka, however, split two defenders and drained a three from the top-left with less than seven seconds to go.
 
Loyola's defense prevented American from getting a good look at the end of the period, and Nelson's long-range shot was off to send the game to extra time.
 
Off the tip of the overtime period, Scott directed the ball to Kostecka, and he got behind the American defense for a breakaway dunk just three seconds into the frame, but Beckton was fouled over a minute later and tied the game with two foul shots.
 
Connor Nelson then gave American a lead with a three from the right side, pushing the Eagles in front until Andrews' traditional 3-point play made it 91-91.
 
American built a double-digit lead less than 13 minutes into the game, going up 36-23 on a Sa'eed Nelson layup at 7:31. Loyola, however, reeled off 17 of the next 21 points to tie the game at 40-40 on a Kostecka three with 2:21 left in the half, and American took a one-point lead into the break, 45-44.
 
Kostecka finished with a game-high 32 points, logging his eighth career game with 30 or more and his fourth this year.
 
Andrews' 25 game four days after he had set his previous season-high with 15 at the U.S. Military Academy on Saturday afternoon. He was averaging 5.5 points per game in Loyola's first 18 games, but he has averaged 20 in the last two.
 
Loyola had 22 assists in the game on 32 made field goals, its second-highest output of the season. It is the fifth time this year that the Greyhounds have had 20 or more assists and the ninth time over the last two seasons after only posting 20 or more three times from 2010-2018.
 
The Greyhounds return to the court for the first of two-straight road games on Saturday, January 25, at Bucknell University where they will face the Bison in a 7 p.m. game.