Dec. 22, 2008
Box Score
WASHINGTON - The American University men's
basketball team was defeated by Maryland on Monday night, 67-51, at
the Comcast Center in College Park, Md. Senior Derrick Mercer
surpassed the 1,000 career point mark en route to a team-high 12
points to lead the Eagles.
Maryland jumped out to a 7-0 lead at the first media timeout
behind five points from Dave Neal and extended its lead to 11-0 on
a Cliff Tucker bucket. Jordan Nichols
ended the Eagles scoring drought with a layup in transition. After
a Derrick
Mercer lay-in and Garrison Carr
jumper, the Eagles had pulled to within seven, 13-6, with just over
12 minutes to play. Mercer had entered the game with 999 career
points and with his basket became just the 28th player in AU
history to reach 1,000 points. Carr later closed the gap even
further, 18-12, with a jumper off an offensive rebound. The Terps
answered with an Eric Hayes three, retaking a nine-point lead,
21-12, with 8:17 remaining.
Maryland extended its lead to double-digits three times over the
next few minutes but each time the Eagles answered right back with
a basket of their own. Nick Hendra drove the
lane and hit a layup to cut a 10-point lead to eight, 26-18, with
4:44 on the clock and Carr did the same with a jumper with 4:02
remaining, 28-20. Carr hit a three with 3:10 to play, the team's
first of the half, to move the score to 31-23. With time winding
down in the half the Terps opened up a 35-23 lead, their largest of
the half. AU finished the half strong though as Stephen Lumpkins
grabbed an offensive rebound and got the put-back and then found Brian Gilmore
under the basket with a nice feed to send the team into the half
trailing only by eight, 35-27.
Mercer shouldered the load for the Eagles coming out of the
half, scoring six of AU's first eight points to help American keep
pace. The Terps proved to be too much for the Eagles though as they
used an 8-0 run to open a 17 point lead, 54-37, with 11:42 to play.
Lumpkins ended Maryland's run with a bucket at 10:46 but the Terps
answered right back with three more baskets of their own to go
ahead 60-39.
AU was able to cut into Maryland's lead down the stretch but it
was not enough as the Terps claimed the 67-51 win.
Mercer scored a team-high 12 for AU and finished the game with
1,011 career points. He added six assists and was complimented by
Carr who scored 11.
American will return to action on Monday, Dec. 29, finishing off
its current five-game road trip at Manhattan with a 7 p.m. tip.
