The American University men's basketball team outscored Brown 42-31 in the second half to earn a 77-67 win Monday in Bender Arena.

Vlad Moldoveanu scored a game-high 24 points for the Eagles, his ninth 20-plus point performance of the season. He was 7-of-19 from the floor and 10-of-11 from the line while adding seven rebounds and three assists.

"In the second half we said we're going to Vlad," Head Coach Jeff Jones commented. "Obviously that resulted in a few baskets but more than that, it resulted in a bunch of free throw attempts for him. The other thing that it did was wear on them and get them in foul difficulty. It was enough, but again we need to learn some lessons here real quick. They all count, but starting on Saturday they count a lot more."

The victory improves the Eagles to 10-5 as they close out non-conference play, marking the most non-conference wins for the team under Jones and the most since posting 11 wins in 1982-83. American will open Patriot League play Saturday, January 8 against Lehigh at Bender Arena.

Troy Brewer notched 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, with his 5-of-6 performance from three ranking as the third-highest single-game three-point percentage in school history. American shot 46.3 percent on the night and committed a season-low five turnovers. 

Brown (5-7) was led by Garrett Leffelman's 12 points and Docker Walker's 10 point, 13 rebound double-double. Peter Sullivan added 11 points for the Bears who finished the night shooting 44.2 percent.

American struggled from the field early, shooting just 3-of-9 to begin the game. The Eagles caught fire following a Charles Hinkle basket, however, scoring on four straight possessions to take a 17-11 lead. Brewer finished off the 9-0 run with the team's third three-pointer of the half.

Brewer extended American's advantage to 19-12 moments later, giving the Eagles their largest lead of the frame. Brown responded with an 8-2 stretch to pull to within 21-20 and tied the score at 25 on a Matt Sullivan and-one. Adrian Williams' three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining put the Bears out in front 36-35 at the break.

Moldoveanu led all scorers in the first half with 11 points and four rebounds. Brewer chipped in seven points while Nick Hendra and Hinkle each added six. The Eagles combined to shoot 48.1 percent in the frame against 51.9 percent for the Bears.

Moldoveanu carried the load for American early in the second half, scoring six points to help the team regain the lead, 45-42. Stephen Lumpkins' three-point play with just over 13 minutes remaining put the Eagles on top 53-46.

The Bears cut their deficit to 61-59 midway through the frame before a 13-2 American run moved the score to 74-61. Brewer sank back-to-back three-pointers to cap off the four-plus minute stretch which also included four points from Moldoveanu. Leading by eight with 1:00 to play, American sank 3-of-4 free throws to secure the 77-67 victory.

The Eagles will return to action in Bender Arena Saturday, January 8 when they host Lehigh at 2:00 p.m. in the team's Patriot League Opener. Tickets to the game are still available and can be purchased online by clicking here.

Fans unable to attend the game can catch all of the action live online via a subscription to Patriot League All*Access. For more information, click here.

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