WASHINGTON - An early lead slipped away for American University men's basketball, and a big second half sealed the deal for William and Mary (2-0) as the Tribe handed the Eagles (0-2) a 79-70 loss in their home opener at Bender Arena.

POSTGAME NOTES

• The three-pointers were falling early on for AU. The Eagles made four shots from long range in the first four minutes, getting two of those from Jacob Boonyasith, and led 15-7 at the first media timeout.
• With a 9-0 run, AU took its largest lead of 16 points, 26-10 at 11:21 of the first half.
• From there, the Eagles went cold as the Tribe came all the way back over the next 10 minutes.
• The first tie of the game was just under the two-minute mark, 34-34, but AU was able to take a 38-36 lead into the break.
• W&M used a 10-0 run to surge ahead early in the second half, but the Eagles got three-pointers from Boonyasith and Connor Nelson in an 8-0 run to retake the lead with 12:56 left, 52-51.
• The next four minutes saw AU score only a pair of Sa'eed Nelson free throws as the Tribe took back the lead for good.
• After trailing by as many as 11, AU got within seven in the final minute but could get no closer.
• Sa'eed Nelson finished with a team-best 22 points for AU, tying W&M's Nathan Knight for game-high honors.
• Also scoring in double figures for the Eagles were Jamir Harris with 16 points and Boonyasith with 11.
• Stacy Beckton Jr. pulled down a team-best eight rebounds for AU, also chipping in seven points and two blocks.

UP NEXT

• AU will stay nearby for its next game, heading to George Washington for a 7 p.m. contest (ESPN+) on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

For the latest on American University Men's Basketball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_MBasketball), Facebook (AU.MBasketball) and Instagram (@au_mbasketball).