WASHINGTON - Sa'eed Nelson had a spectacular showing to lead American University men's basketball to a solid victory over Holy Cross in front of an energetic crowd inside Bender Arena on Saturday evening. 

QUICK NOTABLES

• One game after struggling mightily from the field, Nelson found his shot on Saturday as he went 10-of-15 from the field in a 21-point performance. 
• It's Sa'eed's fourth 20-point showing of the season, but its his first since putting up 25 points against Howard on Nov. 26, 2019. 
• As a team, American shot a season-best 61.5% from the field, surpassing the previous high of 59.2% against UMBC on Dec. 3, 2019.
• Mark Gasperini went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, which is his new season-high for made free throws. He also had 13 points and a team-high five rebounds.
• With the win, AU moves to 8-9, including 4-2 in Patriot League play. The Eagles have also won four of their last five games. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• American made its first four shots from the field, including a Gasperini dunk and Jamir Harris trey, to take an early 9-2 lead before Holy Cross called a timeout with 17:56 to play in the first half.
• Out of that timeout, Holy Cross rallied to tie the game at 9-9 heading into the under-16 media timeout. 
• Over an 8:10 stretch in the middle of the frame, the Eagles kept distancing themselves as they went on a 21-6 run to take a 30-15 lead, their largest of the half. 
• Basketball is a game of runs, however, and Holy Cross once again clawed all the way back to within five points on a 12-2 run of their own. 
• The first half ended with American holding a 43-36 advantage. 
• Any time the Eagles found themselves getting a little bit comfortable with a lead in the second half, Holy Cross had a response. 
• The Crusaders were able to cut the lead to three at 51-48 with 16:20 left after a dunk by Connor Niego. 
• Holy Cross kept things interesting throughout the final 20 minutes as AU didn't stretch its lead past eight for much of the frame. 
• American headed into the final media timeout with a 74-66 advantage and 3:30 left on the clock.
• Finally, the Eagles created some breathing room thanks to a 7-0 run started by a Connor Nelson three-pointer. It was American's only three-point attempt of the entire second half. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• AU forced 16 turnovers and capitalized on those by scoring 23 points. 
• The Eagles picked up their first win in a televised game this season. It's also the first time American has won on a Saturday.
• American is now 5-2 inside Bender Arena, including 3-0 in Patriot League play. 
• It is now 16 straight games that the Eagles have used the same starting five (S. Nelson, Harris, Beckton Jr., Boonyasith, Gasperini). 
• The all-time series against Holy Cross is now all square with both programs earning 22 wins against each other. 

UP NEXT

• The Eagles will take a short road trip up I-95 to take on Loyola (Md.) on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. 

INDIVIDUAL GAME TICKET INFO

• The next home men's basketball game in Bender Arena will be Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. vs. Colgate. Great seats are available for this and all remaining Patriot League basketball home games. 
• Secure your seats today by visiting AUeagles.com/Tickets or by calling (202) 885-TIXX (8499). 
• Group Tickets are available starting at just $5 each. 
• AU students are admitted free of charge to home basketball games with a valid AU ID.

KEEP UP WITH US

• 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).