ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In the second road game of a back-to-back to open its season, American University men's basketball couldn't overcome the depth of Navy, falling by a score of 71-59 on Sunday afternoon.

QUICK NOTABLES

• Once again, freshman Johnny O'Neil stood out with a remarkable performance. The newcomer led AU with 17 points and seven rebounds.
• Although he struggled shooting the ball, Jamir Harris facilitated the offense with a career-high eight assists. He also matched a career-high with three steals.
• A day after setting a new career-high with 30 points, Stacy Beckton Jr. was the only other Eagle to reach double-figures as he scored 12 points to go along with three steals and three rebounds.

WHAT COACH MIKE BRENNAN SAID

Overall thoughts on the game

• "I knew back-to-back games would be tough, especially the first time doing it. I thought it was a great effort yesterday, so giving two efforts like that back-to-back? I wasn't sure if we'd be ready to do it. We gave as much as we had in the tank today."

Takeaways from the first weekend of action

• "It's sort of like a scrimmage in November in that there's a lot that you don't know before you play games, and then you play games and it gives you a lot of information. And now we know what we need to work on. I like the group a lot. They work hard, they listen, they're coachable, they share the ball, they like each other. So, I think we're just going to get better from here."  

On trying to take the offensive pressure off Jamir and Stacy

• "That's essentially how we've tried to play since I've been here. Just sharing the ball and getting everybody involved and making decisions. I like the young group and I think they're all going to get better and contribute and be good."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Unlike yesterday, American started out slow, not making its first basket until O'Neil made a long jumper with 15:05 remaining in the first frame.
• AU trailed by as many as 10 points before going on a 15-0 run in the middle part of the half to go ahead, 21-16, with 5:12 left.
• The streaky half continued down the stretch, as Navy grabbed the momentum with a 14-0 run of its own and ended the first half with a 33-24 advantage.
• During the early part of the second half, AU was able to fight back within three points on two occasions, including on an O'Neil 3-pointer to make it 40-37 with 15:40 remaining.
• After Navy was able to create some separation, American couldn't get the deficit any closer than six points the rest of the way.
• Navy went 9-of-9 from the free-throw line in the final 77 seconds to ice the victory, moving to 6-0 in Patriot League play.

BY THE NUMBERS

• The shots didn't fall for American today. One day after nearly matching a school-record with 14 three-pointers, the Eagles only managed to shoot 5-of-21 from long-range on Sunday.
• AU out-rebounded Navy, 34-30, thanks in large part to the efforts of O'Neil (seven boards), Josh Alexander (seven boards), and Matt Rogers (five boards).
• The depth of Navy showed itself today. AU was only able to play nine players and mustered 12 bench points, compared to 14 players and 27 bench points for the Midshipmen.

UP NEXT

• The Eagles will take on Loyola University Maryland on Saturday, Jan. 23 and Sunday, Jan. 24.  
• AU is scheduled to host Loyola (Md.) on Saturday at 12 p.m. in its home opener at Bender Arena. The Eagles will then head up to Baltimore on Sunday to face the Greyhounds at 6 p.m. in Reitz Arena.

VIRTUALLY "PHIL BENDER" ARENA PRESENTED BY GEICO

• American University Athletics has announced a new virtual ticket campaign in an effort to sell out Bender Arena this coming basketball season. This new season-long initiative, presented by "TEAM AU" partner GEICO, will challenge Eagles fans and alumni to sell out each seat in Bender Arena for the 2020-21 basketball schedule. The "AU Founder" ticket price of $18.93 commemorates the year AU was founded. Click here to support AU Athletics by buying virtual tickets. 

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).