WASHINGTON – A first-half American lead evaporated in the early going in the second half as Navy used a big run to take control and eventually triumph over AU men's basketball on Saturday afternoon inside Bender Arena, 72-60.

QUICK NOTABLES

• Josh Alexander has continued to elevate his game, reaching a career-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds. At times in the second half, the AU offense succeeded almost exclusively through the big man.
• In his first start as an Eagle, Colin Smalls played well, especially in the first half, scoring all eight points in the first 20 minutes of play. Foul trouble doomed the youngster in the early part of the second half.
• In a career-high 21 minutes off the bench, Matt Rogers matched a team-high with six rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The two teams traded leads in the early part of the first half before American took control in the middle part of the frame with a 13-1 run to go up, 28-15, with 7:04 remaining.
• Back-to-back 3-pointers by the Mids cut the deficit to 7 with 4:16 left.
• AU couldn't extend the lead and provide themselves with a larger cushion down the stretch and headed to the locker room up, 34-28.
• A malfunctioning hoop caused a delay during halftime, extending the break longer than usual.
• Navy gained momentum after the pause while AU lost any semblance of it. The Eagles were held scoreless for over six minutes as the Mids took a 12-point lead before Jamir Harris finally hit a bucket to stop the run.
• American trailed by as many as 14, but cut the deficit to seven with 5:45 to go after Alexander converted back-to-back three-point plays in the paint.
• Navy went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in the final minute of play to snuff any chance for an AU comeback.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Along with his career-high in points, Alexander also excelled defensively with a career-best four blocks.
• Jamir Harris scored 14 points, but struggled from three-point range, only going 1-of-7 from deep.
• With Stacy Beckton Jr. and Johnny O'Neil unavailable to play, an already-tight rotation condensed even more. AU only managed eight bench points compared to 32 for Navy.
• Navy controlled the boards, particularly on the offensive glass. 17 of Navy's 46 rebounds were offensive rebounds. AU recorded six rebounds off misses and 33 total boards.

UP NEXT

• The Eagles return to action against the Midshipmen tomorrow evening at Bender Arena.
• The contest will tip off at 6 p.m. and air nationally on CBS Sports Network.

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).