MBB
49
American AMERICAN 2-5, 2-5 PLSouth
60
Winner Loyola Maryland LOYOLA 4-8, 1-3 PLSouth
American AMERICAN
2-5, 2-5 PLSouth
49
Final
60
Loyola Maryland LOYOLA
4-8, 1-3 PLSouth
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
American AMERICAN 27 22 49
Loyola Maryland LOYOLA 27 33 60

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Struggles to Find Groove, Falls to Loyola

BALTIMORE – American University men's basketball never seemed to get in a rhythm on the offensive side of the ball on Wednesday night against Loyola, ultimately falling, 60-49, to the surging Greyhounds who have won three of their last four games.   

QUICK NOTABLES
  • Josh Alexander set a new season-high with nine rebounds and matched his career-high with four blocks.
  • Jamir Harris led the way for AU with 18 points, including 3-of-9 from deep.
  • Christian Sutton swished four free throws in the final minute of action, setting a new career-high in points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Both teams struggled from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play.
  • AU kept it close for the majority of the half before taking a lead with 25 seconds left on a Ben Lubarsky 3-pointer set up by great ball movement from Josh Alexander and Connor Nelson.
  • Two free-throws by Santi Aldama tied the game heading into halftime at 27-27.
  • Once again, AU found itself giving up a big run at the start of the second half to let the game slip away.
  • This time, Loyola put together a 16-2 run spanning both halves that gave the Greyhounds a 12-point advantage with 12:58 to play.
  • A 3-pointer from Harris cut the deficit to eight with 9:45 to play, but the Eagles couldn't get any closer.
WHAT COACH MIKE BRENNAN SAID

Overall thoughts on the game
  • "We weren't really prepared for the zone. The zone is tricky and we just didn't have our group together to practice on both days this week. The effort was there, we did great defensively. We just weren't prepared properly for that zone and that's my fault. If we knew what we were supposed to do against the zone and had practiced it for a couple days, I would have felt much better and they could have come out more confident in attacking it. But we just weren't there."
On the unique challenges presented by this season
  • "It's unusual because you're at both the beginning and end of the season. I'm trying to get guys minutes and experience in real situations, while also trying to win important games."
On his group of guys
  • "The group is resilient. They fought back. We should have everybody for practice on Thursday and Friday. It's a tough situation for our guys, playing five games in eight days. They're fighting and working so hopefully we just keep improving."  
BY THE NUMBERS
  • AU outrebounded Loyola, 42-38, on the night.  
  • 49 points is the lowest scoring output for AU since the Eagles fell to Navy, 61-44, on Jan. 31, 2018.
  • The Eagles shot 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the free-throw line, their best performance at the charity stripe all season.
UP NEXT
  • The Eagles are set to play Bucknell in a home-and-home series this weekend.
  • AU will face Bucknell in Sojka Pavilion on Saturday at 2 p.m. before closing out the regular season with a 4 p.m. tilt in Bender Arena on Sunday.
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. 
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