WASHINGTON – Facing a grueling Patriot League schedule filled with rescheduled contests, American University responded with a resounding 67-49 win over Holy Cross on Wednesday night. It was AU's third game in five days and fifth contest in 11 days.
 
QUICK NOTABLES

• American's defense got the job done, holding the Crusaders to 49 points, which is a season-low for an AU opponent. The Eagles held Holy Cross to 34.5 percent from the field, also a season-low for an AU opponent.
• Stacy Beckton Jr. played an integral part of the AU defense, picking up two blocks. He now has 92 career swats, good for 8th all-time in program history.
• Colin Smalls scored 16 points on an efficient 7-of-11 from the field.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Holy Cross held an early 8-4 advantage after a Caleb Kenney layup with 15:43 to play in the first half.
• American went on a 14-0 run, holding the Crusaders scoreless for nearly eight minutes, to take control in the middle part of the first half.
• In that run, Josh Alexander scored six points in a row to fuel the lead.
• AU went into the locker room with a 29-20 lead.
• Holy Cross started the second half well, twice cutting the deficit to five points, which forced head coach Mike Brennan to call timeout with 14:30 to play.
• After the timeout, Beckton Jr. drained a corner three that gave the Eagles some momentum.
• Matt Rogers took a pass from Johnny O'Neil and drove through the lane for a slam dunk with 9:31 to go, part of a 10-0 run that put AU on top by 16 points.
• American closed the game strong to win, 67-49.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 49 points is the lowest for an AU opponent since Holy Cross mustered 47 in the last meeting between these two programs on Feb. 29, 2020.
• Connor Nelson had only two points but led AU with eight rebounds and three steals.
• American held significant advantage in points in the paint (42-28) and bench points (23-7).

UP NEXT

• American hits the road for a game against Navy on Saturday. Tip-off in Annapolis is set for 2 PM.
• The Eagles will return to Bender Arena on Sunday, Feb. 6 against Colgate. Tip-off is set for 6 PM and the game will be nationally-televised on CBS Sports Network.
• Tickets to this game and all remaining AU Men's Basketball home games are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here.

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).