WASHINGTON – Erasing any doubt left by a lackluster first half, the American University men's basketball team dropped 60 points in the second on its way to a 97-52 victory over visiting Notre Dame of Maryland on Sunday evening in Bender Arena. Matt Rogers hit 9-of-9 from the floor and scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half.
 
Notable Numbers

• Rogers did not miss a shot in the game, going 2-for-2 from the line in addition to his nine field goals. He was just one rebound shy of a double-double, leading all players with nine boards.
• Thanks to stretch of three made three-pointers in two minutes of the second half, Matt Mayock finished with 17 points.
• Colin Smalls paced the Eagles in the first half with 11 points, and finished with 14 in the game along with a career-tying four steals.
• Freshman Julen Iturbe went 3-for-5 from the field and 2-of-2 at the line on his way to nine points, while also tying his season-high of five rebounds.
• A total of 12 players scored for American including Noah Jones, Mason Whittaker, and Adam Holod who all posted their first points of the season. For Holod, it was the first of his career on his only career three-point attempt.

First Half

• Sloppy play marked the first half with 11 turnovers for both teams, and the Gators were able to stay in it with 48 percent shooting and nine steals.
• The Eagles had leads of 10-4 and 13-8, but NDMU came back within two near the halfway point, and took its first lead just past the seven-minute mark.
• Freshman Eric Michaels hit a hook shot at 3:58 for AU's first lead in nearly four minutes, and the Eagles didn't trail the rest of the way.
• After a tie at 29-29, Smalls capped a quick, 6-0 run with his second trey of the game for a 35-29 advantage.
• NDMU came back within one after scoring five straight points, but a Lincoln Ball turnaround jumper in the final minute gave AU a 37-34 lead at the break.
• Smalls led all players with 11 points at halftime, hitting 3-for-5 and tying his career high of four steals after just one period.

Second Half

• Rogers hit all 10 of AU's first 10 points in the second half, and 12 of the Eagles' first 14, as they raced out to a big lead in the opening minutes.
• The fifth bucket for Rogers made it a double-digit margin for the first time, 47-36 at 16:42.
• Eventually it became an 18-4 run that put American up by 15 on a layup from Ball at 14:42.
• Near the 11-minute mark, Iturbe drained a three-pointer for AU's first 20-point lead, 62-42.
• Wyatt Nausadis followed a trey with a fast-break layup at 7:34 for a 27-point AU lead, and Mayock's first in a trio of three-pointers put the Eagles up by 31 points at the seven-minute mark.
• American closed the game on a 9-0 run, and finished the second half with a 17-0 lead in second-chance points.
• The Eagles also took advantage of foul trouble for the Gators, and hit 13-for-14 at the stripe in the second half.

Up Next

• The Eagles are back in Bender Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 4, hosting DC rival George Washington at 7 p.m.

Keep Up With Us

• For the latest on American University Men's Basketball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on X (formerly Twitter) (@AU_MBasketball), Facebook (/AU.MBasketball) and Instagram (@au_mbasketball).