WASHINGTON - After building a 23-point second-half cushion, the American men's basketball team closed out a 74–61 win over Maine to open the Capital Thanksgiving Classic, led by 15 points from freshman
Kade Sebastian. The Eagles improved to 4-0 this season in Bender Arena, and have four games left of a six-game homestand including a 4 p.m. contest against Siena on Saturday.
Notable Numbers
- Sebastian hit 4-of-6 from the field and 5-of-6 at the line, leading the Eagles in scoring for a second game in a row.
- Sophomore Wyatt Nausadis added three steals and three assists to 13 points, and junior Greg Jones also scored in double digits for AU with 12 points to go with three steals.
- Leading AU in rebounds and assists was freshman Madden Collins, who added seven boards and five helpers to seven points.
- Senior Geoff Sprouse made a trio of three-pointers to finish with nine points for American.
- Maine also had three players score in double figures, led by 15 points from TJ Biel.
- The Eagles committed just eight turnovers while forcing 18, earning a 19-7 edge in points off turnovers and a 20-2 lead in fast break points.
- AU hit 10 or more three-pointers for a third game in a row after not doing so in the first in the first four games of the season.
First Half
- An early 14-0 run over an almost five-minute stretch had the Eagles up 18-4 just past the 12-minute mark as Nausadis hit AU's third triple.
- Treys from freshman Dean Hogans and Jones gave AU leads of 15 points (9:10) and 16 points (6:41) before Sprouse three-pointer at 2:44 gave the Eagles their largest lead of 17 points, 35-18.
- Maine used a 6-0 run to stop the bleeding, and the teams traded buckets from there with freshman Chris Eagan scoring two late jumpers for AU.
- The Eagles took an 11-point, 39-28 lead into the break, shooting 50 percent from long range in the opening half (7-for-14).
- AU had 12 fast break points in the first half compared to zero for Maine, and a 9-2 lead in points off turnovers after forcing 11 and committing only four.
Second Half
- It was a 12-point game at 15:33 before the Eagles took control with an 11-0 run.
- Jones and Nausadis both converted old-fashioned three-point plays during the run, and Sebastian hit his second three-pointer.
- The three points from Nausadis put AU up by its largest margin of 23, 59-36 at 12:38
- After a Maine triple, back-to-back turnovers on the Eagles led to another pair of buckets for Maine in a stretch that turned into a 12-0 run for the Black Bears, narrowing AU's lead to 11 (59-48).
- After almost four scoreless minutes since his free throw, Nausadis was the next to get AU on the board with his second three-pointer of the game at 8:45.
- The cold spell continued for the Eagles, however, as Maine chipped away while AU hit just two more field goals the rest of the way.
- With 3:37 remaining, the Black Bears pulled to within eight points, 66-58.
- From there, the Eagles hit eight of their next 10 free throws to thwart Maine's comeback hopes, while the Black Bears missed 10 opportunities at the line in the second half.
Next Up
- The Eagles continue their Capital Thanksgiving Classic schedule with a 4 p.m. game against Siena on Saturday, and a 4 p.m. matchup with Longwood on Sunday.
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