WASHINGTON - Behind a breakout 25-point performance from freshman
Madden Collins, American University men's basketball earned its first win of the season on Sunday afternoon, defeating Penn 84–78 in the team's home opener before an energetic crowd of 1,621 at Bender Arena. The Eagles (1-1) had four players reach double figures in scoring, as did the visiting Quakers (1-1).
Notable Numbers
- Freshman Madden Collins poured in 25 points, 17 of which came in the second half.
- Sophomore Julen Iturbe added 16 points, freshmen Carson McDonald scored 11, and senior Geoff Sprouse added 10.
- McDonald led the Eagles with nine rebounds, just one shy of a double-double.
- AU's bench also came up big, scoring 40 points compared to 21 points from Penn's bench.
- The Quakers shot better from beyond the arc, converting 42.9 percent of the time versus AU's 30 percent, but the Eagles shot better from the field as a whole, converting on 47.6 percent of their field goals compared to Penn's 42.3 percent.
- AU won the turnover battle with just 13 compared to Penn's 18.
- The Eagles dominated the Quakers in points off of turnovers (28-13), and points in the paint (42-22).
First Half
- Iturbe struck first with a three-pointer as the sophomore went on to score AU's first five points of the game.
- The Eagles got physical, sending Penn to the line three times in the first three minutes.
- After both teams went tit for tat for about nine minutes, AU exploded ahead, going on a 21-4 run in the middle of the first half before forcing a Penn timeout.
- Penn responded later in the half with a 13-2 run, holding AU scoreless for three minutes.
- Two key three-pointers from sophomore Wyatt Nausadis and junior Greg Jones gave the Eagles a five-point lead at the break, 42-37.
Second Half
- The Eagles came out swinging with a 7-2 run to open the half.
- Iturbe found Collins on a great cut to the basket by the freshman for a two-handed slam dunk to put the Eagles over the 50-point mark.
- Collins lost his shoe at one point on a play, still drove to the hoop in a build up that ended with McDonald rattling in a jumper, giving the Eagles a 58-55 lead.
- With 8:53 left in regulation, the Quakers took their first lead since 11:52 of the first half at 63-62.
- Sprouse drained a three-pointer from NBA range with the shot clock winding down to put the Eagles up seven late, and they held on for the victory with Penn hitting only a pair of free throws in the remaining time.
Next Up
- American will head down the road to George Washington for a 7 p.m. Contest on Wednesday, Nov. 12, looking to defeat the Revolutionaries for a fourth consecutive time since 2019.
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