WASHINGTON - Holding an eight-point edge at the break, American University men's basketball opened the second half with a decisive 15-4 run and pulled away for an 84-69 victory over Loyola Maryland in its Patriot League opener. Junior
Greg Jones led a balanced scoring effort with 17 points, as four Eagles finished in double figures.
Notable Numbers
- American dominated in the paint, outscoring Loyola 50-18 down low.
- The Eagles' high-pressure defense forced 13 turnovers in the first half and 19 turnovers for the whole game.
- AU did well to turn its defense into points, scoring 23 points off turnovers.
- Four Eagles reached double figures: Jones scored 17 points, freshman Madden Collins added 15 points, sophomore Julen Iturbe scored 12 points, and freshman Kade Sebastian added 11 points.
- Jones added five boards and four assists, while Iturbe led all players in the game with seven rebounds.
- Collins totaled a game-high three steals for a second game in a row.
First Half
- In a fast-paced start, seven different Eagles scored in the first nine minutes, with 16 of American's first 20 points coming in the paint. AU held a 20-16 lead at the 11:27 mark.
- Three-pointers from Jones, senior Geoff Sprouse, and Sebastian helped propel AU to a 31-24 lead with 8:11 left in the half.
- A nine-minute stretch saw American make nine out of 10 shots to give the Eagles their largest lead of the half, 42-30, with under three minutes to play.
- With 24 seconds left in the half and Loyola on a 6-0 run, American called a timeout and executed a perfect play freeing Iturbe for a layup, as American took a 44-36 lead into the locker room.
- AU forced 13 turnovers in the half, leading to 16 points from turnovers.
- Jones and Sebastian led the Eagles with nine points apiece at halftime.
Second Half
- American started the second half on a 15-4 run, with Jones and Collins each scoring a pair of baskets to give the Eagles a 19-point lead.
- A three-pointer from Collins gave AU its first 20-point lead of the game with 11:35 left.
- A pair of threes from the Greyhounds narrowed American's lead to 15 with six minutes left in the contest.
- Loyola cut the AU lead to as few as 13, but a three from Iturbe stopped the Greyhounds' run as American led by 16 with two minutes to play, eventually capping off a 15-point win, 84-69.
Next Up
- The Eagles will play their first Patriot League road game on Saturday, Jan. 3, taking on Boston University at 1 p.m.
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