WASHINGTON - Hot shooting and a dominant second half powered American University men's basketball to a 78–60 win over UMES in its final non-conference home game, as the Eagles hit 14 three-pointers—including 10-of-15 after halftime—and saw 10 players score in an all-around performance. Freshman
Dean Hogans led the way with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from long range, and AU improved to 7–1 in Bender Arena.
Notable Numbers
- Three Eagles reached double digits in points as sophomore Julen Iturbe and junior Matt Mayock were right behind Hogans with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
- Every player off the bench for AU was a freshman, and they combined for 35 points as a group.
- The Eagles posted 14 steals compared to three for the Hawks, with an 11-1 advantage in the first half. This helped the Eagles dominate in fastbreak points (14-2) and points off of turnovers (16-6).
- AU crashed the boards, finishing with a 12-2 lead in offensive rebounds. Freshman Madden Collins led AU with five boards, and Mayock had four.
- Iturbe and freshman Kade Sebastian led American with five assists each. Sebastian posted a career-high four steals, while Iturbe finished with a career-high three steals.
First Half
- Mayock was hot early, netting three field goals and a three-pointer within the first 7:30.
- The Eagles took the lead for the first time with 9:03 left in the half after a three-pointer from Collins to make the score 17-16.
- AU pulled away with a 15-2 run that saw the defense hold UMES scoreless for over four minutes. During the run, the Eagles recorded six steals.
- The defense also ended up holding the Hawks to just 20 points, the lowest this season for an opponent in the first half, and AU took a 32-20 lead into the break.
Second Half
- The Eagles poured it on with an 11-0 run, and they converted on five straight three-pointers at one point, two of which came from senior Geoff Sprouse.
- Both teams converted on two-thirds of their three-point attempts in the second half, with AU going 10-for15 and UMES hitting 4-for-6.
- Hogans helped the Eagles bury the Hawks with three consecutive three-pointers late in the game, and sophomore Wyatt Nausadis added another at the tail end of that run.
Next Up
- The Eagles will play their final two non-conference games on the road after a break for final exams, heading to VCU on Dec. 17 and Virginia on Dec. 22.
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