CLEMSON, S.C. - American University men's basketball kept pace with Clemson for much of Friday night's contest at Littlejohn Coliseum, connecting on 13 three-pointers and staying within striking distance into the second half before falling to the Tigers, 82-73. Sophomore
Madden Collins led the Eagles with 23 points, while Greenville native
Julen Iturbe scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in his return to familiar territory.
Notable
- Collins scored a team-high 23 points on 10-of-20 shooting, following his 20-point performance in the season opener at Cincinnati.
- American shot 46.4 percent from three-point range (13-of-28), including 7-of-14 in the first half.
- Junior Wyatt Nausadis scored 11 points and hit three three-pointers, while Greg Jones and Iturbe added 10 points apiece.
- Matt Mayock was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, finishing with nine points.
- Iturbe, whose father Iker played basketball at Clemson, connected on two early three-pointers and finished with eight rebounds.
- Junior Eric Michaels recorded three blocked shots.
- Clemson's Ace Buckner led all scorers with 26 points, including five three-pointers.
First Half
- American opened the scoring with a three-pointer from Mayock, and Iturbe knocked down two of his first three attempts from beyond the arc to help the Eagles build an 11-6 advantage.
- A layup by Collins extended American's lead to 13-6 with 15:03 remaining, giving the Eagles their largest advantage of the game.
- Clemson worked its way back, and the teams traded the lead throughout a competitive opening half that featured seven lead changes and two ties.
- The Tigers moved ahead by seven, 37-30, with 1:46 remaining, but AU responded with five straight points on a Mayock three-pointer and a Collins layup to cut the deficit to two.
- Clemson took a 39-35 lead into halftime. Collins had 13 points, while Mayock added nine and Iturbe scored six. American shot 50 percent from the field and three-point range in the opening 20 minutes.
Second Half
- Jones opened the second half with two three-pointers in the first minute, bringing American within a point on both occasions, including 42-41 with 19 minutes remaining.
- Clemson gradually extended its lead, going ahead 57-46 with 13:25 remaining, but the Eagles continued to respond. A three-pointer from Nausadis and a Collins layup cut the margin to six, 57-51, with 12:25 to play.
- American again pulled within six, 63-57, on a Collins layup with 9:23 remaining, but Clemson answered with a 9-0 stretch to take a 72-59 advantage.
- Nausadis connected on another three-pointer, and baskets by Iturbe and Jones helped AU continue to battle down the stretch.
- Clemson built its largest lead at 80-66 with 2:19 remaining before the Eagles scored seven of the game's final nine points, including a three-point play by Collins with 33 seconds left, to account for the final margin.
Next Up
- The Eagles have one more stop left on their three-game road swing to start the season, and will head to Drexel for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
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