The American University men’s basketball team defeated the University of Pennsylvania Quakers 84-78 in Bender Arena on Nov. 9 in the Eagles’ home opener.
Freshman guard Madden Collins stole the show in his debut at Bender and propelled the Eagles to victory with his game-high 25 points and 4 steals.
Heading into the match, the Eagles came off a competitive loss against the ACC’s Wake Forest Demon Deacons away in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Nov. 3. Despite the loss, Eagles head coach Duane Simpkins said it was a “good challenge” that would help prepare the team against the Ivy League’s Quakers.
The Eagles struck first at the top of the match, with sophomore forward Julen Iturbe swishing in a quick wing 3-pointer to take the lead. After the Quakers answered back with a 3-pointer of their own, Iturbe flew into the lane, secured the rebound and quickly scored the ball on a putback. The Eagles were now up 5-3 with just under 18 minutes left in the half.
Momentum then swung in the direction of the Quakers, who answered the Eagles’ strong start with a 6-0 run. Penn went on to take a 14-13 lead, but Iturbe cashed in a deep 3-pointer to regain the lead and control of the game. The Eagles led 16-14 with 11 minutes to play.
American went on a run of their own, with Collins showing off his defense early, snatching a steal and going coast to coast for a layup. On the next play, Collins dribbled inside and created space with his midrange jumper. Junior forward Greg Jones followed that up by grabbing a steal and setting up Iturbe for an easy layup, forcing Penn to call timeout and sending the Bender fans into a loud frenzy. The Eagles led 24-15.
The Quakers still had some fight in them and went on another big run, capped off by a Penn 3-pointer to cut the lead to 36-34 with less than two minutes remaining in the half.
Bender, which became relatively quiet during the Penn scoring run, was revived with fans clapping on their feet after sophomore guard Wyatt Nausadis hit a corner 3-pointer to extend the lead to 39-34 with 52 seconds remaining. Penn answered with their own 3-pointer, but with 15 seconds remaining on the clock, Jones hit a 3-pointer to close out the half, putting the Eagles up 42-37.
Coming out of the half, senior guard Geoff Sprouse got the offense started with a scoop layup , leading 44-37. For the next 13 minutes of play, both teams were on fire, exchanging basket after basket. Penn’s hot shooting from behind the arc helped them take a 67-66 lead with seven minutes to go.
Collins wouldn’t let the Eagles lose grip of the lead by making a 3-pointer of his own. He followed that with an easy layup after sneakily cutting backdoor and catching a sweet assist from Iturbe, putting the Eagles up 73-69.
With four and a half minutes left in the game, Iturbe found himself with enough space at the top of the key to take a deep 3-pointer and swished it. His shot was the dagger and Bender was rocking with noise and energy from the crowd. The Eagles proved too much for the Quakers to handle as they secured the 84-78 win.
Postgame, Iturbe joked about how his coaches weren’t a fan of his deep dagger shot, but he said he was confident and could produce in those late game moments.
“Nate [Bollinger] came up to me, and Ike [Isaiah Tate] came up to me and said ‘you’re lucky you made that’ and I was like, ‘just the shot I wanted,’” Iturbe said, laughing.
Defense was a bright spot for the Eagles. They forced 18 Penn turnovers, blocked 2 shots and got 9 steals. Collins, who endeared himself to the crowd with his play, had 4 of those steals. Simpkins applauded how locked in his freshmen were on defense.
“They’re buying into the defense because every single day, this is what we do,” Simpkins said. “We’ve had tears in the office, long talks and pats on the backs and everything, but we have had to put these guys into the fire.”
The Eagles adjusted their offensive game plan from last season by increasing their speed, and Sprouse is confident that the team is well-adjusted and conditioned for a faster offense.
“I 100 percent think that with the way we conditioned in the offseason going into preseason, I think we could run with any team in the country, or run even faster than any team in the country,” Sprouse said.
Postgame, Collins shared his excitement after his standout 25-point performance, but also emphasized that his priorities were just to help the team win.
“All the coaches gave me the trust, they gave us a good game plan, and it’s my job to execute,” Collins said. “I saw gaps, I was being aggressive on both sides of the ball. I think my energy and my passion carried over and allowed me to do things I was blessed to be able to do.”
Iturbe dropped 16 points while dishing out a team-high 4 assists. Freshman forward Carson McDonald dropped 11 points and 9 rebounds. As a team, the Eagles shot 47.6 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range.
“The beauty of our team is that we’re going to have multiple guys throughout the course of the season who are high scorers this game, high scorers next game. Last game it was Wyatt Nausadis, this game it was Madden Collins. Next game could be Greg Jones,” Simpkins said.
Following this game, the Eagles lost at GW and beat Central Penn at home. The Eagles travelled to Piscataway, New Jersey, to play Rutgers on Nov. 18 lost 80-71. They return home to play Marywood on Nov. 24 at 7 p.m.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Avery Grossman.
