The American University men’s basketball team (1-2) lost to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-1) on Nov. 3 by a score of 88-74. This game took place at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and was both teams’ season opener.
The Eagles came into the match with a new look, bringing in nine new players to the team’s 19 total. Star players returning from last year’s Patriot League Championship team include senior guard Geoff Sprouse and junior forward Greg Jones, who was named the Patriot League’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year on Oct. 15.
Wake Forest looked to make a statement in its first game after being picked to finish 11th in the Atlantic Coast Conference in its preseason poll despite offseason additions.
The first few minutes of both teams’ seasons went slowly, with the Demon Deacons taking a 7-point lead before American brought up a run of their own, taking an 8-7 advantage after the first four minutes. This lead would be the last that American held, though the game was relatively close.
Multiple Eagles scored their first NCAA points throughout the first half, including freshman forwards Carson McDonald and Chris Eagan, who made them in the first 10 minutes of the game.
American had cut the deficit to 5 points when Eagan scored his first points and wanted to take an advantage in the last 10 minutes of the first half. However, eight authoritative dunks from Wake Forest throughout the half kept the momentum in the home team’s favor.
American found a scoring run a couple of minutes after Eagan’s points, with some well-timed fouls from the Demon Deacons and surgical shots from the Eagles. A 3-pointer from sophomore guard Wyatt Nausadis tied the score at 23 points apiece and quieted the home crowd in Winston-Salem. For a moment, the Eagles had taken some momentum back and looked to capitalize on the run they made. However, after a Wake Forest timeout, they were forced to give up four free throws on fouls.
Demon Deacons graduate student forward Tre’Von Spillers put down five of the team’s eight first-half dunks himself, including two in back-to-back possessions for Wake Forest with about four minutes remaining in the half. The home crowd came alive once more, thundering behind Spillers as the team’s lead lengthened to 11 points. Despite American’s best efforts to fight back before halftime, Wake Forest went into the break up 46-34.
After some trouble in the first half, the Eagles couldn’t seem to miss a basket in the early part of the second half. Jones started up scoring for American with a layup, followed quickly by 3-pointers from Nausadis and junior forward Matt Mayock and another layup from Nausadis, adding to his career night.
The opening flurry in the second half was not representative of the Eagles’ play for the rest of the half, as Wake Forest began to extend their lead down the stretch.
Freshman guard Madden Collins got on the scoreboard with his first NCAA points in the second half, but the team’s new faces didn’t put up enough points to come out of Winston-Salem with a win. Nausadis scored 5 points in the final two minutes of play to close the gap slightly, but the buzzer sounded at the end of regulation with a final score of 88-74.
Eagles head coach Duane Simpkins described the Demon Deacons as “physical, long and athletic,” after the game and said playing an opponent of this quality was a really good test for the team early in the season.
“We knew it would be a good challenge for us and to compete with an ACC team was right up our alley,” Simpkins said.
Nausadis’ 22 points led the team for the game, followed by Jones with 14 and Sprouse with 10. Jones’ 7 rebounds and 6 assists led the team in both categories and he was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
Simpkins was happily surprised by Nausadis’ performance.
“He’s been inconsistent in the past few weeks, but when the lights come on, he knows how to put some stuff together,” Simpkins said. “He kept us in the game in the first half. Do we expect that from him every night? No, but it’s good to know that we can have that.”
The Eagles opened their home slate with a 84-78 win over the University of Pennsylvania Quakers on Nov. 9. They return home to play Central Penn on Nov. 15 at 4 p.m.
This article was edited by Matthias Jaylen Sandoval, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Avery Grossman, Ryan Sieve, Audrey Smith and Ava Stuzin.
