The American University men’s basketball team (2-3) defeated the Central Penn Knights (0-5) at home by a score of 115-50 on Nov. 15. This win over the Division II school is the largest margin of victory in program history, and came just a few days after a 40-point loss at George Washington University.
The Eagles came out full-court pressuring the Knights on defense. This forced Central Penn into turnovers and gave American plenty of fast-break opportunities. With 16 minutes left in the half, sophomore guard Wyatt Nausadis got a steal and took it coast to coast for an easy layup. The very next play, junior forward Greg Jones got another steal and got fouled going to the basket.
American was also able to take advantage of their size down low with offensive rebounding. A missed 3-pointer by freshman guard Madden Collins sparked a possession where the Eagles got 3 offensive rebounds, eventually ending with Jones getting fouled and sinking both free throws.
With 12 minutes remaining, junior forward Matt Mayock hit American’s first 3-pointer of the day from the top of the key off a pass from Nausadis, capping off a 15-0 run to make the score 22-4.
It was not just the full-court defense that was causing the Knights’ fits. The constant switching and trapping by the Eagles in the half-court made it impossible for Central Penn to get anywhere near the basket. The Knights didn’t make their second field goal until there was under nine minutes left in the half when a long rebound gave junior guard Dahsan King an open layup to cut the American lead to 15.
The Eagles kept pushing and maintained the intensity, starting the second half on a 17-3 run. They were able to quickly push the ball in transition off makes and misses, leading to easy layups on the other side.
“This year we’re playing a lot faster, so as we get a quick outlet and get out in the court, we were catching the defense out of position,” Nausadis said.
Jones credited Nausadis with his ability to play faster.
“He’s the one that’s really pushing the pace right now,” he said.
The size disparity was also on display in the second half. The Eagles had another possession with a layup from freshman guard Dean Hogans to cap it off and give American a 45-point lead. They were also able to move the ball quickly both in transition and in the half-court, which led to open layups that they finished.
The Eagles finished the game with 36 fast-break points while only letting up 4 points. They also out-rebounded the Knights 55-30. Jones led the team with 18 points on 50 percent shooting and sophomore forward Julen Iturbe had 14 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists. For Central Penn, King had 18 points with 4 steals.
Head coach Duane Simpkins appreciated the team’s ball movement in this game.
“Really proud of our guys, [they] shared the basketball really, really well,” he said. “Twenty-six assists on 41 field goals…shows our guys are sharing the basketball”
The Eagles traveled to Rutgers on Nov. 18 and lost 80-71. American beat Division III Marywood 113-53 in Bender Arena on Nov. 24. wNext, they host the Capital Thanksgiving Classic and play the University of Maine on Nov. 28.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Avery Grossman, Ryan Sieve and Ava Stuzin.
