Thursday, February 5, 2015

Men's Basketball: American 64 Loyola (Md.) 49

John Schoof joined the 1,000 point club

From our friends at AU Athletics...

Eagles Soar Past Loyola, 64-49

The American University men's basketball team built a 17-point halftime lead over Loyola on Wednesday night inside Bender Arena shooting 73.7 percent from the field in the first half as AU trumped the Greyhounds, 64-49. The Eagles shot 60 percent in the contest, while senior guard John Schoof was one of three American players to finish in double-digit scoring, tallying his 1,000th career point to help AU to an important Patriot League win.

Schoof scored 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting, adding 7-of-8 from the free throw line. His free throw at the end of the first half pushed the senior captain to the 1,000-point plateau, becoming the 30th player in school history to reach the milestone.

Jesse Reed led AU with 17 points

American held Loyola to just one point during a stretch of more than six minutes in the game's first 10, before AU pulled out to a 18-4 lead when junior guard Jesse Reed converted an And-1.

Kevin Panzer (#13) led all players with 9 boards & 6 dimes

Reed registered 11 of his team-high 17 points in the initial stanza while senior center Kevin Panzer posted one of his best career lines with AU, finishing with eight points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

Charlie Jones (#20) scored 12 points

After a fast start by AU, Loyola rebounded to start the second, holding American without a point for the first 5:45 of the second half closing to within nine on an 8-0 run. The Eagles were able to counter with a 9-0 streak of its own, building its largest lead of the game at 51-33.

Eric Laster (#5) led the Greyhounds with 17 points

"Loyola throws a lot at you defensively and thought we did a good job handling it, forcing misses to limit their full court press opportunities," said head coach Mike Brennan.


The Eagles had a 23-9 advantage in free throw attempts, making 19 from the charity stripe and assisted on 14 of their made baskets. AU also registered seven steals as both Pee Wee Gardner and Charlie Jones swiped three each. Jones also joined Reed and Schoof in double-digit points, scoring 12.

Let's make a bed!

With the win, American remains tied for third, now only with Lehigh and Lafayette. AU is also now a game back of second-place Bucknell.

American hits the road for the third time in four games, facing Patriot League-leading Colgate on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Eagles next home game in Bender Arena will be next Saturday February 14th at 2 p.m. vs. Lafayette on Cassell Hall of Fame Day. A limited amount of premium location sideline reserved chair-back seats still remain, and tickets start at just $7.50 seat. Click here to purchase online or call (202) 885-TIXX to secure your tickets.

Click here for last night's box score.