American University secured a 70-64 victory over Harvard on Sunday afternoon at Bender Arena, erasing a six-point deficit with less than six minutes remaining by scoring the final 12 points of the game.
Sophomore Madden Collins led all scorers with 25 points, marking his fourth game with at least 20 points this season, according to American University. Senior Julen Iturbe added the go-ahead basket in the final minute to help the Eagles earn their second straight win in front of 2,431 fans.
The Eagles trailed 64-58 late in the contest before launching their game-ending run. Collins initiated the surge with a steal and a nearly successful coast-to-coast drive that resulted in a loose ball, which Iturbe converted into a follow-up layup.
Collins tied the game at 64-64 with a jumper in the paint with 1:25 remaining. On the ensuing possession, Iturbe grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer and scored the putback to give American a 66-64 lead.
Harvard shot 46.2 percent from beyond the arc compared to American’s 21.1 percent. However, the Eagles overcame the long-range shooting deficit by dominating inside, outscoring the Crimson 34-22 in the paint and committing fewer turnovers.
Sophomore Chris Eagen contributed 11 points for American, scoring nine of them in the first half. Sophomore Dean Hogans provided a spark off the bench with eight points, helping the Eagles’ reserves outscore Harvard’s bench 20-7.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama was among the crowd at Bender Arena to support Harvard.
American returns to Bender Arena to face Mary Baldwin University at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19.
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