American University men's basketball falls to Cincinnati 79-53 in opener

The American University Eagles lost 79-53 at Cincinnati on Monday night at Fifth Third Arena in the season opener for both teams' records on the schedule, dropping to 0-1.

Madden Collins led the Eagles with 20 points, going 5-of-13 from the field and 8-of-10 at the free throw line. He also had six of the team's 18 turnovers. Julen Iturbe added 10 points and a team-high 7 rebounds, and Dean Hogans scored 8 off the bench.

How it unfolded

American trailed only 35-33 at halftime, scoring 33 in the first half. Cincinnati then outscored the Eagles 44-20 in the second half. The Bearcats' largest lead was 27 points, and they led for 90 percent of the game. The Eagles' largest lead was 2.

Where the game turned

Shooting was a problem for the Eagles, who made 15 of 54 field goals (28 percent) and 7 of 29 from three (24 percent). Cincinnati shot 29-of-69 (42 percent) and made 8 of 27 threes.

Turnovers also hurt. American committed 18 against 13 for Cincinnati, and the Bearcats turned them into 23 points. Cincinnati had 15 steals, including four each from MJ Collins Jr. and David Iweze, and scored 17 fast-break points to American's 2.

The Bearcats also controlled the paint and the glass, outscoring the Eagles 40-14 in the paint and outrebounding them 48-32. Cincinnati had 16 offensive rebounds to American's 9. The Eagles did make 16 of 20 free throws (80 percent).

Bearcats balanced

Tyler Tejada led Cincinnati with 13 points, going 3-of-5 from three. Collins Jr. also scored 13. Akai Fleming and Tylen Riley each had 9, and Riley handed out a game-high 5 assists, matched by Elijah Perryman. Iweze scored 8 and grabbed 7 rebounds, and the Bearcats had 20 assists on 29 made baskets.

Next up

American plays at Clemson on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. ET.