Leave it to the appropriately named American University Eagles — a refuge for underutilized basketball talent. Last year it was Vlad Moldoveanu, freed from George Mason, and thriving in the AU frontcourt. This year it’s Troy Brewer, freed from Georgia, and now prospering in the AU backcourt.
Providing opportunity — it’s the American way.
Tuesday night at Howard, Brewer, with help from Moldoveanu, propelled American to a routine 66-54 victory. Brewer, a 6-foot-5 junior, scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, both career highs. All seven of his field goals came from beyond the arc as American (5-0) built an early lead and never trailed.
Senior forward Moldoveanu (19 points, six rebounds) and junior forward Stephen Lumpkins (14 points, nine rebounds) provided inside punch that stunted the comeback efforts of Howard (1-4).
After trailing by 16 points in the first half, the scrappy, undermanned Bison rallied behind forward Mike Phillips (11 points, five rebounds) and reserve guard David Naves (nine points, three steals), cutting the deficit to seven on two occasions.
AU’s passive response to the aggression of Howard angered Eagles coach Jeff Jones, who did not allow players to speak to the media.
“I admired the way Howard scrapped and their effort and I’m disappointed with ours,” Jones said. “Being 5-0 right now, it’s a little bit unfulfilling. We’re pretty soft right now.”
Brewer (Montrose Christian) scored the first two baskets of the game and when Moldoveanu added another 3-pointer, AU had a 9-0 lead. When Brewer hit back-to-back threes later in the half, it made him 5-for-5 from beyond the arc and gave the Eagles their biggest advantage, 28-12.
But after that, the Howard guards rattled their AU counterparts with their quick hands and quick feet. It wasn’t until Brewer and sophomore forward Mike Bersch hit 3-pointers in the final eight minutes, that the Eagles could rest easy.
“Troy obviously got off to a hot start. I think it was maybe seductive,” Jones said. “Everybody’s trying to get into the act and everyone’s standing around jacking up threes. We’re not going to win many games doing that.”
