Nelson with 30 points, American beats Boston U. 86-74

Jan 3, 2019, 03:07 am

WASHINGTON -- Sa'eed Nelson scored 30 points with four rebounds and six assists as American University beat Boston University 86-74 in a Patriot League opener on Wednesday night.

Nelson was 11 of 16 from the field for the Eagles (7-5). Sam Iorio added 23 points and five rebounds and Mark Gasperini had 12 points.

American trailed 14-7 early in the first half but Nelson worked inside, scoring six points midway to close the gap and Iorio followed with a 3-pointer that sparked a 16-6 run that gave the Eagles a 32-26 edge with 2:42 to go. Another Iorio 3 just before the break made it 39-28 at halftime.

The Eagles led throughout the second half. The Terriers (7-7) cut it to 61-56 with 5:25 to play but could not get closer.

Tyler Scanlon led the Terriers with 18 points. Max Mahoney added 15 and Javante McCoy 14.