WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Greg Jones scored 23 points and Wyatt Nausadis added 17 as American used a dominant first-half performance to build a substantial lead and never looked back, defeating Navy 65-51 in a Patriot League men’s basketball game Monday night at Bender Arena.

A crowd of 1,314 saw the Eagles (10-8, 3-2 Patriot League) seize control early, opening the game on a 20-5 run over the first ten minutes and holding the Midshipmen (12-6, 4-1) to just 17 first-half points. American led 33-17 at halftime, a deficit from which Navy could not recover despite a more competitive second half.

The most important part of the game was unquestionably American’s opening salvo. The Eagles came out with stifling defensive energy, forcing Navy into a series of rushed shots and turnovers. The Midshipmen missed 10 of their first 11 field goal attempts and committed five turnovers in the game’s first nine minutes. American’s Matt Mayock was instrumental in setting the defensive tone, recording two early steals and a block, while the Eagles’ length and activity flustered Navy’s offense. This early stretch established a 16-point cushion that provided American with a margin for error for the remainder of the contest.

Jones, a 6-foot-6 junior from Alexandria, Virginia, was efficient throughout, playing 34 minutes and leading all scorers. His back-to-back baskets, a layup and a turnaround jumper, helped extinguish a brief Navy push midway through the first half that had cut the lead to 12. Nausadis, a 6-4 guard from Traverse City, Michigan, provided critical scoring bursts, including two first-half three-pointers during the decisive opening run. He finished with 25 minutes of action.

Navy, which entered the game on a four-game winning streak, showed life after halftime, outscoring American 34-32 in the second period. Austin Benigni led the Midshipmen with 12 points, all in the second half, while Cam Cole added 13 and Donovan Draper contributed 10 points. Aidan Kehoe, Navy’s 6-foot-10 center from Montvale, New Jersey, anchored the interior with eight points, three assists and two blocks in 35 minutes.

The Midshipmen whittled the lead down to 10 points on several occasions in the second half, the last at 56-46 following a driving layup by Benigni with just over seven minutes remaining. Each time, however, American had an answer. Following that Benigni basket, the Eagles executed a quick-hitting play resulting in a Greg Jones layup off an assist from Julen Iturbe. Moments later, after a Navy turnover, Wyatt Nausadis connected on a stepback jumper to push the lead back to 14 and effectively seal the game with under four minutes to play.

American’s defense remained the story, holding Navy to its second-lowest scoring output of the season. The Eagles also won the battle on the glass, with Iturbe grabbing multiple offensive rebounds to extend possessions. Iturbe finished with seven points, four assists and a game-high defensive effort. Geoff Sprouse added eight points for the Eagles.

The victory was a bounce-back performance for American, which had lost at home to Holy Cross in its previous outing. For Navy, the loss snapped its winning streak and handed the Midshipmen their first conference defeat of the season.

According to pregame analytics from Interstat, American was projected with a 55.6 percent probability to win and was installed as a 1.5-point favorite. The combined score of 116 points fell well under the over/under line of 138.5.

American next travels to face Army on Sunday. Navy will look to rebound on the road at Lehigh on Saturday. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in a rematch at Navy’s Alumni Hall on February 7.