WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Madden Collins scored 22 points and American used a decisive second-half surge to pull away from Army for a 75-63 victory in a Patriot League men’s basketball game Saturday afternoon at Bender Arena.

A crowd of 1,063 saw the Eagles improve to 14-13 overall and even their conference record, while the Black Knights fell to 10-17.

The game turned in the latter stages of the second half after Army had trimmed a nine-point halftime deficit to just two points. Trailing 44-42 with 15:26 remaining following a driving layup by American’s Collins, the Black Knights appeared poised to challenge down the stretch. Instead, the Eagles unleashed a 14-2 run over the next four minutes to seize control for good.

The pivotal sequence was fueled by defense and the scoring of Collins. It began when Julen Iturbe converted a layup off a Collins assist. After an Army turnover, Collins threw down a dunk in transition to push the lead to eight. Following another Black Knights giveaway, Collins drilled a 3-pointer from the wing, assisted by Greg Jones, to extend the advantage to 51-44 and force an Army timeout.

The Eagles’ defense stifled Army during the run, forcing three turnovers and limiting the visitors to just one field goal. When Jacen Holloway finally ended the drought for Army with a layup, American immediately answered as Collins found Iturbe for another lay-in. Matt Mayock then stole the ball from Jorn Everson, leading to a driving layup and a foul by Collins, who completed the three-point play at the line. That gave American its largest lead to that point at 56-46 with 11:24 to play.

Army never recovered. The Black Knights could get no closer than seven points the rest of the way as American maintained its double-digit cushion by answering every mini-run. Collins, a 6-foot-5 guard from Columbia, South Carolina, was instrumental throughout, adding three rebounds, three assists and a block to his game-high point total.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring eight lead changes. Army started quickly, with Jorn Everson hitting two early 3-pointers to help build a 9-2 advantage. American responded with a 14-2 run of its own, capped by a Kade Sebastian 3-pointer, to take a 19-11 lead midway through the period.

The Black Knights chipped away, tying the game at 25-25 on a Ryan Curry 3-pointer with 5:34 left before halftime. American closed the half strong, however, outscoring Army 11-2 over the final five minutes. Collins provided the exclamation point, hitting a floating jumper just before the buzzer to send the Eagles into the locker room with a 36-27 lead.

American’s offensive efficiency proved decisive. The Eagles shot 53% from the field (26 of 49) compared to Army’s 39% (21 of 54). While both teams made seven 3-pointers, American was more effective inside, outscoring Army 36-24 in the paint and 15-8 on fast breaks. The Eagles also capitalized at the free-throw line, making 16 of 21 attempts while Army converted 12 of 18.

Collins led four Eagles in double figures. Matt Mayock added 11 points and five rebounds, while Greg Jones contributed 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. Julen Iturbe also scored 11 points.

Army was led by Jackson Furman’s 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. Jaxson Bell added 13 points and Jorn Everson finished with 12 points, all in the first half. Tate Laczkowski provided a strong all-around effort with four points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The victory completed a regular-season sweep for American, which defeated Army 78-67 on Jan. 18. The Eagles have now won four of the last five meetings between the programs.

American next travels to face Bucknell on Wednesday. Army visits Loyola Maryland, also on Wednesday.