WASHINGTON, D.C. (2/14/09) – Nick Hendra scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead American University to a 69-44 Patriot League win over Colgate Saturday afternoon at Bender Arena.

American (17-7, PL 9-1) wins its sixth straight game to remain in least a tie for first place in the Patriot League standings, while Colgate (9-15, PL 5-6) has a three-game winning streak snapped.

Other Eagles in double figures were Derrick Mercer with 15, and Garrison Carr and Brian Gilmore with 11 apiece.

Mike Venezia (Westfield, NJ) was Colgate's leading scorer with 14 points, while Ben Jonson (Dallas, TX) had nine points and seven rebounds.

The Eagles held an early 5-4 lead, before going on an 11-0 run to open a 12-point advantage with 11:16 remaining in the first half.  American was able to extend its lead to 19 points, before settling for a 33-20 halftime margin.

The Eagles continued to dominate play in the second half, allowing Colgate to get no closer than 11 points while leading by as many as 30 points.

Colgate managed only 31 percent shooting making 15-of-48 from the field, and only 30 percent from 3-point range (6-of-20).  The taller American squad was successful on 51 percent of its field goals, and held a 39-24 edge on the boards.

Colgate will travel to Lehigh on Wednesday night for a key Patriot League matchup with the Mountain Hawks.

(Boxscore)