Shurna, Northwestern topple American U. 78-62

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — John Shurna scored 28 points and Michael Thompson added 23 as Northwestern remained undefeated with a 78-62 victory over American U. on Thursday night.

The Wildcats (7-0) are off to their best start since 1993-94, when they won their first nine.

Shurna, a junior, became the 30th Northwestern player to surpass 1,000 points, finishing the night with 1,012. Luka Mirkovic added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Northwestern.

Vlad Moldoveanu led the Eagles (6-4) with 21 points and a team-high six rebounds. Troy Brewer scored 10 points.

Both teams shot better than 50 percent in the first half, and Northwestern led 38-34 at intermission. The Wildcats outscored the Eagles 9-2 at the outset of the second half to take a 47-36 lead. Northwestern’s biggest lead in the second half was 22 points.

This was the first meeting between Northwestern and American, which plays in the Patriot League.