Box Score ASHLAND, Ohio – It took the Eagles all of 17 seconds to take the lead against No. 22 Grand Valley State on Thursday (Feb. 10) night at Kates Gymnasium. Ashland never lost the lead the rest of the night. Really, the rest of the night. The AU women's team never trailed in its 55-54 win over the 23rd-ranked Lakers in the doubleheader nightcap.
The AU men came away with an 82-75 upset win over the Lakers. It was Ashland's second win over a ranked opponent in two weeks at Kates Gymnasium. The Eagles beat Wayne State, 57-56, on Jan. 27 in front of a SportsTime Ohio tape-delay audience. STO was here again and the Eagles lit up the gym.
"Coach (Gregg) Collins said after the game we should play on TV all the time," AU head coach John Ellenwood said. "Those games are big for us and it shows people that we're for real. It's great to get that kind of publicity.
"Every time we play these teams on TV, I say a prayer in my house before I leave, 'Lord, just make it close so we look good on television.,'" added Ellenwood.
The divine intervention came again Thursday night as the Eagles rolled to a 10-0 lead in the opening minutes – six of those points were scored by AU sophomore center Evan Yates (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills). The Lakers' first basket came at the 16:17 mark on a jumper by Tony Peters.
Yates finished the first half with 14 points and seven rebounds and ended the game with his fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 boards.
"They have that seven-footer (Asauhn Tatum) and we talked that he had to attack seven-footers. He's starting to become a big-time player in this league and people are respecting him," Ellenwood said. "He and Kale were a 1-2 tandem in the first half. When Evan smells blood in the water in the post, he wants that ball. It's good to have a big guy that wants it like that."
Richardson operated well with Yates off the floor, scoring six points in the first half and finishing with a team-high 22 points.
"We worked out together in the summer and our coaches got on our backs, especially with Coach being a post player," Yates said. "We're used to working together now."
The Eagles (12-9, 6-8 GLIAC) had their lead trimmed down to 15-13, but a 6-0 burst ran the advantage to 21-13 after a three-pointer by junior forward Antoine Childs (Beaver Falls, Pa./Western Carolina), who finished with eight points in 16 minutes off the bench.
Childs' most electrifying play came with just under two minutes to play in the first half when he called for a lob and was rewarded with the pass above the rim from freshman guard Jordan Berlin (Wilmington, Ohio). Childs hammered the alley-oop home with a two-handed stuff, sending the AU crowd to its loudest point of the night.
"We call that one Snooki," laughed Ellenwood, referring to the reality TV star from the show Jersey Shore. "We actually ran it to the opposite side that we normally run it. There's nothing like an alley-oop to get a team out of the zone."
Ashland led by eight, 37-29, at the intermission after shooting 53.8 percent in the first half, while holding the Lakers (16-6, 11-4 GLIAC) to just 40 percent from the field.
Even against a team like Grand Valley State and its reputation for a punishing defense, the Eagles continued to mount its lead, eventually going up by 13 points with 11:40 left to play. The Lakers cut the lead to six, 58-52, at the 7:29 mark.
But the Eagles went on a 5-0 run that started after a technical foul on the GVSU bench and Richardson knocking down both free throws. AU eventually built the lead to 15 points with 1:23 to play after senior forward Blake Saunders (Hinsdale, Ill./Sonoma State) corralled a defensive rebound and knocked down a pair of free throws after a foul.
AU struggled closing out the game, allowing three three-pointers and a couple of offensive miscues, but the Lakers never got within four points as the Eagles closed out the win with a pair of Richardson free throws.
The Eagles shot 52 percent from the field and knocked down 29-of-40 free throws, an area in which the Eagles have had struggles of late.
"They're a scary team, for us to shoot 52 percent is a great testament to our offense in this game. They're traditionally the best defensive team in the conference," Ellenwood said. "They're as deep as a team comes in our league. We're excited to produce like we did on the offensive end."
Richardson picked up his fifth double-double with a team-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 6-for-10 from the field and hit 9-of-12 free throws.
GVSU's Justin Ringler led all scorers with 27 points with five rebounds and five assists. He shot 10-for-17 from the field.
Berlin had a career-best seven assists to go along with six points. Senior forward Justin Garris (Ledgewood, N.J./NJIT) had 11 points and three rebounds. He knocked down 7-for-10 free throws.
The Eagles don't get any kind of breather on Saturday (Feb. 12) afternoon when they host Ferris State, which won its ninth straight game on Thursday at Lake Erie. The Bulldogs feature All-American and reigning GLIAC Player of the Year Justin Keenan. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
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