Box Score ASHLAND, Ohio – The AU men's basketball team used a solid defensive effort and a balanced offensive attack to complete a weekend sweep at Kates Gymnasium with an 87-79 win over Northern Michigan Saturday (Feb. 18) afternoon.
The Eagles (15-10, 10-8 GLIAC) clinched the first above-.500 GLIAC season under third-year head coach John Ellenwood and won their 15th game overall for the first time under Ellenwood. With their win on Thursday (Feb. 16) over Michigan Tech, the Eagles sealed a spot in the GLIAC Tournament.
"It was good for us to get in the tournament with two games left," Ellenwood said. "It gets our confidence up and lets us work on some things for a few games here."
AU held NMU to just 41.2 percent (28-for-68) shooting from the field and had six players score at least seven points.
Junior forward Evan Yates (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) scored 24 points and pulled down seven rebounds to lead AU offensively. He shot 9-for-15 from the field.
The Eagles celebrated Senior Day and honored their lone senior, forward Antoine Childs (Beaver Falls, Pa./Western Carolina), before the game. Childs celebrated on the court, getting the start and scoring seven points and adding a career-high three assists.
"Antoine did a nice job for us today, getting the start," said Ellenwood. "He made some baskets and had three assists for us. He did a good job moving the ball around."
Junior guard Ronnie Steward (Columbus, Ohio/Akron) poured in 20 points and was perfect on four 3-point attempts in the game.
The teams were tied at 34-34 with 3:48 left in the first half when DeAndre Taylor knocked down a jumper for the Wildcats (8-16, 4-13 GLIAC).
The Eagles went into halftime on an 11-2 run sealed by a Childs layup off a nifty feed by redshirt-freshman guard DaWuan Thomas (Dayton, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison).
AU never let the lead slip under three points for the rest of the game. T.J Cameron's 3-pointer with 1:42 left cut the lead to 80-77. The Eagles executed a nice offensive set on the next play that found Yates under the basket for a layup to stop the NMU run.
"The whole game, Evan was trying to stake his claim," Ellenwood said. "He did a good job of getting the ball and going right at them."
Sophomore forward Will Evans (Lexington, Ky./Christian Academy) scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out four assists. Sophomore wing Jordan Berlin (Wilmington, Ohio) scored 12 points and pulled down a career-best nine rebounds. Berlin scored 14 points in Thursday's win over Michigan Tech.
"J.B. did a good job getting some boards," Ellenwood said. "That's two games in a row with that production from him. If we continue to get that production from our guards, we're going to be tough to beat."
The Eagles shot 51.9 percent (27-for-52) from the field for the game and 40 percent (8-for-20) from 3-point range. The Eagles are 7-1 when they shoot at least 50 percent from the field.
Taylor led five Wildcat scorers in double figures with 20 points in 32 minutes off the bench. Haki Stampley entered the game as NMU's leading scorer, but was held to 14 points on 4-for-15 shooting from the field.
Ashland will have a week off before returning to the floor at Lake Erie for the final regular season game on Saturday (Feb. 25) at 3 p.m. The Eagles will be on the road for the GLIAC Tournament opener on Feb. 29 against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
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