Box Score ASHLAND, Ohio – With every game the AU men's basketball team plays, the importance magnifies.
Trailing by five points, 59-54, with 9:13 to play in Saturday (Feb. 4) afternoon's GLIAC South game against Tiffin at Kates Gymnasium, AU head coach John Ellenwood challenged his players during a timeout.
"I challenged them during the timeout. I told them I didn't think we had come alive defensively," he said.
The Eagles responded by holding the Dragons to just nine points over the final 9:47 of the second half to close out a 73-68 win.
The win helps Ashland (13-8, 8-6 GLIAC) get one win closer to securing a spot in the GLIAC Tournament, though there is plenty of work to be done.
On Saturday, the Eagles struggled getting into a rhythm on both ends of the floor. AU shot just 35.1 percent (13-for-37) from the floor in the first half, but the Dragons (10-13, 4-11 GLIAC) laced the nets at a .457 (16-for-35) clip.
Junior guard Ronnie Steward (Columbus, Ohio/Akron) led the Eagles with 20 points. Junior guard Will Evans (Lexington, Ky./Christian Academy) added 16 points and eight rebounds. Junior forward Evan Yates (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) – the conference's leader in scoring and rebounding was held to just 11 points and nine rebounds.
In Thursday's win over Ohio Dominican, Yates scored his 1,000th career point with a free throw with 2:41 to play.
"Their game plan was to shut (Evan) down, and we weren't knocking down our shots," said Ellenwood.
The Eagles also could not take advantage of their chances at the free throw line, shooting just 60.3 percent (20-for-33) for the game.
"We were getting stops on the defensive end and getting to the line, but we weren't scoring any points," Ellenwood said. "We practice them, but sometimes it just doesn't translate over to the game."
Redshirt-freshman DaWuan Thomas (Dayton, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) scored 14 points to go along with six rebounds and seven assists – which matched a career high.
Ellenwood also got solid minutes from freshman guard T.J. Riggs (Bloomington, Ill.), who played a majority of the minutes down the stretch. He had a key rebound on the defensive end with AU ahead by three points.
"It felt good to be out there with my teammates doing my part," said Riggs, who split a pair of free throws at the line with 16 seconds left in the game to give AU a 71-68 lead. "I did that in high school, so I'm used to it."
After that split, Tiffin's Karl Finley missed a 3-pointer short, but Travis Spahr picked off the offensive rebound and got a timeout.
On the ensuing inbounds play, Joe Graessle missed a 3-pointer, but Isaiah Twine stepped on the base line after the offensive board giving AU the ball. Steward knocked down a pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds left to seal the win.
Finley and Graessle are both in the top five in the GLIAC in scoring, something that didn't escape Ellenwood.
"Those guys are scary, especially when they're getting the offensive rebounds," Ellenwood said. "Someone who doesn't watch the film would say they're jacking shots, but they're prolific scorers and they have the confidence to do that."
Finley scored 24 points on 10-for-19 shooting and Graessle added 17 points.
The Eagles now have a difficult, but important, road trip next week at Grand Valley State and Ferris State. The Eagles and Lakers are have identical 8-6 records and are tied for sixth in the GLIAC. Tip-off with GVSU is at 8 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 9).
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