Box Score
On ESPN's Pardon the Interruption there is a segment entitled "Five Good Minutes." That's what the AU men's basketball team was searching for at the end of Monday's night game with Saginaw Valley State.
With 5:29 left in regulation, the Eagles trailed the Cardinals, 55-51. For the rest of the game, the Eagles were outscored, 14-4. That was the difference in Saginaw Valley State's 69-55 win. With the loss, the Eagles fall to 2-4 and 0-3 in the GLIAC. SVSU is 5-2 and 1-2.
Ashland rolled up a +15 figure on the glass. The only time this season the Eagles were better was in the opener against Division III Oberlin. Ashland led in second chance points, 17-4. Much of the credit there goes to forward Will Evans, who had 15 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. That's his second double-double of the season. This marked the fifth time this season Evans has paced the team in rebounds.
AU also received 14 points and seven rebounds from Brook Turson. Turson had three of Ashland's four three-point field goals.
While the Eagles held a big advantage on the boards, they didn't take care of the basketball as well as they as head coach John Ellenwood would have liked. The Eagles had 15 turnovers and Saginaw Valley used that to build a 15-2 spread in points off of turnovers.
AU struggled offensively all game. The 55 points is a season low. The Eagles were on target with 4-of-26 tries (15.4 percent) from three-point range and were 0-for-13 in the second half. Ashland shot 34.9 percent (22-of-63) from the floor, 29.7 percent (11-of-37) in the second half.
During that decisive stretch in the game's final five minutes missed five three-pointers and had three turnovers.
AU's final lead came with 7:13 showing on the clock. A layup by Jett Speelman gave AU a 49-48 advantage. A three-pointer by Damon Bozeman with 6:55 left gave the visitors a 51-49 lead. Moments later, a Wade Gelhaus bucket upped the SVSU lead to 53-49 and with 5:54 to play, Gelhaus buried a jumper for a 55-49 lead.
Calvin Turnage came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points for the Cardinals. Gelhaus, a forward, had 14 points and Bozeman finished with 13 points, five rebounds and four steals. In the second half, SVSU shot 60.7 percent (17-of-28) from the floor and 40 percent (4-of-10) on three-pointers.
AU welcomes Wayne State to Kates Gymnasium on Wednesday (Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m.).
AU
MBKB/ALK
