Box Score This has been a year where the Ashland Eagles have been used to coming from behind in the second half. On Saturday (Dec. 21), the Eagles enjoyed a 44-34 halftime lead against the New York Institute of Technology, but had that advantage slip away on the road as they were outscored 45-25 in the second half and lost, 79-69.
The Bears (5-4) are known for their fast, up-tempo defense and three-point shooting. The Eagles handled both well in the first half, but struggled to get stops and take care of the ball after the intermission.
In the first half, the Eagles (5-3) started by making their first six shots from the field and jumped out to an early, 13-6 lead. After just the first 4:10 of the half, all five starters had scored. The Eagles shot 58.6 percent from the floor in the first half and made 4-of-5 shots from beyond the arc in the first half. The Eagles held the Bears to just 25 percent shooting from the perimeter in the first half and led despite nine first half turnovers.
The second half was a different story. The Bears turned up their pressure, forcing 12 second half turnovers and went 7-of-15 from the three-point line. NYIT started the half on a 9-2 run and forced four Eagle turnovers in the first five minutes of the half. The Bears finished the game going 10-for-27 from deep and shot 38 percent from the field.
For the Eagles, they managed to shoot just 10-of-30 in the second half and 46 percent (27-for-59) in the game. Despite fouling out with 1:31 to play, junior guard Taylor Woods led the Eagles with 21 points of 9-of-13 shooting while grabbing three rebounds and dishing out four assists. Three other players scored in double figures for AU. Freshman forward Suzy Wollenhaupt registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard McKenzie Miller finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and six assists and junior guard Melanie Poorman had 10 points and four rebounds.
Ashland finished the game shooting just 56 percent (9-of-16) from the free throw line and was out-rebounded, 45-33. The Bears grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and had an 18-2 advantaged in second-chance points. The Eagles finished the game with a season-high 21 turnovers.
The Eagles will be off until Jan. 2 (6 p.m.) when they are on the road at Northwood.
AU
WBB/MB
