Box Score The clock can be a fickle instrumental. Sometimes, it seems as if it is running in fast forward. Other times, it pokes along like a mule with athlete's foot.
The AU men's basketball team experienced both of those situations on Thursday (Dec. 5) in Grand Rapids, Mich. In the first half of their game against Grand Valley State, the Eagles took a 33-13 lead with 6:56 to go before the intermission. By halftime, AU led, 42-26.
Twenty minutes of playing time remained when the teams took the floor for the second half. That might not seem like much in real time, but in basketball terms, it's an eternity. The Lakers proved that, rallying for a 65-62 win.
Ashland is 2-2 and GVSU is 4-0. This was the GLIAC opener for both teams. The game was played at Grand Rapids Community College rather than on the GVSU campus due to the Lakers hosting the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Volleyball Championships.
Ashland was in front, 59-43 with 11:22 left in regulation. From that point on the Eagles were outscored, 22-3. With 2:07 to play, Grand Valley State's Darren Washington hit a pair of free throws to force a 62-62 tie. The Lakers went ahead, 64-62 on a layup by Darren Kapustka with 12 seconds left.
Ashland gave the ball away via a turnover on its next possession. GVSU's Chaz Rollins hit a free throw with three seconds left for a 65-62 lead. His second free throw attempt didn't connect and AU got the rebound, but the Eagles were out of time.
In the first half, the Eagles shot 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from the floor and 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from three-point range. That's impressive against any team, but that's particularly true against Grand Valley State, which is annually one of the top defensive teams in the country.
The second half saw AU's fortunes make a complete reversal. Over the last 20 minutes, the Eagles shot 20 percent (5-of-20) from the field and had 13 turnovers. For the game, GVSU led in points off of turnovers, 23-14.
Will Evans led the Eagles with 17 points, 15 in the first half. DaWuan Thomas had 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. Freshman guard Boo Osborne had 11 points, eight in the first half.
GVSU outscored the Eagles, 39-20 in the second half. Kapustka led that surge, scoring 13 of his 16 points after the intermission. In the second half he connected on 4-of-6 field goal tries. He was 3-of-5 on three-point attempts over the final 20 minutes.
The Lakers also got 12 points from Ryan Sabin and 11 from Ernijs Ansons. Sabin had nine second half points.
The Eagles play at Ferris State on Saturday (Dec. 7, 3 p.m.).
AU
MBB/ALK
