Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, 5: 30 p.m.
Kates Gymnasium, Ashland, Ohio
Walsh (13-5/9-5 GLIAC) at Ashland (7-11/5-10 GLIAC)
Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, 1 p.m.
Malone (11-8/8-7 GLIAC) at Ashland (7-11/5-10 GLIAC)
(This week's games will be broadcast live on WNCO-AM 1340 with Matt Brubaker on the call.)
Setting The Scene
The Eagles wrap up a four-game homestand this week with games against Walsh and Malone. AU lost to both teams on the road in mid-January. The Eagles enter this week with their first two-game winning streak of the year. Last Saturday, the Eagles routed Lake Erie at Kates Gymnasium, 81-61.
AU sits in fifth place in the GLIAC South Division. Walsh is second in the division and Malone is fourth.
At this week's games, AU will participate in the GLIAC Wave initiative. All fans are encouraged to wear pink and GLIAC shirts will be on sale in the Kates Gymnasium lobby. A limited number of special AU basketball posters will also be on sale. All proceeds from that sale will go to the American Cancer Society.
About the Eagles
AU played once last week – that was the victory over Lake Erie…the point total was AU's highest against a GLIAC opponent since scoring 87 points against Northern Michigan on Feb. 18, 2012. This was AU's largest margin of victory against a GLIAC foe since a 72-52 win at Saginaw Valley State on Jan. 19, 2012…this was AU's second highest point total of the season, eclipsed only by the 95 points the Eagles scored on Dec. 29, against Ohio Christian…the Eagles canned a season-high 12 triples against LEC. That's the second time this year the Eagles reached double digits in three-pointers. They had 11 against Ohio Christian. AU has had at least seven treys in each of the last three games…the Eagles scored 43 second half points against LEC. AU has scored 40 or more second half points four times this season…Ashland went to the free throw line 17 times against Lake Erie. In the two games prior to that, the Eagles visited the line a combined 58 times – 30 vs. Ohio Dominican and 28 against Tiffin…AU had a season-high 18 assists against Lake Erie and gave the ball away 10 times…AU has blocked 12 shots in the last three games…the Eagles are 7-3 at home this season with three home dates left.
The Eagles are third in the GLIAC in defending the three-point field goal (32.1 percent). Ashland is second in three-point attempts per game (21.2) and fifth in three-point field goals per game (7.1)…the Eagles are 0-8 on the road this season. The last time Ashland won a road game was Feb. 2, 2012, at Ohio Dominican (69-59)…a year ago, Ashland was 3-8 away from home, 2-7 in GLIAC road games. In 2011-12, the Eagles were 12-2 at home with the losses coming to Hillsdale and Wayne State…the Eagles are 3-1 in games decided by three points or less…AU is 3-4 this season against GLIAC South Division foes. Last season the Eagles went 6-6 in the division.
Eagles To Watch
Senior forward Evan Yates (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) was a first team All-GLIAC and all-region choice a year ago and was a second team All-American (Daktronics). He was the first AU men's basketball player to receive All-America laurels in 20 years. Yates is second in the conference in rebounding (9.3 rpg.). He's seventh in field goal percentage (54.3) and ninth in scoring (15.9 ppg.) and blocked shots per game (1.0). Yates has seven double-doubles this season. The senior has scored 20 or more points in a game five times this season and reached double digits in rebounds seven times. Yates is 24th in the country in rebounds per game and 27th in double-doubles.
In his career, the 6-6, 245-pound Yates has scored 1,438 points and secured 763 rebounds. Yates is second in career rebounds at AU. The only player Yates trails is Larry Aulger (1,188). Yates is tied with Greg Emmons for eighth place in career scoring at AU.
Junior forward Will Evans (Lexington, Ky./Christian Academy) is second on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg.) and rebounding (6.2 rpg.). Evans is 16th in the GLIAC in board work.
One of the most productive Eagles over the last two weeks is sophomore guard Brook Turson (Plymouth, Ohio/Columbus State). Turson scored a career-high 27 points against Lake Erie. Turson was 9-for-11 from the floor and 8-of-10 from three-point range. The 6-3, 180-pound Turson was one three-pointer shy of equaling the school, single-game record for triples (9 by Rob Wininger vs. Mercyhurst, 1997). Turson also had six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals against LEC. Over the last three games, Turson has averaged 18.7 ppg. The sophomore had 21 points at Ohio Dominican. On the year, Turson is averaging 7.5 ppg., and 4.4 rpg. Turson is 15th in the GLIAC in three-point field goal percentage (40 percent/22-of-55).
DaWuan Thomas (Dayton, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) is averaging 6.9 ppg. Thomas, a 6-1, 175-pound redshirt sophomore guard, has a team-leading 19 steals.
Sophomore guard Cole Krizancic (Mentor, Ohio) is tied with Evans for the team lead in three-point field goals (23). Krizancic is seventh in the GLIAC in three-point field goal percentage (41.8). This is the first time in his career he's been listed among the GLIAC leaders.
Senior guard David Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Florida) has a team-high 36 assists (2.0 apg.).
Head Coach John Ellenwood
AU head coach John Ellenwood is in his fourth season at Ashland. A year ago, he guided the Eagles to a 15-12 record, 10-9 in GLIAC play. Ellenwood is a 2000 College of Wooster grad. This past fall, he was inducted into the college's Hall of Fame. At Ashland, Ellenwood is 48-51. His career record as a college head coach is 78-99. Ellenwood came to AU from Thomas More, where he was the head coach for three years.
About the Cavaliers (13-5/9-5 GLIAC)
Walsh comes to town with a two-game winning streak. The Cavs have won six of their last seven games. Last week, the Cavaliers won at Hillsdale (75-73) and at Malone (65-55). Walsh is the GLIAC leader in scoring (80.8 ppg.), rebound margin (+7.0) and rebounds per game (39.4). The Cavaliers are 9-2 at home and 4-3 on the road.
Kenny Kornowski, a 6-9, 235-pound senior forward, is fourth in the conference in scoring (18.5 ppg.), tied for second in rebounding (9.3 rpg.) and is eighth in field goal percentage (54.3). Rian Burrell, a 6-3, 185-pound sophomore guard, is averaging 14.4 ppg. Jeff Copeland, a 6-5, 205-pound sophomore forward, averages 9.6 ppg., and 5.1 rpg. He's eighth in the GLIAC in blocks per game (1.1) and ninth in field goal percentage (53.5). In last week's win against Malone, Kornowski had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Copeland had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Brad DuPont, a 6-0, 195-pound junior guard, is sixth in the conference in steals per game (1.5) and ninth in assists per game (3.4).
Jeff Young is the Walsh head coach. He's 237-49 on the Walsh bench. Young has been the head coach since 2004.
Eagles-Cavaliers
These teams played in North Canton, Ohio, on Jan. 10, and the Cavaliers won, 74-66. AU trailed at halftime, 31-26. Ashland shot 62.5 percent (15-of-24) from the floor in the second half (3-of-5/60 percent from three-point range), but couldn't wrestle the game away from the Cavs. The game was tied eight times and the lead changed hands seven times. AU had a seven-point lead with 9:28 left in regulation, but couldn't hold that advantage. In the last four minutes, the Cavaliers made 6-of-8 shots at the free throw line.
Yates led the Eagles with 26 points. Senior guard Ronnie Steward (Columbus, Ohio/Akron) had 14 points. Steward is out indefinitely with a knee injury.
Burrell led the Cavaliers with 18 points. He was 6-of-11 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the free throw line. Kornowski had 14 points and seven rebounds. DuPont and Copeland scored 10 points each.
This is Walsh's first year in the GLIAC. Ashland leads the all-time series, 10-4. Walsh has won four of the last six meetings.
About the Pioneers (11-8/8-7)
Malone features one of the top all-around talents in the GLIAC in 6-1, 185-pound junior guard Isiah Elliott. He's third in the conference in scoring (19.2 ppg.), fourth in assists (4.4 apg.), fifth in steals (1.8 spg.) and 11th in assist-turnover ratio (2.4). Elliott had 17 points in a 65-55 loss to Walsh last week.
Cory Veldhuizen, a 6-4, 205-pound junior forward, averages 10.7 ppg., and 5.2 rpg. Che Richardson, a 6-4, 195-pound junior guard, averages 8.5 ppg., and is seventh in the loop in steals (1.7 spg.). Christian Graves, a 6-2, 190-pound freshman guard, is fifth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (43.2). Brian Stone, a 6-8, 220-pound rookie center, is sixth in the GLIAC in rejections per game (1.2).
Malone's head coach is Tim Walker. He's in his fourth season on campus.
The Pioneers are 3-2 in their last five games. This is a team that doesn't put itself in a hole. The Warriors are fourth in the GLIAC in assists (14.4 apg.) and turnovers (11.9 tpg.). Malone is fourth in the conference in scoring (73.4 ppg.), second in three-pointers per game (7.3) and third in three-point attempts per game (20.4).
Malone will play at Lake Erie on Thursday (Feb. 7). The Pioneers are 4-4 on the road this season.
Eagles-Pioneers
The first meeting of the year between these teams came on a Saturday afternoon – Jan. 12 – at Malone. The teams were tied at halftime, 29-29. Led by Veldhuizen's 27 points and 22 points from Elliott, the Pioneers won, 73-65.
Ashland had a 34-22 edge in points in the paint, thanks in large part to 21 points and 15 rebounds from Yates and 17 points and nine rebounds from Evans, but that Malone perimeter game carried the day. Malone was 11-for-27 from three-point range (40.7 percent), 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) in the second half. Veldhuizen was 7-of-9 on three-point attempts and scored 20 second half points. He was 6-of-8 on three-pointers in the second half. AU had a 44-32 lead with 15:18 remaining in regulation. Turnovers played a large role in this game, Malone had nine and Ashland had 16. Malone led in points off of turnovers, 20-10.
The Eagles lead the all-time series with Malone, 25-5. When Malone won the January matchup, it ended a seven-game Ashland winning streak in the series. This is Malone's first year in the GLIAC.
Up Next
The Eagles head back out on the road next week, visiting Findlay on Thursday (Feb. 14, 6 p.m.) and Hillsdale on Saturday (Feb. 16, 1 p.m.).
AU/WBB/ALK
