Box Score
At this point, head coach John Ellenwood and his Ashland University Eagles aren't suffering from double vision. What they are encountering can only be described by some formula buried deep in Einstein's notes in a laboratory locker somewhere.
Saturday (Feb. 15) at Kates Gymnasium, Hillsdale escaped with a 64-61 win over the Eagles. The game's pattern was all too familiar for the Eagles. It's a sight they can't shake.
"I think this is the 12th time we've played them and I think nine times it's come down to the last possession or overtime," remarked Ellenwood.
With eight seconds left in regulation and Hillsdale ahead, 62-61, AU guard DaWuan Thomas missed a layup in traffic. There was a wild scramble for the rebound and with two seconds left, the ball finally settled into the hands of Hillsdale forward Tim Dezelski.
With two seconds to play in the game, HC's Cody Smith hit two free throws for a 64-61 lead. Ashland inbounded the ball, took a time out and tried to get off a shot with 1.5 seconds to play. However, AU mishandled the ball on the inbounds pass and never got off a shot.
"He (Thomas) wanted the ball and I gave it to him," said Ellenwood. "I thought it was a good shot, it was a layup."
Thomas has a history of making big shots at the end of games. He hit a game winner a year ago against Findlay and this season, knocked down two free throws with 7.4 seconds to play in overtime to provide the margin of victory against Wayne State. In this game, he gave the Eagles their last lead, burying a three-pointer with 1:53 to play, putting Ashland ahead, 61-59. Hillsdale closed to within 61-60 on a free throw by Brandon Pritzl with 1:32 to go. Pritzl missed his next free throw and the Eagles allowed Dezelski to corral the rebound. He dropped in a layup for a 62-61 Hillsdale lead.
"This game came down to a couple of possessions," said Ellenwood. "A couple of times we had our hands on defensive rebounds and for whatever reason, couldn't hold on."
The loss gives Ashland a 9-14 record, 6-13 in the conference. AU has three regular season games left. Hillsdale is 16-7 and 12-7.
Dezelski is one of the best all-around players in the GLIAC and Midwest region and he finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds. He was the major reason that the Chargers had a 28-12 spread in points in the paint. Forward Kyle Cooper had 13 points, guard Anthony Manno scored 12 points and Pritzl had 10 points, five rebounds and three assists
As a team, the Chargers shot 45.8 percent (22-of-48) from the floor and 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from three-point distance.
"I told our team before the game we had to hold them to below 50 percent," Ellenwood said. "I don't have any problem with that number or our defensive effort. Our problem was on offense. But some of that is because they're a very good defensive team."
Ashland shot 26.9 percent (7-of-26) from the floor in the second half. It's hard to pull away from a team while shooting like that. AU did connect on 10-of-20 three-point shots, but went only 3-for-8 in the second half.
Freshman forward Wendell Davis paced the Eagles with 13 points. Senior forward Will Evans had 12 points and nine rebounds and guard Cole Krizancic scored 11 points. All of Krizancic's points came in the first half. He was 3-for-5 on three-point attempts. Ashland had a 33-31 halftime advantage.
The Eagles will be looking to snap a four-game game losing streak when they return to action on Thursday (Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m.) at Ohio Dominican.
AU
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