Box Score It didn't take long for Ashland University junior forward Wendell Davis to top himself.
In the 2015-16 season-opener for the AU men's basketball, Davis scored a career-high 34 points on 13-of-16 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line in the Eagles' 82-73 win over Missouri S&T in the first day of the Holiday Inn Exempt Tournament on Friday (Nov. 13) night.
"The way they play is something that we had to take care of the basketball," said Ashland head coach John Ellenwood of the Miners. "We did a good job of that. They press in every single situation. We did a good job in the second half executing. Wendell did a great job attacking. There's definitely some good things to take from that."
Said Davis, "It was nice to start the season that way. The biggest thing was preparation for these guys. We knew they were going to be an up-and-down team. Our goal was to keep up with them and still run our offense.
"We all talk about getting to the hole. We've seen a lot of gaps in film we were able to attack. The biggest thing was getting to the hole and finish. We knew we were going to be able to do that."
Davis previously scored 30 in two games during the 2014-15 season, and now has 825 for his AU career.
He was the main cog in an Ashland offense which shot 55.4 percent from the field (31-for-56). Junior guard Boo Osborne added 15 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Adrian Cook posted 12 points and a team-high eight boards.
"Adrian does a great job just controlling pressure," Ellenwood said. "Him and Wendell together are a great team, and Boo. Those guys play together all summer long in Columbus. It was good to see Wendell back (from injury).
"I'm trying to figure out why he missed three shots."
Tied at 42 at halftime, then trailing 45-44 shortly into the second half, Ashland turned it on with a 14-2 run to take an 11-point lead. The Eagles led by as many as 13 points in the second half.
Ashland had a slim 37-34 rebounding advantage, and turned the ball over 13 times to the Miners' 14. The Eagles kept Missouri S&T to 34.5-percent shooting from the field in the second half.
The Eagles have won 12 consecutive season-openers, and are 17-4 in their last 21 games against non-conference teams.
Ashland will conclude Holiday Inn Exempt Tournament play on Saturday (Nov. 14) at 3 p.m. against No. 8-ranked Indianapolis, which used a buzzer-beater to defeat Lake Erie in Friday's first game, 72-69. The Miners and Storm will play on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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