Box Score Thanks to a busy last two minutes turned in junior guard Boo Osborne, Ashland University's men's basketball team knocked off a Top 10 team on Saturday (Nov. 14) at Kates Gymnasium.
Osborne scored eight of his team-high 20 points in the final 120 seconds of a 75-67 win against the No. 8-ranked Indianapolis Greyhounds in the second and final day of the Holiday Inn Exempt Tournament. The Eagles are 2-0 on the young season, while Indy is 1-1.
"It was a great game. They are a great team," said Ashland head coach John Ellenwood. "We had a good game plan. They had a good plan, especially in the second half. It comes down to big shots in big moments, and we call him 'Big Shot Boo' for a reason.
"He hit two threes down the stretch, and that was a lot of fun."
Osborne took a feed from junior forward Wendell Davis to break a 65-65 tie with a 3-pointer with 1:26 left in regulation, then the Davis-Osborne combo worked for another trey, this one with 28 seconds to go, to make it a 71-65 game. Osborne then blocked a shot, grabbed the rebound and made two free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory.
"In high school, I had a game-winner during the tournament," Osborne said. "This game was a bigger one, because of the team we played. They tried to stop Wendell so much, and I knew I had to pick up my game."
One night after going 6-for-15 from the free-throw line, Osborne was 7-for-9 from the charity stripe.
"I feel like I am a really good free-throw shooter," said Osborne, "but I just had some slight struggles, some stuff in my technique that was just off. My coaches believe in me, my teammates believe in me. I believe in myself."
Sophomore forward Marsalis Hamilton posted a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, including seven offensive. Davis ended the game with 16 points, 11 boards and four assists, and finished the two-game tourney with 50 points while going 18-for-21 from the free-throw line.
The Eagles received key minutes off the bench from junior forward Torin Wetzel (nine points, seven rebounds) and freshman forward Phil Frentsos (eight points, three steals).
"Torin Wetzel, I'm very proud of him," Ellenwood said. "He's had to earn this. And I think that's something important for him. He learned how to earn minutes and fight for stuff. I'm very proud of him. I can't say that enough."
Ashland outrebounded the Greyhounds, 42-29, and grabbed 16 offensive boards.
In Saturday's first game of the tournament, Lake Erie improved to 1-1 after a 100-89 victory over Missouri S&T (0-2).
The Eagles will conclude their three-game homestand to begin 2015-16 on Friday (Nov. 20) at 7:30 p.m. against Silver Lake.
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