Box Score Down 22-6 with 11:41 to go in the first half in an unfamiliar place against a non-conference opponent, it would have been easy for Ashland University's men's basketball team to give in on Friday (Nov. 27) night.
The Eagles, however, did the exact opposite, rallying for a 70-62 win against Alderson Broaddus on the first day of the 32nd Annual Gary Miller Classic at Gannon University in Erie, Pa. Ashland is 4-0 on the young 2015-16 season, while the Battlers fall to 2-2.
Ashland will play in the classic's championship game on Saturday (Nov. 28) at 7:30 p.m. against the host Golden Knights (2-2).
The performance that jumped out on the floor and the stat sheet was turned in by junior forward Wendell Davis, who posted 31 points, 11 rebounds and five assists while shooting 10-of-16 from the field and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line. Davis' point total was the second-highest of his career, and it was his fourth game of 30 or more points as an Eagle.
The double-double was Davis' second of the season and 12th of his career.
Junior guard Boo Osborne followed with 15 points and a 6-for-7 showing from the foul line, and sophomore forward Marsalis Hamilton added 10 points.
Ashland shot 50 percent from the field and 88 percent from the charity stripe. The Eagles scored 25 points off 19 AB turnovers.
The Battlers' 12-0 run put them up by 16 points in the first half, but the Eagles turned around and put up an 18-2 run of their own to knot the contest at 24 with 6:19 to go until the break.
An old-fashioned 3-point play by junior point guard Adrian Cook just a minute into the second half put AU up 36-33, and the Eagles wouldn't trail the rest of the way.
EAGLE NUGGETS
Davis has 885 career points, and has hit 82 of his last 100 free throws dating back to last season…Ashland is 20-4 in its last 24 games against non-conference opponents…The Eagles are 4-0 all-time against the Battlers.
AU
MBKB/DS
