Box Score CANTON, Ohio - Junior forward Wendell Davis is the Ashland University men's basketball team's leader for a reason.
And he showed why on Saturday (Jan. 16) afternoon.
Davis' long jumper with 0.3 seconds to play gave the No. 17-ranked Eagles a 69-67 win at Malone on Saturday. AU improves to 13-3 overall and 7-3 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Pioneers are 3-12, 0-10.
"I'm proud of our guys. They fought hard," said Ashland head coach John Ellenwood. "We did a great job. We needed a stop and a score. That shows the sign of a great team. That was all our guys.
"I'm gonna give Malone a lot of credit. That's the best team that hasn't won a game in our league that I've ever seen. They are a tough team."
Davis scored 13 of his 14 points in second half – none bigger than the game-winner.
"It was a big moment," Davis said. "I wanted to take the big shot in the big moment, and I live with the results afterwards. After Thursday, that was a tough loss to Walsh, but we were very hungry to come out."
Davis Comments
"He's always emotional after we lose, and he really wanted this win," Ellenwood said. "I'm proud of him for hitting that shot. That's a special moment for him."
Davis now has 1,109 career points, and is 15 behind Randy Emmons for 19th place on AU's all-time scoring list.
Sophomore forward Marsalis Hamilton and junior guard Boo Osborne each scored 18 points, while Osborne added a career-high seven steals.
Ashland shot 50 percent from 3-point range, and outrebounded Malone by a slim 34-30 margin. The Eagles finished with 12 offensive boards, which led to 17 second-chance points.
Ashland trailed 14-13 before Malone went on a 10-1 run to increase its lead to 10 points. The Eagles were able to work their deficit down to two points at 31-29 at the half following a last-second dunk by freshman guard Nick Bapst.
Hamilton almost single-handedly kept AU in the game in the first 20 minutes, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds.
A driving layup by junior point guard Adrian Cook tied the game at 33 early in the second half, then, with 17:05 left in regulation, Osborne converted an old-fashioned 3-point play to put Ashland on top, 39-37.
After that, the Eagles went on to score seven consecutive points to extend their lead to 46-37.
The contest tightened up again, and the Pioneers took a 49-48 lead inside of the 11-minute mark. Osborne hit a triple with 10:10 to play to put Ashland back on top, 51-49.
The nip-and-tuck affair continued to be so, and AU had a 63-58 lead at the game's last media timeout with 4:42 remaining. The score remained the same for the next 1:03 prior to Malone scoring four straight points to make it a one-point contest.
The Pioneers tied game at 67 with 2:08 to play, and that score stayed frozen until the final second and Davis' game-winner.
Saturday's game was the fifth in a row involving the Eagles decided by six points or less.
Ashland will go back on the road to continue GLIAC South play on Thursday (Jan. 21) at 7:30 p.m. at Findlay (10-5, 7-3), which will be a battle for first place in the division.
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