The Ashland University men's basketball team heads west to take on a pair of GLIAC North foes as the Eagles look to stop their slide.
Game 16
Ashland (7-8, 0-7 GLIAC) at Purdue Northwest (6-9, 1-6 GLIAC)
Thursday, Jan. 16, 8 p.m. ET
Hammond Fitness & Recreational Center
LIVE STATS | WNCO-AM | WATCH
Game 17
Ashland (7-8, 0-7 GLIAC) at Parkside (8-7, 4-3 GLIAC)
Saturday, Jan. 18, 4 p.m. ET
DeSimone Gymnasium
LIVE STATS | WNCO-AM | WATCH
BACK AT HOME: The Ashland University men's basketball team will look to get on the winning side this week when it makes a trip to two of the GLIAC's newest haunts, Purdue Northwest and Parkside. The Eagles surpassed the halfway mark of the season last week, but still have 13 games remaining in the GLIAC season to turn their fortunes around. Following this road trip, they also have a four-game homestand looming during which they can gain some ground.
LAST LOOK AT LAST WEEK: The Eagles played their first home games of 2020 last week, but fell to No. 18 Grand Valley State, 69-63, and Davenport, 61-48, at Kates Gymnasium. The Eagles trailed GVSU by as many as 18 points in the first half, but stormed back in the second half to eventually tie the game with five minutes remaining. Grand Valley's Jeremiah Ferguson then scored the game's next seven points and the Eagles were not able to get back within a single possession. AU climbed back by making seven of its nine 3-pointers after halftime. Against, Davenport, the Eagles led by two, 26-24, at halftime, but the reigning GLIAC regular season champion Panthers scored the first nine points of the second half to take control of the game.
CALDWELL LEADING SCORER: Senior guard Rodrick Caldwell led the Eagles in scoring last week, averaging 17 points and hitting six 3-pointers. He nailed four triples against GVSU on Thursday. Caldwell ranks second on the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game. He also leads the team with 34 3-pointers on the season.
MAKING STRIDES: Freshman guard Brandon Haraway continues to develop into the two-way player that was foreseen when he arrived on campus from nearby Norwalk High School. The 6-foot-2 guard, brother of former AU guard Ben Haraway, scored in double figures in both games last week, averaging 12 points and shooting 4-for-8 from 3-point range. He is now the fourth-leading scorer on the team, averaging 8.6 points per game while shooting 35 percent (9-26) from long distance. After making just three 3-pointers in his first nine games, he has not made six triples in the last six games. Haraway is also third on the team with 13 steals.
TOP MAN: Senior center Drew Noble is the Eagles' top scorer on the season, ranking ninth in the GLIAC at 16.1 points per game while shooting 50 percent (78-157) from the field. He is also averaging six rebounds and two assists per game. From the line, after initially struggling early this season, is hitting at a 72 percent clip (83-115). He has made 19 of his last 22 free throws. Noble has scored in double figures in 13 of 15 games this season. He was the Eagles' top scorer last season and was named to the All-GLIAC first team, along with a bid to the NABC All-Midwest District first team as one of the top six players among the GLIAC, Great Lakes Valley and Great Midwest Athletic Conferences.
FRESHMAN 3: The Eagles have another freshman guard, along with Haraway, who has emerged as a fiery shooter. That is Englewood, Ohio product Ethan Conley, who ranks second on the team with 28 3-pointers. He ranks fifth in the GLIAC with a 46.7 3-point percentage. After a shooting slump dropped his mark down, he shot 5-12 in the last three games, hitting two triples in the defeat against Davenport.
DEFENSIVE TRADITION: The Eagles under head coach John Ellenwood and associate head coach Rob Gardiner have consistently ranked among the top defenses in the country. In four of the last five seasons, the Eagles have been in the top 30 in scoring defense as they have suffocated opponents both on the perimeter and in the paint.
KEEP-AWAY: The Eagles rank 34th nationally and fourth in the GLIAC in turnovers, committing just 11.9 per game. They committed just 10 miscues in Thursday's game against Grand Valley State, and have 10 or fewer turnovers in seven of their 15 games.
ROD'S 1,000: Caldwell scored the 1,000th point of his collegiate career in the final game before Christmas break on Dec. 22 against Penn State Shenango. He scored his first 483 points in his first two seasons at Bowling Green State and has since amassed 587 points at Ashland.
SERIES VS. PRIDE: The Eagles are 4-0 all-time against Purdue Northwest as the Pride are in their third season in the GLIAC. This is the first year Purdue Northwest is eligible for NCAA Division II Championships. Last year, the Eagles defeated the Pride by 24 and 28 points in the games in Indiana and Kates Gymnasium, respectively. The Eagles will play for just the second time in Hammond after playing in Westville last season.
SERIES VS. RANGERS: The Eagles and Rangers split the only two games in their all-time series, which came last season. Each team won on its home floor with the Eagles winning the last matchup, 68-64, on Feb. 16. In the first meeting last season, the Rangers ended the Eagles' 13-game winning streak to start the season as AU had climbed to No. 6 in the national poll. The Rangers won, 68-61, in Kenosha.
100 SEASONS: This season, the men's basketball program is celebrating 100 years at Ashland University. The Eagles are wearing a custom jersey patch to commemorate the occasion.
ALUMNI WEEKEND: The Eagles will welcome back their alumni for a special weekend Jan. 23-25 to celebrate their 100th season. Ashland will play Northwood and Saginaw Valley at Kates Gymnasium with several festivities surrounding those dates, including the release of a mini-documentary with interviews of several former players, coaches and community members.
WAVE OF EXCELLENCE: The Eagles are in the midst of one of the best periods of success in program history, having won at least 19 games in their last five seasons. Ashland has averaged 21.2 wins per season in that stretch and advanced to the GLIAC Tournament semifinals three straight times from 2016-18. The only sustained period of success for the program that rivals the current one was the five-season stretch from 1966-71 when Ashland won at least 21 games each season under head coach Bill Musselman.
A BIT OF HISTORY: The men's basketball program got its start in 1920 under head coach Walter Leckrone as the Eagles went 5-3 in their inaugural campaign. The season opened on Dec. 16 with a 32-19 win over Kent State. Since then, the Eagles have won 1,221 games with 177 of those victories coming under 11th-year head coach John Ellenwood.
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