Box Score The Ashland University men's basketball team had its eight-game winning streak come to an end on Thursday (Feb. 20) night as host Saginaw Valley pulled away late in the second half for a 71-57 win in University Center, Mich.
By the team the rest of GLIAC play finishes Thursday night, the Eagles (16-10, 9-9 GLIAC) will be in a three- or four-way tie for spots 5-8 in the GLIAC standings with a game on Saturday against Northwood, which is also 9-9 in league play.
The Eagles trailed for much of Thursday's game, leading for just under three minutes of game time, but had a 43-40 advantage with 15 minutes remaining after back-to-back buckets by seniors Drew Noble and Rodrick Caldwell.
Malik Ellison then got hot for the Cardinals (15-11, 9-9 GLIAC), scoring eight points on SVSU's next three offensive possessions to give the hosts a 48-43 lead.
Saginaw then stretched its lead to seven, but a triple by redshirt-junior wing Aaron Thompson had it down to 54-50 with 10:24 left, but the Cardinals held the Eagles without a field goal over the next five-plus minutes to take a 66-52 lead down the stretch.
The first half was tightly-contested with neither team giving up much defensively. The Eagles shot just 28 percent (9-for-32) in the first 20 minutes with five of their baskets coming from 3-point range. Redshirt-freshman guard Bryce Drews knocked down three treys in the first half, scoring all nine of his points before the intermission.
The Eagles were not able to slow down Myles Belyeu, who finished with 26 points on 11-for-21 shooting. Ellison added 23 points, five boards and five assists as the only other Saginaw player in double figures.
Thompson led the Eagles with 16 points and nine rebounds. He was 6-for-11 from the floor. Noble finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Dylan Beaugard established a career high with eight assists to go with four points and five rebounds off the bench.
Ashland won the battle on the glass, 43-36.
The Eagles and Northwood will tip off at 3 p.m. in Midland, Mich. on Saturday (Feb. 22) in another crucial GLIAC contest.
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