ON THE ROAD FOR AWHILE: The Ashland University men's basketball team unexpectedly started the GLIAC season with home games against Ferris State so after four straight games at Kates Gymnasium, the Eagles will play their first road games since Dec. 17 at Mercyhurst. They will hit the road to play Saginaw Valley on Friday and Saturday. The trip starts a stretch of five games in a row away from home as the Eagles will continue to play Wayne State and Davenport in Michigan next week. AU was 6-8 on the road last season.
LAST LOOK AT LAST WEEK: Each of the Eagles' games last week against Grand Valley State had one-point margins at halftime, and Ashland came out on the losing end Friday, 65-52, before rallying to defeat the Lakers, 65-61, on Saturday. Ashland struggled shooting the ball in both games, but turned around a rebounding disadvantage from Friday to Saturday and locked in defensively to earn a crucial split.
LATE THREES: While the Eagles shot just 25 percent (13-for-52) from 3-point range in the two games against the Lakers, they got red-hot when it mattered most. In the final 3:05 of Saturday's win, the Eagles went 3-for-4 from long range with sophomore guard Brandon Haraway hitting two 3-pointers that gave Ashland leads at 56-54 and 62-59 and senior guard Bo Furcron hitting one that pushed AU's lead to 59-54. All three were crucial shots without which the Eagles likely do not pick up the win.
BIG DAY BRANDON: Haraway was the only Ashland player in the game to hit multiple 3-pointers, going 4-for-6, and finishing with a game-high 23 points – one shy of his career high. Haraway also added eight rebounds with the win and was perfect on seven free throw attempts. He and redshirt-senior wing Aaron Thompson played all 40 minutes in the game. Haraway leads the Eagles this season in scoring (14.2), rebounding (6.2) and steals (10). He is tied for the team lead with 11 assists and leads the GLIAC in free throw percentage (.944, 17-for-18). Haraway is the reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
DOUBLE FIGURES FOR BO: Furcron has been a consistent performer for head coach John Ellenwood in his first season with the Eagles. The transfer from Florida International is the only AU player to have scored in double figures in all five games and has at least four field goals in each game. On Saturday, Furcron matched his season high with 16 points and set a new career high with nine rebounds, helping the Eagles to a 38-31 advantage on the glass. Furcron has hit one 3-pointer in each game this season and has committed just six turnovers in 150 minutes.
DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES: The Eagles held the Lakers to just 63 points per game last weekend, but the Lakers were much more efficient on Friday when they shot 50 percent compared to Saturday when the Eagles held them to a 35 percent mark. The difference came in the paint. On Friday, the Lakers shot 52 percent (14-for-27) from inside the paint, but on Saturday, the Eagles forced tougher looks from close range. In the win, Ashland held GVSU to just 28 percent (5-for-18) shooting in the paint. The Lakers made just six 2-point baskets in the game. The Eagles can be susceptible to 3-point shots with their pack-line defense (they allowed the Lakers to shoot over 40 percent last weekend from long range), but they were relentless in creating a wall at the rim.
HUNTER FOR THREE: Freshman guard Hunter Shedenhelm has assimilated nicely into the starting lineup the last four games and ranks third in the GLIAC with 12 3-pointers on the season, hitting four last weekend. He is third on the team in scoring at 9.6 points per game while shooting 46 percent from 3-point range.
SERIES VS. CARDINALS: The Eagles and are 15-15 all-time against each other. The teams have split their games the last three seasons with the home team winning each time. Before that, Ashland had lost its last six against Saginaw Valley. The Eagles have lost eight in a row in University Center, Mich. with their last win coming Feb. 9, 2008 in a 65-64 game.
GLIAC LOOK-IN: The Eagles sit firmly in the middle of the GLIAC South standings with Northwood at 2-2. Grand Valley State and Wayne State lead the division at 3-1 while five teams in the GLIAC South are 2-2. Michigan Tech sits atop the North at 3-1.
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