Eagles Hold Off Cardinals, Finish Road Sweep, 58-57

The Ashland University men's basketball team held off a surging Saginaw Valley team on Saturday (Jan. 23) afternoon, 58-57, to sweep a weekend series from the Cardinals in University Center, Mich.
 
The Eagles (4-3, 4-2 GLIAC) held a 13-point lead early in the second half only to see Saginaw Valley come roaring back to take a 50-46 lead with 6:52 to play as the Eagles went nearly nine minutes without a field goal.
 
Senior wing Aaron Thompson, who tied for the team high with 14 points, stopped the run with a bucket, then both teams went scoreless for more than three minutes.
 
Sophomore guard Brandon Haraway was the first to break the deadlock and tied the game at 50 with a basket just before the three-minute mark. Haraway again tied the game with 1:20 left on a jumper.
 
The Eagles then got a stop and senior forward Derek Koch hit two free throws to give the Eagles a 54-52 lead with 28 seconds left. Saginaw's Delano Smith split two free throws on the next possession and forced his team to foul.
 
Haraway drained two free throws on the next trip to give Ashland a 56-53 lead, then the Eagles fouled Smith intentionally. He missed the pair, but the Eagles failed to hit on the other end.
 
After another quick foul by Ashland, Myles Belyeu hit both free throws to make it a one-point game, but freshman Hunter Shedenhelm buried both free throws. Darnell Hoskins Jr. brought it back to one with two more free throws, 58-57.
 
The Eagles missed from the line, but the Cardinals had only a desperation heave that came up empty as time expired.
 
The Eagles held the Cardinals to just 33 percent (18-for-54) shooting and matched them on the glass, 35-35.
 
Thompson and senior guard Bo Furcron paced the Eagles with 14 points apiece and Thompson missed a double-double by one rebound. He also had a game-high four assists. Koch was the third Eagle in double figures with 11.
 
Belyeu led all scorers with 20 points on 7-for-18 shooting for the Cardinals (1-5, 1-5 GLIAC).
 
The Eagles will return to the court on Tuesday (Jan. 26) at 6 p.m. at Wayne State.