Returning home for the first time in almost a full calendar month, Ashland University's men's basketball team won in its initial Great Midwest Athletic Conference game at the Sherill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium, topping Lake Erie, 78-67, on Saturday (Dec. 11) afternoon.
The Eagles improve to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the Great Midwest, while the Storm are 5-4, 1-3.
"It was a good victory. They're a feisty team and didn't go away," said Ashland head coach
John Ellenwood. "They play with a lot of pride. I'm glad we won. I think I'm starting to see a lot of good things from a lot of guys."
Ashland has won eight in a row against Lake Erie.
WHAT HAPPENED
- The Eagles led for the entirety of the first half, but couldn't extend any further than nine points at 18-9, 29-20 and 34-25, until a layup from senior forward Derek Koch inside of the two-minute mark. Koch started and played for the first time since the season-opener due to injury.
- At halftime, Ashland led by a 38-27 count, buoyed by hitting 7-of-12 from beyond the 3-point arc, out-rebounding Lake Erie 24-14, and keeping the Storm to 35.5 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes.
- The lead was extended to 16 points at 45-29 early in the second half, then to 20 points at 60-40. Ashland eventually led by 23, but the Storm wasn't done yet – a 16-3 run made it a 70-60 contest at the last media timeout with 4:18 to play.
- Lake Erie cut its deficit further, at 72-65, but only had 51.7 seconds remaining. Koch made 1-of-2 free throws, then senior forward Aaron Thompson made two charity tosses, to effectively end the game.
- All five AU starters scored in double figures, led by Thompson, who collected 20 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and was 7-of-10 shooting. Thompson moved past Angelo Edwards into 16th place on AU's all-time scoring list with 1,256 career points.
- "I was glad we got the win," Thompson said. "We all played well. A lot to learn from, but it was good to get a win at home. Hopefully, we can build on that."
- Senior guard Bo Furcron was next with 17 points, followed by Koch with 15, sophomore guard Tre Baumgardner with 11 and junior guard Brandon Haraway with 10, to go with 10 caroms and five helpers.
- "Scoring was there for me tonight," Furcron said. "It felt good getting the dub back at home today. We're kind of gelling and getting used to each other. I think the more we play together, the more balanced the scoring will be."
- "We get Derek back, and our percentages all go up," Ellenwood said. "There's a direct correlation to that. Very proud of him and fighting through that, and our team got better without him."
- Ashland shot 49.1 percent from the field and 9-of-19 from 3-point range, and out-rebounded the Storm, 44-32.
UP NEXT
Ashland's men have an extended layoff for finals week, then get back in action on Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. at home vs. Wilberforce.
"It was a tough road stretch, but we're better for it," said Ellenwood. "It's nice to get back on front of our home crowd and sleep in our own beds."
AU
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