If there is one thing that can always be said about an Ashland University men's basketball team, it's that it doesn't quit.
On Saturday (Dec. 18) afternoon at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, the NCAA Division I Bearcats had a 25-point second-half lead at 58-33, only to see the Eagles cut that deficit down to 10 points with a 24-9 run late before losing a 71-57 decision.
Ashland is 5-4, and Cincinnati is 9-3 following the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Bearcats had an opening in their schedule due to COVID-19 protocols at Texas Southern.
"They stretched the lead on us that was pretty wide, and it's tough to keep up with the number of bodies they were throwing at us," said Ashland head coach
John Ellenwood. "We got it down to 10 late. It was fun just to keep it a ballgame in front of a great crowd.
"Our guys got better from this game. We'll learn from this and get better moving forward."
WHAT HAPPENED
- The Eagles scored the first points of the game on a 3-point field goal from senior forward Derek Koch, then they regained the lead at 8-7 on another triple from sophomore guard Hunter Shedenhelm, and at 10-9 on a Koch jumper.
- Consecutive layups from senior forward Aaron Thompson tied the game at 16 with 7:48 to go in the first half, but the Bearcats went on an 11-0 run to go up 27-16. By halftime, Ashland trailed by a 34-21 count, keeping Cincinnati to 41.4 percent from the field and forcing six turnovers.
- In the second half, the Bearcats slowly pulled away from the Eagles, but Ashland counter-punched to get it down to a 10-point deficit in the final minute.
- Thompson led the way for Ashland on Saturday with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, six rebounds, two blocks and four steals.
- "AT gives you everything he has. He's just a warrior," Ellenwood said. "In games like this, there are guys you are excited to have on the roster, and AT is one of them."
- Koch added 13 points, a career-high seven assists and six rebounds.
- The Eagles kept the Bearcats to 44.8-percent shooting from the field and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc.
- "They made some good threes, and they had two guys that got hot," said Ellenwood. "We had a couple shot-clock violations. When our defense was clicking, it was tough for them to score. We didn't let their athleticism beat us.
- "Our guys fought until the end. Our defense is something we can always hang our hat on."
UP NEXT
Ashland's men's scheduled game on Monday (Dec. 20) at home vs. Wilberforce has been canceled. The Eagles' next game will be on Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m. vs. Great Midwest Athletic Conference rival Malone at the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium.
"It's a tough time," Ellenwood lamented. "We've got two days of practice, and we have a seven-day break that Division II mandates. It's tough, because we're starting to get into a rhythm. I'm glad we have two days here before break to stay in shape."
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