Ashland University's men's basketball team's penchant for last-minute heroics was key once again on Thursday (Jan. 13) night in Michigan.
The Eagles remained in a four-way tie in the loss column atop the Great Midwest Athletic Conference standings following a 53-52 win at Hillsdale on Thursday. Ashland is 8-5 overall and 5-2 in the Great Midwest, and the Chargers are 10-4, 5-3.
Ashland, winner of three of its last four games, is tied with Walsh and Cedarville, a half-game behind first-place Malone.
WHAT HAPPENED
- The score was stuck at 5-4 in favor of Hillsdale for a while, then junior guard Brandon Haraway put Ashland ahead 6-5 on a jumper. Halfway through the first half, the two teams were tied at 8, and going into the locker room, the Chargers clung to an 18-17 lead.
- In those first 20 minutes, both teams struggled from the field (AU 26.9 percent, HC 27.3 percent), and they combined for 17 turnovers (Hillsdale 10, Ashland seven).
- A quick 3-pointer from sophomore guard Tre Baumgardner put Ashland on top, 20-18, then senior guard Bo Furcron's old-fashioned triple put the Eagles ahead again, 23-21.
- The Eagles kept hitting triples, and the Chargers kept answering. Ashland led 36-32 halfway through the second half, then began to pull away thanks to back-to-back triples from senior forward Derek Koch and Furcron, which made the advantage 10 points at 44-34.
- Hillsdale responded with six points in a row, but senior forward Aaron Thompson stopped that streak with a layup. The Chargers cut their deficit to 51-49 with a trey outside of the two-minute mark, then Furcron's layup lifted AU to a four-point lead.
- Leading by a single point at 53-52 after another HC three, Thompson made a key last-minute steal for the second game in a row. Needing another defensive stop for the win, Ashland got it when Hillsdale missed two layups in the waning seconds.
THE WRAP-UP
- For the second consecutive game, Furcron led the Eagles in scoring, this time with 13 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds.
- Ashland had an offensive turnaround in the second half, making 50 percent from the floor and 54.5 percent from beyond the arc.
- The Eagles kept the Chargers to 37.5 percent from the field in the victory, and forced 17 turnovers, resulting in 13 AU points.
UP NEXT
Ashland will return to the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium for a contest with Findlay (9-5, 3-3) on Saturday (Jan. 15) at 3 p.m.
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