Many Ashland University men's basketball teams have attempted to win at Findlay since Jan. 19, 2002.
None of those teams had guard
Brandon Haraway.
The Eagle junior scored a game-high 26 points, 17 in the second half, and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, as Ashland outscored the Oilers 52-22 in the second 20 minutes of a 79-62 win on Thursday (Feb. 24) night.
"It's a huge win for us for a couple of reasons," said Ashland head coach
John Ellenwood. "We beat a great team on their floor. Some of our guys weren't alive the last time that happened. Our guys, they never give up. They are a veteran team.
"They know that they had a better half in them, and they showed it in the second half."
Said Haraway, "Findlay got us the first time. We were a little down in the first half, so we knew we had to come out with some more energy, and that's exactly what we did.
"This is just a statement…from here on out, we're here to play. Coach Wood tells us the toughest team always wins. We'll do whatever it takes to get the win."
Ashland is 18-8 overall and 14-5 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, while Findlay is 17-9, 11-7. The Eagles won at Findlay for the first time since a 92-80 decision more than 20 years ago.
WHAT HAPPENED
- There was little room separating the two teams early on, and Findlay had a 12-9 lead in the game's first five minutes. A 3-point field goal from Haraway put Ashland ahead 15-14, but the Eagles went nearly four minutes scoreless thereafter.
- Ashland trailed 26-21 before the Oilers scored the game's next six points. By halftime, the Eagles were facing a 13-point deficit at 40-27.
- Haraway's triple made Findlay's lead a single-digit one again at 42-33, and that started a 9-0 run to get back in the game. Trailing 49-41, the Eagles rallied once again, going on another run – this one 10-0 – to go on top at 51-49.
- Ashland didn't let its collective foot off the gas, building a 58-51 lead to force an Oiler timeout. Haraway was the catalyst, scoring the last five points of the sequence and having 23 points overall with 6:51 to play.
- Thanks to a jumper from sophomore guard Hunter Shedenhelm, Ashland led by double figures at 63-53. It was a 65-55 advantage with five minutes to go, and Shedenhelm's triple put AU back ahead by 10 at 68-58.
- Haraway's old-fashioned 3-point play lifted the Eagles to a 71-58 lead, and the Oilers never threatened the rest of the way.
THE WRAP-UP
- Haraway now has 1,048 career points, and he moved into 30th place on the Eagles' all-time scoring list.
- Senior forward Aaron Thompson collected 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. With 1,517 career points, he moves into 10th place on AU's all-time scoring list.
- With 12 points, senior guard Bo Furcron rounded out three Eagles in double-digit scoring.
- The Eagles shot 53.7 percent from the field, 67.9 percent in the second half. AU had a 38-27 rebounding advantage, and kept Findlay to 40.0 percent from the floor and 20.8 percent from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
One more regular-season game, and it's a key one – Saturday (Feb. 26) at 3 p.m. at the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium on Senior Day vs. Hillsdale (19-6, 14-5). The winner of the game will be assured a bye into the 2022 Great Midwest Tournament Final Four on March 4-5.
"They showed that they want something more. They want a special season," Ellenwood said. "We've got one more regular-season game against a very, very good basketball team that we had a slugfest with the last time we played them on their floor.
"Let's just play as hard as we can for those guys that have given us so much. That's a simple message going into Saturday."
AU
MBKB/DS
