On Saturday (Dec. 9) afternoon, the No. 8-ranked Ashland University men's basketball team lost a 79-67 decision at Thomas More – in the first game between the two programs as Great Midwest Athletic Conference opponents, and the match-up first overall since 1979.
The Eagles are 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the Great Midwest, and the Saints are 6-3, 2-1.
Ashland scored the game's first six points, and it was a 10-4 Eagle advantage when the Saints stopped play with a timeout. Thomas More came back with a run of its own, however – a 10-2 surge – to go ahead 14-12 before AU took a timeout.
The Saints' run ended at 13-2 for a 17-12 lead, and the two teams continued through the first half with not much separating them. Fifth-year guard
Ethan Conley pulled the Eagles even at 24-all with a 3-point field goal, but Thomas More went into the locker room leading at 35-33.
Ashland trailed at the half for the fifth time in seven games in 2023-24, despite making 58.3 percent of its shots from the field and all four free throws.
Used to being in that position to start the second half, the Eagles scored the first four points coming out of the locker room to take the lead. The two teams continued to trade leads, and after the Saints took a 42-41 lead on three free throws, Ashland scored 11 of the game's next 14 points to take a 52-45 spread into a Saints timeout.
Thomas More went on another run, this time 17-0, to take a 62-52 lead inside of eight minutes to go in regulation. The Saints led by 13 at 67-54, and the Eagles eventually would cut their deficit down to six points, but no closer.
POST-GAME NUGGETS
- Sophomore point guard Simon Wheeler ended with a team-high 21 points and seven assists, senior center Victor Searls went 7-of-8 from the field en route to 16 points, and sophomore forward Maceo Williams added 11 points and seven rebounds.
- Ashland shot 55.8 percent from the field and turned the ball over just nine times, but the Saints coughed the ball up just four times, and had 10 more shots from the field, seven more from beyond the arc and six more from the foul line.
UP NEXT
An eight-day gap between games, then a non-conference contest at Ferris State on Dec. 17 at 3 p.m.
