Ashland University's men's basketball team began play at the Saint Leo Holiday Classic on Friday (Dec. 20) night with a 59-48 loss to the host Lions.
The Eagles are 5-5 with one game left in the semester, while Saint Leo is 5-6.
Ashland scored the game's first five points, as the Lions missed each of their first six shots. Saint Leo, however, responded by scoring six points in a row to take its early lead.
After the two teams were knotted at 11, the Lions went on a 5-0 spurt. That was countered with an AU 8-2 run – as all eight points were scored by junior forward
Maceo Williams – to allow the Eagles to regain the lead at 19-18.
Williams' dunk with around 2½ minutes left until halftime gave him his 1,000
th and 1,001
st career points at Ashland – and gave his team a 23-18 advantage. At the break, the Eagles led 25-21, and 20 of AU's points were turned in by Williams (12) and sophomore wing
Aden Gregory (eight).
There was little room between the two teams to begin the second half, and the first media stoppage saw Ashland leading 31-30. Saint Leo, however, knocked down a 3-point field goal to regain the lead at 33-31 – then extended that to its largest lead to date at 38-32.
The Lions' 15 consecutive points put them on top by 19 points at 55-36 with more than five minutes to play.
…AND THE REST OF THE STORY
- Williams ended with 18 points and nine rebounds, now has 1,009 points in his Eagle career, and is the 32nd Ashland men's basketball player to post 1,000 points in the Purple and Gold.
- Ashland now has played at least one game on every day of the week this season.
UP NEXT
Ashland's second and final game in Florida on Saturday (Dec. 21) at 3 p.m. vs. No. 23-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic.
