In a game which saw 23 lead changes and five tie scores, Ashland University's men's basketball team lost 61-60 to No. RV Walsh on Thursday (Feb. 15) night at the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium.
The Eagles are 16-7, 10-6, and the Cavaliers are 17-4, 11-4.
Thursday's game was Ashland's first loss in a game decided by five points or less in 2023-24 (6-1).
"They did a good job of adjusting to the way we played last time (an 82-72 win at Walsh on Dec. 2)," said Ashland head coach
John Ellenwood. "We gave up a rebound (at the end). It's one of those games – if we get that rebound, we win. They got the rebound, they win."
The Eagles jumped out to an 11-2 lead thanks to hitting each of their first three 3-point field goals, but the Cavaliers responded with six straight points going into the under-12 media timeout. The Walsh run was 10-0 to put it ahead at 12-11, forcing an AU timeout.
Once the 15-0 run was over, the Cavaliers led 17-11. A trey from sophomore point guard
Simon Wheeler, however, lifted Ashland back on top at 20-19.
By halftime, there were eight lead changes and a tie – as the Eagles took a 31-29 lead into the break. Junior guard
Trevell Adams led all scorers in the first 20 minutes with 11 points.
Both teams started the second half slow offensively, but once they started to heat up, the lead changes piled up. At the under-12 media, the game was tied at 40 – and featured 13 lead changes.
Ashland and Walsh continued to exchange leads despite the low scoring, but the Cavaliers pulled away to a 53-48 advantage with 5:19 to go in regulation. The Eagles, however, went on a 7-0 run – punctuated by junior wing
Stefan Stanic's steal and slam dunk – to take a 55-53 lead.
Leading 57-56 going into the final 90 seconds, Ashland got one defensive stop, but couldn't get another, as the Cavaliers hit a second-chance trey with 4.2 seconds to play.
POST-GAME NUGGETS
- Adams finished with a season-high 19 points, including five triples, while adding four rebounds and two steals.
- "He's playing very well. Last two games, he's been very solid for us," Ellenwood said. "He did a really good job for us."
- Senior center Victor Searls added 16 points and nine rebounds, and Wheeler had 10 points and five assists.
UP NEXT
Saturday (Feb. 17) at 3 p.m. at Hillsdale (15-8, 10-6).
