On Saturday (Jan. 4) afternoon at Malone, Ashland University's men's basketball team moved back above .500 overall (7-6) and to even in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (3-3) following a 72-61 win.
The victory is the 300
th in the head coaching career of Ashland's
John Ellenwood – as he now is 300-216 (.581) in his 19
th season between the Eagles and Thomas More. Of those 300 career wins, 267 have come guiding the Eagles.
An early 5-2 Pioneer (5-8, 1-4) lead turned into a 10-5 Eagle advantage. By the under-8 media timeout, the two teams were tied at 17.
Malone led 18-17 before Ashland ran off seven straight points into the under-4 media stoppage for its largest lead to date to 24-19. That lead moved to 33-24 by halftime, thanks in large part to an 11-point showing from junior point guard
Jaron Crews.
The Eagles also kept the Pioneers to 8-of-32 shooting in the game's first 20 minutes.
Graduate guard
Luke Metzger's 3-point field goal put AU up by double digits again at 41-31, then Metzger hit another triple outside of the 13-minute mark for another 11-point bulge at 44-33. When sophomore wing
Cooper Davis hit two free throws and freshman forward
Jason Moore added one and a layup, the Eagles had their biggest lead to that point at 50-35.
Junior forward
Maceo Williams, who went past four players on the AU all-time scoring list on Saturday, made a layup for a 17-point lead at 60-43 at the under-8 media timeout in the second half.
WILLIAMS FROM 31ST TO 27TH…AND THE REST OF THE STORY
- Williams finished the afternoon with 22 points and eight rebounds, and was 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. He has 1,075 career points, going from 31st to 27th on the program's all-time scoring list following his ninth 20-plus-point game of 2024-25.
- Crews ended with 11 points, and senior guard Gbolahan Adio added 10 off the bench.
- Ashland's 53.8-percent showing from 3-point range is a season best, and AU also was 23-of-28 (82.1 percent) from the foul line.
- The Eagles out-rebounded the Pioneers, 41-28.
- Ashland is 36-10 all-time vs. Malone.
UP NEXT
Black Out night on Thursday (Jan. 9) at 7:30 p.m. vs. Walsh (5-6, 1-4) at the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium.