Ashland University men's basketball suffered a 74-64 defeat on Thursday (Dec. 18) to the Ohio Domincan Panthers on the road in Columbus, Ohio.
The Eagles fell behind early as the Panthers scored the first five points of the contest. Neither team found rhythm early with staggering defense played by both sides. Despite early struggles scoring, Ashland found their first points off a quick pass from freshman
Beau Siegfried to redshirt senior
Maceo Williams for a swift layup. Siegfried later demonstrated his own scoring ability, tacking on two points from a turnaround jumper to bring the Eagles within three points to the Panthers.
In a tightly-contested first half, Ohio Dominican pulled away late to establish a 10-point lead, holding the Eagles to 21 points in the half, the lowest first-half point total of the early season. Ashland traded baskets early in the second half with Ohio Dominican until the Eagles broke through, bringing the game within six points midway through the second half.
Eagles make a comeback but cannot close
Ashland showed grit, battling against a fiery Panthers squad in their homecourt. Entering the night, Ohio Dominican had yet to face defeat at home with a 5-0 record in Alumni Hall. The Panthers maintained their homecourt dominance, leading the Eagles through the entire game.
The Eagles' squad struggled to maintain momentum, never breaking through Ohio Dominican's early advantage. After leading in rebounds for the majority of the first half, the Panthers eventually overcame Ashland and won the rebounding battle 39-26. Throughout the evening matchup, the Eagles showed flashes of the high-octane performances they have displayed earlier this season, but Ohio Domincan's physicality and timely shot-making overwhelmed the Eagles down the stretch.
Williams led the Eagles in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and collected seven rebounds. Redshirt freshman
Jordan Edwards followed with nine points, eight rebounds and seven assists, marking another all-around performance for the Eagles' starting guard.
Following the loss to the Panthers, the Eagles hold a 2-2 conference record (7-4 overall).
UP NEXT
Ashland men's basketball will host Bryant & Stratton in Kates Gymnasium on Wednesday, December 31 for a 1:00 p.m. afternoon matchup. The Eagles will return to conference play with a rematch against Ohio Dominican at home on Saturday, January 3 at 3:00 p.m..
