Coming out of the NCAA Division II "dead period," Ashland University's men's basketball team recorded a 103-51 win over Bryant & Stratton on Wednesday (Dec. 31) afternoon – in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The Eagles are 8-4 going into 2026. The Bobcats remain at 9-7, as Wednesday's game goes into the books as an exhibition for them.
"The second half, I thought we shot the ball better, obviously," said Ashland head coach
John Ellenwood. "I'm happy about our percentages for the whole game. Overall, I thought our effort level was good."
Ashland finished the afternoon with a season-high in points and free throws made (26), while hitting 54.8 percent from the field – 70.4 percent in the final 20 minutes. The Eagles' 52 rebounds also were a season best, and their 21 assists were the second-most in a game so far in 2025-26.
BIG-TIME SCORING BALANCE
- Seven Eagles scored in double figures on Wednesday – despite no one playing more than 23 minutes. Senior forward Maceo Williams and junior wings Cooper Davis and Destin Logan each posted 14 points, redshirt freshman point guard Jordan Edwards, sophomore forward Jason Moore (career high) and freshman guard Christian Wilkins (career high) each added a dozen, and redshirt freshman guard Max Dawson added 11.
- "Max has gotten so much better all-around from last year to this year," Ellenwood said. "He's a great student of the game. Jason has just given us some really good minutes and shooting great percentages. He's getting better every game, as well. Both of them are really stepping into their roles."
- "Our young guys were able to contribute today. (Redshirt freshman wing) Casey Lantz didn't score, but I thought he played a great game for us. All of our guys that came off the bench gave us some really good minutes today."
- With his scoring output, Williams moved into seventh place on Ashland's all-time scoring list with 1,577 career points. He also ended with a double-double on Wednesday, recording a game-high 10 rebounds.
- Bryant & Stratton shot 28.3 percent from the field, and the Eagles out-rebounded the Bobcats by a decided 52-28 margin. Ashland also turned 14 Bryant & Stratton turnovers into 21 points.
COMING UP
The start of 2026, and the return to Great Midwest Athletic Conference play at home on Saturday (Jan. 3) at 3 p.m. vs. Ohio Dominican (9-3).
Ashland is 2-2 in league play, one game out of first place, and the Panthers are one of three teams in first at 3-1 in the conference.
"They have a bunch of seniors, and they are really hungry," Ellenwood said of ODU, which beat Ashland 74-64 in Columbus on Dec. 18. "Dominican is going to be a tough game. They are fresh in our mind."
