In a late-season Great Midwest Athletic Conference game on Saturday (Feb. 22), Ashland University's men's basketball team lost at Cedarville, 81-69.
 
The Eagles are 14-11 overall and 10-8 in the Great Midwest entering the last week of the regular season, while the Yellow Jackets are 11-14, 6-12.
 
Ashland went out to a 7-2 lead at the game's first media timeout, then back-to-back makes from junior forward Maceo Williams gave the Eagles a 14-6 lead halfway through the first half.
 
Following a first-half-best 23-15 Eagle advantage with less than five minutes to the break, the Yellow Jackets scored 13 consecutive points to go into the locker room leading by five.
 
In the game's first 20 minutes, Williams had 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
 
Consecutive 3-point field goals by graduate forward Javin Etzler knotted the game at 31 early in the second half, but an 11-0 Cedarville run lifted it to a 50-38 lead. The Ashland response came in the form of a 13-2 run which cut the deficit to a single point at 52-51 – and forced a Yellow Jacket timeout.
 
Out of the timeout, Williams' jumper put Ashland ahead again at 53-52, then his layup – which gave him 25 points with eight-plus minutes to play – led to a three-point AU lead.
 
Back-and-forth the two teams went, with Cedarville leading 61-60 going into the last five minutes of regulation. The Yellow Jackets scored eight more points in a row en route to the victory.
 
…AND THE REST OF THE STORY

• Williams narrowly missed a career-high in points in a game, finishing with 33 points (on 15-of-19 shooting), as well as five rebounds and four assists.
• Etzler did post a career-high of 15 points (on 5-of-6 shooting, all from 3).
• Ashland made 58.6 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3-point range in the second half. 

UP NEXT
The 2024-25 regular-season home finale on Thursday (Feb. 27) at 7:30 p.m. vs. No. 12 Findlay (23-3, 16-2). It will be the Eagles' Cancer Awareness Game.