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Kincaid Helps Eagles
Men Stop Gannon, 76-67 |
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Ashland University senior guard Isaac Kincaid was playing on one leg. The good news is that both arms were fully functional. Kincaid scored 22 points, 14 in the second half, as the Ashland University Eagles (14-6, 6-5 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 76-67 win over Gannon (15-6, 7-4) Thursday (Jan. 30) at Kates Gymnasium. Kincaid has a hamstring injury. He missed last Saturday’s game at Hillsdale and AU was blown out, 95-66. He spent the first part of this week gingerly testing his leg. It grew stronger every day, but even with that optimistic prognosis, there was no guarantee he could last a full game. Against the Golden Knights, Kincaid gave AU 29 quality minutes. He hit seven of 19 shots from the floor and seven of eight free throws. He was exceptional at the free throw line in the game’s final three minutes when Gannon was trying to close the gap. Defensively, the Indianapolis native had four steals. Ashland trailed, 30-28 at halftime. Gannon led, 47-37 with 12:32 remaining in regulation. The Eagles went on a 14-2 run over the next 5:09 and went in front, 51-49 with 7:23 to play on a three-point field goal by senior guard Angelo Edwards. The Eagles tacked on five more points to take a 56-49 lead with 5:30 left before Gannon scored again, getting two free throws from Geoff Husted. The closest Gannon got after that was three points with 4:47 to play. Like Kincaid, Edwards did major damage to the Golden Knights at the free throw line. He hit 11 of 12 attempts. The Eagles connected on 28 of 37 tries (75.7 percent) at the free throw line. Gannon was paced by Husted, who had 19 points and nine rebounds. Josh Morgan had 12 points, Marc Sturdivant and Camara Mintz had 11 points each and Brandon Andrews finished with 10 points. Edwards had 19 points for Ashland. Senior forward Justin Larrick had 11 points. Ashland forced 21 turnovers and outscored Gannon, 22-9 in points off turnovers. The Eagles also had a 10-2 edge in fastbreak points. Gannon, with the 6-10 Husted and 6-9 Morgan patrolling the paint, had a decided size advantage over the Eagles. The visitors outrebounded AU, 43-37. Both teams struggled offensively – Gannon shot 35.8 percent (11-31) from the field and Ashland finished at 33.9 percent (21-62). Sophomore center Mike Campbell and senior forward Pat Rush led the Eagles with seven rebounds apiece. |