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Eagles Men Outlast
Tiffin, 61-58 |
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The Ashland University Eagles are still working on their knockout punch. However, like the great Ali, the Eagles can duck and weave and force an opponent to hit and miss. The Tiffin Dragons took several mighty swings on Tuesday (Dec. 16) at Kates Gymnasium and at several critical stages, it looked liked the Eagles might go down for the count. But even if they had wobbly legs, the Eagles proved they had a strong heart as they on for a 61-58 triumph. Junior point guard Michael Fowler hit a pair of free throws with 1:01 left in regulation to give Ashland a 59-58 lead and the Eagles (4-6) held on from there for a non-conference win over the Dragons (2-4). The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Ashland. The Eagles broke out with a huge lead early, going in front, 16-2 with 14:25 to go in the first half. Tiffin cut that margin to 32-28 at halftime and the Dragons took their first lead, 33-32 with 18:08 to go in regulation. The Dragons had a 58-55 lead with 2:04 left in regulation. Ashland outscored the visitors, 6-0 the remainder of the game. Ashland was paced by freshman guard Chris Newell’s 15 points. Freshman guard Vahn Knight had 13 points. Fowler, in addition to his 12 points, had eight assists. The Eagles’ leader on the glass was junior forward Kevin Shorter, who retrieved eight missed shots. Todd Henry and Nick Scheutzow had 13 points apiece for Tiffin. The Eagles hurt themselves in two critical areas. AU had 22 turnovers and shot just 58.3 percent (14-24) at the free throw line. Tiffin had 13 turnovers and the Dragons canned 14 of 16 tries (87.5 percent) at the charity stripe. This series has been dominated by the Eagles, who now hold a 13-4 advantage over their visitors from western Ohio. Ashland’s next game will be Saturday (Dec. 20, 3 p.m.) when Thiel visits Kates Gymnasium. |