Eagles, Pumas Win AmeriHost Openers
December 28, 2003

Complete Box Score

The Ashland University Eagles and Saint Joseph College Pumas won their opening games of the Seventh Annual AmeriHost Classic on Sunday, Dec. 28, at Kates Gymnasium. The host Eagles enjoyed a 101-67 romp against Slippery Rock while the Pumas came from behind to stop Lincoln Memorial, 89-70.

Monday night’s tourney championship game will match AU head coach Roger Lyons against one of his former assistants – Linc Darner. Darner is in his second season on the SJC bench.

Junior guard Mark Church scored 17 points to lead Ashland (6-6) to its third consecutive win on Sunday against Slippery Rock. The victory sent the Eagles into the AmeriHost Classsic championship game for the seventh straight year. Ashland has never lost a game in the tourney.

AU placed five players in double digits. Church was joined by freshman point guard Alex Jones, who had 15 points, freshman guard Chris Newell, who had 13 points, rookie guard Vahn Knight, who posted 11 points and freshman forward Greg Emmons who finished with 10 markers. The Eagles ran out to a 45-33 halftime lead. The home team held a 48-30 rebounding edge and that helped the Eagles to an 18-7 advantage in second-chance points. AU’s leading rebounder was junior forward Kevin Shorter, who pulled down seven missed shots.

Slippery Rock (3-7) was led by Dave Johnson’s 14 points.

In Sunay night’s second game Saint Joseph’s got 30 points and nine rebounds from Corey Seeger and 15 points and 11 rebounds from Derek Fey in a come-from-behind win over Lincoln Memorial (4-6).

Saint Joseph’s (3-6) trailed, 43-38 at halftime, but shot 64.3 percent (18-28) from the floor in the second half. The Pumas went ahead, 48-47 on a Fey layup with 16:01 remaining in regulation and took the lead for good at 54-52 on a layup by Seegers with 13:25 to play. For the game the Pumas shot 51.5 percent (34-66) from the field and outrebounded Lincoln Memorial, 44-34.

Brad Seal had 17 points to pace LMU.