Edwards’ Double-Double Leads WSU Men Past Eagles, 78-62
January 29, 2004

By Joe Monaco, AU Sports Information

Kendon Edwards scored 19 points and added 14 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season and helped propel Wayne State to a 78-62 victory over Ashland at the Matthaei Center in Detroit, MI, on Thursday (Jan. 29).

Right from the start of the game, the Warriors came out on fire from the floor by connecting on 69 percent (18-26) of their shots in the first half. With the Eagles holding a 9-7 lead, Edwards connected on a 10-foot jumper to tie up the score with 14:28 remaining in the first period.

Over the next ten minutes, Wayne State put all hopes of a victory out of the mind of Ashland as the Warriors went on a 25-10 run and held a 34-19 lead with under four minutes left in the half. An Edwards’ layup at 1:02 gave Wayne State a 41-26 lead going into halftime.

In the second half, Wayne State put together another run right from the start as the Warriors outscored Ashland, 13-4, in the first five minutes of the half. A three-pointer by Darrell Evans put Wayne State up by 27 points with 15:14 left in the game.

The Eagles were able to put together two runs at the end of the game, but couldn’t cut the scoring deficit to under 13 points. Vahn Knight (Euclid, OH/St. Benedictine) led Ashland with 14 points, including four three-pointers. Kevin Shorter (Clinton Twp., MI/Owens C.C.) added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists while Justin Brown (Columbus, OH/West Liberty State) chipped in with 10 points.

Morris Hall scored a season-high 18 points and Oscar Sanders added 13 points for Wayne State.

The Warriors held a 41-31 advantage on the boards and pressured AU into committing 17 turnovers, which resulted in 25 points for the winners. Wayne State connected on 18-27 free throws compared to Ashland’s 7-15 from the charity stripe.

With the victory, Wayne State improved to 12-7, 7-3 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action. Ashland dropped to 9-11, 2-8 in conference play.

Ashland will be in action on Saturday (Jan. 31) at Findlay with game time set for 3:00 p.m.