Stevens’ Perimeter Attack Grounds Eagles Men at Florida Tourney
November 22, 2005

By Paul Carmany, AU Sports Information

Complete Box Score

Some extreme basketball purists still decry the inception of the three-point shot. Ashland University head men’s basketball coach Roger Lyons may soon join that band. For the second straight game, the Eagles’ opponent used a barrage of three-pointers to take control of the contest.

In Tuesday evening’s (Nov. 22) opening game of Florida Gulf Coast’s Hillmyer-Tremont Tip-Off Tournament, Florida Memorial’s excellence on the perimeter lifted the Lions over Ashland, 64-54. Florida Memorial is now 5-3 while the Eagles fall to 2-2.

Ashland held a 34-29 lead at halftime before the Lions started to really get hot. Florida Memorial connected on 11 of 20 three-pointers, with the primary culprit being Tramaine Stevens. Stevens connected on nine three-pointers on his way to a game-high 29 points.

Meanwhile, the Eagles struggled from the perimeter, nailing just four of 21 attempts. Another telling statistic was bench points, where the Lions outscored AU, 21-4.

Vahn Knight and Justin Brown shared the team scoring lead for Ashland, tallying 11 points apiece. Brown also equaled the team high by pulling down five boards prior to fouling out. Rob McRae added 10 points. Point guard Bret Bartlett had a solid all-around game, finishing with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.

Ashland will play in Wednesday afternoon’s (Nov. 23) consolation game against the loser of Tuesday’s late game between Florida Gulf Coast and Puerto Rico-Cayey. That contest will tip off at 1 p.m.