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Opponent Scouting Report |
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Grand Valley State (25-3/16-2) –
AU played GVSU, in Ashland, on Jan. 28. The Lakers left
town with a 73-60 triumph. The top-seeded Lakers outscored AU,
34-27 in the second half after taking a 39-33 lead at the
intermission. AU had nine turnovers and while that total was
low, the damage those miscues caused helped the Lakers. In
points off of turnovers, GVSU led, 29-11.
Brown had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Knight collected a team-high 17 points and junior guard Rob
McRae (Flint, MI/Mott C.C.) added 16 points. Emmons’
line included 10 points and six rebounds. Grand Valley was led
by Kyle Carhart’s 19 points. Jason Jamerson contributed
18 points.
The all-time series tilts in AU’s
favor, 10-8. GVSU has won the last four meetings between the
teams. Ashland’s last win over Grand Valley State came in
2001-02, 75-74 in overtime at GVSU. Last year in Allendale,
MI, the Lakers got the better of the Eagles, 62-44.
By the Numbers: The 44 points the
Eagles scored at Grand Valley last season was their lowest
point total of the year. |
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Ferris State (17-11/13-5) – The
Bulldogs (second in the GLIAC North) played at AU on Jan. 26
and cut down the Eagles, 87-59. Four FSU players scored in
twin figures. Dennis Springs and Antwuan Holt shared high
scoring honors with 18 points each. AU turned the ball over 22
times compared to five for FSU and that led to a 41-0 spread
in points off of turnovers for the visitors.
Brown posted a double-double with 13 points
and 11 rebounds. Emmons canned 4-of-5 field goal tries and
finished with 12 points. Ashland shot 54.5 percent (12-of-22)
in the first half and for the game, checked in at 47.4 percent
(18-38). Again, turnovers killed the Eagles.
FSU has won three consecutive games against
Ashland. The Bulldogs hold an 8-6 edge in the series. The last
time the Eagles defeated FSU was in 2001-02, 83-72, in Big
Rapids, MI.
By the Numbers: AU and Ferris State
met in the GLIAC semifinals in 1997-98 and the Bulldogs won,
92-81. |
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Findlay (25-3/15-2) – The two
intrastate rivals met twice during the regular season and the
Oilers won both. On Dec. 10 in Ashland, UF won, 80-65. The
teams met in the final game of the regular season at Findlay’s
Croy Gym and the Oilers were a 96-50 winner. UF is the South
Division champion.
In that last contest, Brown had 16 points
and 11 rebounds to lead the Eagles. Junior center Matt
Engler (Port Clinton, OH) came off the bench to score 10
points. Six Oilers reached double digits in scoring. Center
Brent Schnipke’s 15 points led the scoring parade. The
Eagles were plagued by 25 turnovers.
In the first meeting, Emmons had 15 points
and 12 rebounds and Brown burnt the Oilers for 17 points. UF
point guard Dustin Pfeifer had 19 points, Schnipke dropped in
17 points and forward Frank Phillips contributed 16 points.
The Oilers shot 50.9 percent (27-of-53) from the floor and
22-of-26 (84.6 percent) at the free throw line. The game was
tied, 26-26 with 5:25 to play in the first half when UF went
on a 14-3 run to end the half. That gave the visitors a 40-29
halftime lead.
Findlay owns a 43-21 lead in the series.
The Oilers have won the last nine meetings between the teams.
By the Numbers: In his last four
games with UF, Brown has two double-doubles and has averaged
9.0 rpg. |
The Week Ahead
GLIAC Final Four – at Grand Valley State, Allendale, MI
Mar. 3, 2006 – ASHLAND vs. Grand Valley State, 8 p.m.
Mar. 4, 2006 – GLIAC Championship Game, 8 p.m.
All AU games can be heard on WNCO 1340 AM with Sam Renfroe
calling the play-by-play and are Webcast.
About the Eagles
Thanks to a 70-68 win over Mercyhurst on Tuesday (Feb. 28) at
Kates Gymnasium, the Eagles live to play another day. For the
first time since the 1998-99 season Ashland has advanced to the
GLIAC Final Four. AU will play the host school, Grand Valley
State, in the league semifinals. The other semifinal matchup pits
Ferris State against Findlay (Friday, 3 p.m.). The winner of the
league tourney receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II
playoffs.
AU Facts and Figures
The Eagles are 19-9 overall. In GLIAC play, AU was 10-7 and
finished in second place in the GLIAC South Division. AU has
placed second in the South Division three times since joining the
league in 1995-96. This is Ashland’s highest victory total
since the 1999-2000 season when the Eagles were 20-9.
This is AU’s sixth trip to the GLIAC
Tournament. The Eagles are 3-5 in GLIAC postseason play. They’ve
never advanced to the conference championship game.
Senior center Justin Brown (Columbus,
OH/West Liberty) is Ashland’s leading scorer (16.6 ppg.)
and rebounder (9.8 rpg.). He’s posted double-doubles in two
of his last three games. In the GLIAC Brown is second in
rebounding and field goal percentage (.604) and fifth in scoring.
He’s second in career boards (656) at AU. If he can maintain
his 9.8 rpg., average, he would have the third best single-season
average in school history. In this week’s NCAA stats, Brown
is ninth in rebounds per game and 16th in field goal percentage.
Junior forward Greg Emmons (Ashland, OH)
is scoring 12.7 ppg., and brings down 7.0. The 6-7, 230-pound
Ashland product is sixth in the conference in rebounding and 18th
in scoring.
Junior guard-forward Vahn Knight (Euclid,
OH/Benedictine) is listed 11th in scoring 13.8 ppg.) and 14th
in free throw percentage (.761). Sophomore guard Brett
Bartlett (LaGrange, OH/Kent State) averages 10.4 ppg. He’s
third in the GLIAC in three-point field goal percentage (.443),
fourth in free throw percentage (.813) and fifth in three-point
field goals made per game (2.15).
Ashland has been listed among the top scoring
teams in the GLIAC all season. AU is churning out 75.7 ppg. The
Eagles enter Friday’s game with wins in three of their last
four games.
Ashland-Mercyhurst
Tuesday (Feb. 28) at Kates Gymnaisium, the Eagles held on to nip
Mercyhurst, 70-68. Brown buried a jumper with 3:56 to play in
regulation to put AU in front, 58-57. A Knight layup with 3:01 to
go pushed the AU advantage to 60-58. AU led by five points twice
in the final 24 seconds. The win was AU’s third over
Mercyhurst this season.
Knight paced the Eagles with 23 points. He was
12-for-12 at the free throw line. Ashland converted 24-of-29 tries
at the free throw line, which computes to 82.8 percent. In the
second half, the Eagles knocked down 21-of-24 free throws tries
(87.5 percent). On the year, AU is shooting 67.2 percent at the
charity stripe.
Methodical Mercyhurst was able to control the
tempo and that made for a close game from start to finish. The
stat that illustrates that is fast break points. AU led that
category, 2-0.
In addition to Knight and Brown, Emmons had 17
points. Brown was the team leader on the glass, he retrieved eight
missed shots.
The Line on Lyons
Lyons is in his 13th season with the Eagles. His career record
is 208-149. The Akron, OH, native is the career leader in
victories at Ashland. A 1974 Ashland graduate, Lyons has guided
the Eagles to 18 or more wins in a season six times. In 1999-2000,
he directed the Eagles to a 20-9 finish. His 1987-88 team went
19-10 and advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Short Shots
- Bartlett has 58 three-point field goals,
the most by an AU player since Ricardo Hill had 64 triples in
1991-92.
- AU is 9-3 on the road this year. In the two
seasons before this, AU was 8-14 away from home.
- Four of AU’s starters average at least
31.0 minutes per game. The only starter logging less than 31
minutes per game – Knight – is at 29.0 minutes per
game.
- Outside of the regular starting five –
Brown, Knight, Emmons, McRae and Bartlett - the only player to
start a game this year is senior guard Javan Roberson
(Akron, OH/Garfield), who has two starts.
- Ashland is 0-3 in overtime this season and
2-2 in games decided by three points or less.
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