PAINESVILLE, Ohio – Using a second-half run that eliminated an 11-point deficit, the Ashland men's basketball team earned its first conference victory of the season over Lake Erie College, 68-64, at the Jerome T. Osborne Family Athletic & Wellness Center on Saturday (Dec. 11) afternoon.
Lake Erie sophomore center Garrick Sims split a pair of free throws with 15:28 to play in the second half that gave the Storm (2-5, 0-3 GLIAC) a 43-32 lead.
Sophomore guard David Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Florida) hit two straight three-pointers to cut the lead to five.
Harris, just 5-foot-5, scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half to lead the Eagles' comeback.
With just 6:45 left, the Storm held a seven-point lead. But in the next 5:31, the Eagles held the Storm without a field goal and just two free throws. The 57-50 deficit turned into a 66-59 advantage, using a 16-2 run. That stretch consisted of mostly Harris and sophomore center Evan Yates (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) hitting baskets.
Junior forward Antoine Childs (Beaver Falls, Pa./Western Carolina) added a vicious slam from the base line in the run and the Eagles never trailed after taking the lead on a three-pointer by Harris with 3:42 remaining.
The Eagles (4-3, 1-2 GLIAC) shot 54 percent from the field in the game and held the Storm to 43 percnet shooting. The Storm out-rebounded the Eagles 36-28.
Richardson had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Harris' 22 points came on 7-of-9 shooting, including a 3-for-3 mark from three-point range. Yates had 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Ashland overcame a 40 percent (8-for-20) performance from the line.
Ethan Bradshaw paced the Storm with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
The Eagles host Northwood on Thursday (Dec. 16) night at 5:30 p.m. at Kates Gymnasium. It will be their first home game since a Nov. 23 win over Rio Grande.
For more in-game information, see the Eagles-Storm Live Blog from courtside on Saturday BY CLICKING HERE.
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