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THE TURNING POINT: Trailing 52-40 in the second half, Ashland finished the game outscoring Indianapolis 30-12 to earn the victory.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Eagles' trademark defense kept the Greyhounds to 39.1-percent shooting from the field and 24 percent from 3-point range.
Ashland University's men's basketball team might want every game to be a season-opener.
The Eagles have won 13 consecutive season Game 1's following a 70-64 come-from-behind victory over host Indianapolis on Saturday (Nov. 12) night in the Indianapolis Tournament.
Saturday's game marked the third time in a calendar year that the Eagles and Greyhounds have played. Ashland won a 75-67 decision on Nov. 14, 2015, at home, then lost 77-60 on March 12, 2016, in an NCAA Division II Midwest Regional quarterfinal at Wisconsin-Parkside.
Ashland received contributions from all five players in Saturday night's starting lineup. Junior center Teddy Metzen paced the Eagles with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, sophomore guard Ben Haraway posted 14 points, senior guard Adrian Cook scored a dozen points, senior guard Boo Osborne added 10 points on 7-of-8 from the free-throw line and junior forward Marsalis Hamilton added a career-high 16 rebounds and seven points.
The Eagles' defense kept the Greyhounds to 39.1-percent shooting from the field and 24 percent from 3-point range. Ashland outrebounded Indy, 40-31.
With the game tied at 8 early, Ashland began to pull away and had a 15-10 advantage. The Greyhounds responded with a 18-4 run to take a 28-19 lead.
At halftime, however, Ashland went in leading 31-30 thanks to a 12-2 run of its own.
A game of runs continued in the second half, with Indianapolis turning a 41-40 lead into a 52-40 bulge. That's when the Eagles turned in their final run of the game, 30-12, including an 17-of-21 foul-line effort down the stretch.
UP NEXT: The second and final day of the Indianapolis Tournament on Sunday (Nov. 13) at 2:15 p.m. against Southern Indiana.
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