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THE TURNING POINT: Ashland led 37-34 with 17:12 to go in the game before Wayne State went on a 14-2 run to take the lead for good.
STAT OF THE GAME: Eagle junior center Teddy Metzen scored 14 points on Saturday, and has scored in double figures in four consecutive games.
Ashland University's men's basketball team has lost to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's North Division leaders at home in consecutive games, falling to Wayne State at Kates Gymnasium on Saturday (Dec. 10) afternoon, 61-56.
The Eagles are 6-3 overall and 2-2 in the GLIAC, while the North-leading Warriors are 7-1, 4-0.
"They did a good job on us," said Ashland head coach John Ellenwood. "We didn't move the ball at all. We've got a lot of guys right now that need some confidence. I need to help them with that."
Junior center Teddy Metzen scored a team-high 14 points and added five rebounds and two blocked shots, but the Eagles shot a season-low 41.7 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from 3-point range.
"Teddy was doing good, we just didn't find him late in the game," Ellenwood said. "We need to do a better job of that next time. He's paid his dues. A lot of it has to do with his work ethic and how much he wants to be good. He's a good player in this league, he's a great post player.
"Sometimes, we have to play through him. This is one of those days we had to play through him, and we stopped doing it."
Ashland and Wayne State ended up even on the boards (32 rebounds each), and the Eagles turned 12 Warrior turnovers into 17 points despite 16 giveaways themselves.
Wayne State led 10-6 early, then Ashland scored eight consecutive points for a 14-10 lead – one which remained for the next two minutes. The Eagles were up 28-20 late in the first half before the Warriors closed it out with an 8-2 spurt.
The Eagles sported a 37-34 lead three minutes into the second half, but Wayne State came up with a 14-2 run to go up nine at 48-39, and Ashland couldn't get any closer than three points the rest of the way.
UP NEXT: Saturday (Dec. 17) at 5 p.m. at Ferris State.
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