The Ashland University men's basketball team, ranked No. 7 in the NABC Division II coaches' poll, held visiting Ohio-Chillicothe to just 32 percent shooting as the Eagles raced to an 80-48 win on Tuesday (Jan. 22) night at Kates Gymnasium.
The game concluded the non-conference schedule for the Eagles (17-1) as they will resume GLIAC play on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Wayne State.
The Hilltoppers (5-13) stayed with Ashland early in the first half, leading the Eagles, 20-18, with seven minutes remaining.
The Eagles then went on a 9-0 run, capped by a Derek Koch layup, to take a 27-20 lead. That was the start of a 17-2 run that saw the Eagles hold Ohio-Chillicothe to just 1-for-8 shooting and three turnovers over the last seven minutes of the first half as the hosts took a 35-22 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Eagles quickly pushed their lead over 20 points by going on an 11-2 run after the break. The lead never went under 19 points after that mark.
The Eagles were able to get quality minutes for their bench unit, which scored 28 points on the night. The bench unit also held the Hilltoppers without a field goal over the final four minutes of the game.
Freshman forward Jake McLoughlin corralled a career-high 12 rebounds while freshman guard Dylan Beaugard matched a career best with five assists. Senior forward John Brady also matched a career high with seven points, including a 3-pointer and a dunk.
"I take pride in rebounding the ball and playing the defensive end," said McLoughlin, who also had four points and two assists.
"A lot of people look at point guards as scorers now, but I'm more of a pass-first point guard," said Beaugard. "I get my teammates going, then I can get myself going."
Junior center Drew Noble paced the Eagles with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Koch added 12 points, six boards and three assists while fifth-year senior guard Ben Haraway and senior forward Phil Frentsos had 10 points apiece.
Redshirt-sophomore wing Aaron Thompson had nine points and eight rebounds in just 14 minutes.
The Eagles had 24 assists on 32 made baskets against just 11 turnovers.
Anthony Dixon Jr. had 16 points to lead the Hilltoppers, who finished 16-for-50 from the field.
AU
MBB/BB