The Ashland University men's basketball team had its 16-game home winning streak come to an end on Friday (Feb. 1) night as Davenport topped the Eagles, 92-72, at Kates Gymnasium.
The Eagles (18-2, 10-2 GLIAC), ranked No. 7 in the NABC Division II coaches' poll, now hold a one-game lead in the GLIAC standings over the Panthers (17-3, 9-3 GLIAC), who shot 60 percent (32-for-53) from the field.
The Eagles started the game with a 9-0 run by hitting their first four field goals and forcing the Panthers into two missed shots and two turnovers. Redshirt-senior guard Ben Haraway had six of those points as he was aggressive going to the basket.
Davenport quickly cut the margin down to 11-10 with 14:20 left in the first half, though the Eagles grew their lead back to 10, 23-13, with a 12-3 spurt that included 3-pointers by Haraway and junior guard Rodrick Caldwell.
The Eagles then went cold offensively, scoring just two points over the next eight-plus minutes as the Panthers took a 32-25 advantage. Davenport led, 38-32, heading into halftime.
"We didn't get penetration and you can't really score if you're passing the ball around the perimeter and that's what we were doing," said AU head coach John Ellenwood. "We were taking contested shots. That's what we usually do to other people and that's what they did to us."
After the break, the Panthers scored the first six points to force a quick Ashland timeout, and the Eagles never got the deficit below nine after that. Avery Hudson scored 18 of his game-high 32 points in the second half, while Chris Rollins added 24 points and six assists for the visitors.
"We're one of the best teams in points allowed per game in the GLIAC and it's something we take pride in," said Haraway. "It's really frustrating we gave up so many points tonight."
Davenport became the first team to shoot over 50 percent against the Eagles this season, and the 92 points were the most for an AU opponent. Only two teams have eclipsed 70 against Ashland.
"We kind of got out-toughed and that's not who we are," said Ellenwood. "In a way that will probably benefit us going forward here, but they did a good job executing and we didn't do a great job sitting in a stance."
Haraway led the Eagles with a season-high 27 points on 9-for-14 shooting. He also added four boards, two assists and two steals. Junior center Drew Noble chipped in 14 points and redshirt-sophomore wing Aaron Thompson added 10 points and six rebounds.
The Eagles will have regroup quickly as Grand Valley State comes into Kates Gymnasium on Saturday (Feb. 2) at 4 p.m. The Lakers (11-9, 5-7 GLIAC) have lost four in a row after falling to Wayne State Friday night.
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