The Ashland University men’s basketball took down the Miami-Hamilton Harriers on Monday, Jan. 2, in dominating fashion as they beat them by 34 points.

Led by freshman guard Simon Wheeler, and senior guard Brandon Haraway, the Eagles shot a stellar 65 percent from the field and 59 percent from beyond the arc.

The Harriers compete in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association which is a national organization for intercollegiate athletic programs of small colleges, and community and junior colleges. The Harriers came into the contest against the Eagles at a 9-7 overall record on the season.

In the first half of play, the Eagles started the contest in a slump as they were stagnant offensively while putting up a good performance defensively. The only bright spot came from Ethan Conley who hit three momentum-shifting three-pointers in the opening minutes of the contest.

After starting slow, the Eagles picked up their pace of play coming out of the second media timeout.

They finished the first half shooting 80 percent from the field and 70 percent from beyond the arc. Wheeler finished the first half with six assists, while both Haraway and forward Victor Searls scored double digits in points.

Coming out of halftime, the Eagles led 44-25 and did not slow down as they matched their first-half total of 44 points in the second half.

Wheeler only added to his exciting playmaking performance as he dished off eight more assists for a combined total of 14 assists. His 14 assists were five away from the program record of 19 established by Ricardo Hill in the 1989-90 season. He now has 60 assists in his first collegiate year, averaging five per contest.

Alongside Wheeler, forward Maceo Williams and Searls stepped up their performances inside the paint as they combined for 25 points and 12 rebounds.

The Eagles finished with an 88-54 victory as they improved to 8-4 overall on the season. They currently sit on a six game win streak.

On the other side, the Harriers fell to 9-8.

They look to take on the Cedarville Yellowjackets on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 7:30 P.M. in Kates Gymnasium.