As March slowly but surely approaches, each contest will matter down the stretch for the Ashland University men’s basketball team.

On Thursday, the Eagles took down the Hillsdale College Chargers on the road, and on Saturday they utilized their newly found momentum in a 79-74 win against the Lake Erie College Storm.

To start the contest, the Eagles established a pace of play that kept the Storm on their toes, but the Storm countered with the same speed. Both teams were able to knock down four three-pointers a piece but the big difference maker was the Eagles going into the bonus with five minutes remaining in the first half.

Excessive fouling from the Storm hindered the scoreline, with the Eagles heading into halftime leading, 33-28. Breakout center for the Eagles, Victor Searls, struggled offensively making zero shots in the first half. Defensively, however, he made up for the lackluster production on offense as he locked down Storm center Jonny Manning, holding him to just four points.

In the second half, the Storm wanted to rebound from the first-half performance and did. They kept the contest close as the Eagles tried to pull away multiple times. A barrage of three-pointers from guard Jacob Plantz kept the game close and within a possession each time the Eagles had a sliver of momentum.

Heading into the final two minutes of the game the Storm were trailing 70-69. Senior guard Brandon Haraway separated the two teams with a huge step-back jumper from the free-throw line to give the Eagles a three-point lead.

On the following possession, Haraway would ultimately put the game away with a steal and slam dunk. He finished the contest with 25 points, four rebounds and two assists. Alongside Haraway, forwards James Manns and Ethan Conley contributed 27 points together and six three-pointers. Freshman guard Derrick James also had a huge performance off the bench contributing 13 points and four rebounds.

After the win, they improved their record to 15-7 on the season and 11-4 in conference play. They look to take on the Wilberforce University Bulldogs on Monday, Feb. 6, at 6:00 P.M.