The men’s basketball team beat the Lock Haven Bald Eagles by a score of 80-70 on Monday in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.

The Eagles had to play without two of their big men down low with Will Evans and Evan Yates out because of ankle sprains.

“Going into the game, I was a little nervous about if we had that low post presence,” Ashland head coach John Ellenwood said.

First year post player Paul Honigford and hybrid player Antoine Childes had to take the bulk of the load down low in the paint. Honigford finished the game with 19 points and five rebounds. Childs finished the game with 16 points and seven rebounds.

The real hump that the Eagles had to overcome in the course of the game was the fact that seven out of their 11 players were freshmen.

“We were playing scared, we were playing nervous,” Ellenwood said when talking about the first half.

The Eagles were unimpressive in the first half but remained in the game and stayed within striking distance.

The freshmen loosened up in the second half of the game and put the game into their hands with their defensive pressure.

“Our pressure, especially on the defensive end, really turned the tide of that game,” Ellenwood said.

Ashland got 53 of its 80 points from freshmen such as Honigford, Jorian Hudson and Cole Krizancic.

The Eagles were down early, but the young freshmen showed resiliency and a no-quit attitude in the second half.

“I think the best way for them to grow up is games like that where you’re on the road and you’re down and you have to fight back,” Ellenwood said.

This season may be a bit of growing process for the young guys, but fighting back to win in the second half of their very first collegiate game is definitely a step in the right direction for this young team.