The Ashland University men’s basketball team began its season with a three-game winning streak with its win over Rio Grande (3-4) last Tuesday. After the 85-62 victory, Ashland traveled to Edinboro (3-1) where its winning streak was snapped in a 64-59 loss to the Fighting Scots Sunday. This marks the first time the Eagles have opened the season with three straight wins since 2004-05.

Rio Grande

The Eagles wanted nothing more than a win to take home for Thanksgiving break and they got just that thanks to a key 33-8 run in the first half. The RedStorm led AU 8-7 five minutes into the game. Ashland substituted everyone but starting guard, Ronnie Steward who hit his second of five threes to give AU the 10-8 lead. Steward went 5-for-5 from behind the three point arc and 6-for-10 from the field for a total of 19 points. Steward played a team-high 30 minutes in the win.

“I thought we were stagnant at the very beginning and that was a natural letdown,” Ellenwood said. “Our first subs came in with good intensity and that was the stretch of the game where our guys got the lead.”

Sophomore Evan Yates ended the first half with a layup before time expired, giving the Eagles a 44-20 lead going into the half.

AU let its lead slip somewhat in the second half but the RedStorm never came within 13 points. After settling for outside jumpers, Rio Grande started making a run until Ashland started attacking the bucket again.

“We started settling for outside shots and they started making a run,” Ellenwood said. “So we said, ‘let’s start attacking, let’s get to the free throw line.'”

6’8″ senior, Kale Richardson led all scorers with 29 points in just 25 minutes of action. He was 7-for-13 from the field and 13-of-14 from the charity stripe. Richardson also added seven rebounds; four of them came on the offensive glass.

“Kale had a game that I expect him to have,” Ellenwood said.

Junior center Cole Moore came off the bench to score 10 points and grab five rebounds. Moore was also one of the ten AU players with at least one assist in the game.

As a team, AU shot 50 percent from the field (24-48) and 41 percent from three (7-17). Ashland made it to the free-throw line 30 times and knocked down 28 of them.

Edinboro

Once again, AU started slow and fell behind the Fighting Scots early but never fully recovered. The win that snapped Ashland’s three-game winning streak gave Edinboro a three-game winning streak.

The contest started with Edinboro jumping out to 11-2 lead. Ellenwood quickly called a time out to stop the bleeding. Coming out of the time out, the Eagles turned things around by taking a 14-13 lead thanks to a Richardson three pointer. From that point on, neither team could go ahead by more than six points. The first half ended with Edinboro leading, 33-28.

With four minutes left, the game was tied for the tenth and final time at 54-54 when Danny Walsh of Edinboro hit two free throws, giving Edinboro the one point edge, 55-54. Edinboro went on to hold the lead due to a 13-5 run and eventual win, 64-59.

Richardson led AU with 15 points while grabbing six rebounds. Yates led the Eagles with eight boards while Moore came off the bench and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. DaWuan Thomas contributed five assists in the loss.

As a team, the Eagles shot 36 percent from the field (20-55), just below the Fighting Scots 41 percent (22-54). Edinboro was paced by three scorers in double figures.

Ashland will now open GLIAC play by traveling to Hillsdale.

“The GLIAC is going to be a bear and if you don’t come to play every single night you’re going to get beat,” Ellenwood said.

AU will take on the Chargers Thursday at 6 p.m.