After Wesleyan went up 60-51 midway through the second half, Ashland mounted a 25-4 run to put the game away and defeat the Panthers 78-69 on Saturday afternoon.
Ashland moves to 5-4 (3-1 G-MAC), while Wesleyan falls to 5-5 (2-2 G-MAC).
In a half that at points looked like it would be run completely by Ashland, Wesleyan fought to make it a tie game at the break. Down 14-6 early, Wesleyan used free free throws from Antonio Thomas and Ben Sisson, as well as a three from Kennedy Miles to cut the lead to just one, 14-13, with 12:39 to go in the half. After a Jordan Roland layup made it a 19-17 game, Ashland went on a 17-6 run over the next seven minutes to give themselves a 36-23 advantage with just under four minutes remaining in the half. That’s when it was time for the Panthers to make a run, as they closed the half on a 17-4 run of their own. During that run Thomas hit two big jumpers, while Jordan Roland got hot, hitting two three pointers late, including one at the buzzer, to make it a 40-40 game at the half.
Down by one early in the half, Markel Aune hit three straight free throws to give Wesleyan a 48-47 lead. Capped off by a Borja Fernandez three, Wesleyan used that momentum to fuel a 14-4 run and go up 60-51 on the home side. That’s when they went cold, missing their next eight shots and committing three turnovers as Ashland re-took the lead. Aune finally stopped the bleeding with a jumper with two minutes left, but it was too late, as Wesleyan had already lost all momentum. Ashland hit a few shots in the end and won the game by 11.
Wesleyan shot 22-60 (36.7%) from the field and 12-35 (34..3%) from three. After shooting nearly 50% in the first half, Wesleyan shot just 27% in the second half. Ashland shot 27-56 (48.2%) from the floor and 8-19 (42.1%) from three.
Markel Aune led the way with 21 points, with Jordan Roland coming in close behind with 15. Ben Sisson notched seven boards while Aune and Antonio Thomas each dished out five assists. Sisson tied a career high with four blocks.
