Men's Basketball Drops 91-74 Contest To No. 16 Ashland

MIDLAND, MICH. – The Northwood University men's basketball team dropped a 91-74 contest to No. 16 Ashland Saturday afternoon (January 2).

Ashland improves to 10-1 overall, 4-1 in the GLIAC. Northwood falls to 7-4 overall, 3-2 in the GLIAC.

The Timberwolves were the better team the majority of the opening half. NU led by as many as eight points early on (18-10) and scored the final six points to take a 49-43 lead to the locker room. Ashland shot a higher percentage than Northwood in the first half – AU finished at 51.5 percent (17-33) while NU ended up at 45.9 percent (17-37). The Timberwolves earned the lead at the break thanks to making three more 3-pointers (7-4) and three more free throws (8-5).

It was all Ashland in the second half, however, as the Eagles out-scored Northwood 48-25 after the break. The Eagles shot 65.4 percent from the floor (17-26) while holding the Timberwolves to a 26.7 percent mark (8-30).  AU out-scored NU 22-6 in points in the paint in the second half.

For the game, Ashland finished at 57.6 percent from the floor (34-59), 50.0 percent from 3-point range (9-18) and 70.0 percent from the foul line (14-20). Northwood finished at 37.3 percent from the floor (25-67), 40.0 percent from 3-poinr range (12-30) and 75.0 percent from the foul line (12-16). The Timberwolves held a 17-7 edge in offensive rebounds for the game, but Ashland held an 11-7 edge in second chance points.

Maurice Jones (Saginaw, Mich./Arthur Hill) continued his strong play, leading all scorers with 29 points. He also had seven assists and six rebounds to go along with zero turnovers in 37 minutes of play.

Northwood will host Lake Erie Sunday afternoon (January 3). Game time is set for 4 p.m.