Men's Basketball hangs on for 57-56 win against Spalding
Wilmore, Ky. - Spalding's Chris Williams' field goal attempt as time expired missed its mark enabling Asbury to escape with a 57-56 win after leading by as much as 18 in the second half. The Eagles 45-27 advantage with 9:36 left was whittled away thanks to hot shooting down the stretch by the Golden Eagles, combined with Asbury's inability to hang onto the ball.
Within five minutes after holding the 18-point lead, Spalding had answered with a 18-4 run to close to 49-45 with 4:10 left. The two teams would exchange baskets and free throws until Asbury held a 55-53 lead with 0:53 remaining. The Eagles' would come up with a stop and senior Matt Pittman walked calmly to the free throw line and canned both shots with a timeout in between to give Asbury a 57-53 lead. A three-point play by Spalding's Brenton Keye with :05.2 left set the stage for the wild finish. Junior Derek Craft was fouled and the Lawrenceburg native missed both ends of the attempts allowing the baseball pass to Williams and his off-the-mark shot.
The Eagles were led by Michael Spann and Brett Johnson with 16 points each while Brandon Fentress scored 15 points, 10 in the first half. Spalding's Brian Miles led all scorers with 19 points.
The win improves Asbury to 9-3 on the season headed into five straight games against NCAA teams. The Eagles begin with D-II Northern Kentucky in Highland Heights on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 11:30 a.m. The game will be available on WACW , Asbury's campus station and home to Eagle Athletics.
