Asbury bullies by Alice Lloyd
WILMORE, Ky. – Five players scored in double-figures as Asbury won their fifth straight on Thursday night, a 95-77 victory over Alice Lloyd in the Luce Center. The Eagles have won 13 of their last 15 after a 1-4 start.
Asbury (14-6, 5-1 KIAC) looked to be on cruise control early, taking a 14-point lead in the first nine minutes and an 11-point halftime lead. But Alice Lloyd (4-17, 1-5 KIAC) fought all the way back in the second half taking a 59-58 lead with 12:37 remaining as Charles O’Steen completed a one-and-one free throw.
Austin Flannery (Georgetown, Ky.) knocked down a three less than a minute later after Justin Jones’ grabbed an offensive rebound. That would start a 12-3 run for the Eagles, who wouldn’t relinquish the lead the rest of the night. Flannery finished with 11 points off the bench, and 3-for-6 from three-point range.
Adam Delph (Louisville, Ky.) led all scorers with 28 points, 20 coming after the break. Delph also added eight rebounds and five assists, a line that would be the headline on most nights. Justin Jones (Hazard, Ky.) dominated the paint with 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and six blocks. It was his fifth double-double of the season and third straight. His assists are a career-high and the blocks a season-high, one off of his career best.
Asbury scored 48 points in the paint and 17 off of second chance opportunities. Jones pulled down five of the Eagles’ 18 offensive boards, but it was Flip Crawford once again who couldn’t be stopped on the offensive glass.
Crawford, who ranked 6th in NAIA DII with 3.8 offensive rebounds a game, grabbed eight offensive boards against Alice Lloyd and 15 total, tying his career-high. He also recorded his seventh double-double of the season.
Leading scorer Phillip Morrison (Louisville, Ky.) topped his NAIA DII sixth best average of 23 points per game with 24 on 7-of-14 shooting and an 8-for-8 mark from the foul line. It’s his fifth straight 20-point game and his 12th of the season.
Asbury shot 56% for the game and held Alice Lloyd to only 39% shooting from the field. Teams are shooting only 40.2% against the Eagles on the season, good for 15th in the NAIA DII. Alice Lloyd made only 4-of-23 three-pointers while Asbury connected on 7-of-20. Daniel Combs led four Alice Lloyd players in double figures with 16 points.
Asbury will hit the road for three straight starting on Saturday against St. Louis College of Pharmacy in KIAC action. Tip is scheduled for 4:00 pm eastern time.
