CLINTON —
Behind 24 points from sophomore guard DeAndre Lowery Jr. and a 20-point effort by senior Vesteinn Sveinsson, the Ashford University men’s basketball team picked up a 90-61 victory over Faith Baptist Bible College on Saturday afternoon inside Kehl Arena.
Kevin Gray and freshman forward Tim Huber also added 14 and 10 points, respectively, to help improve Ashford to 2-0 in the home opener.
"Vesteinn and DeAndre did a great job as the two veterans playing the way we want our team to play," AU coach Oliver Drake said. "They did a great job offensively and defensively, and they both played really solid today."
After a slow start in which Faith Baptist jumped to a 7-1 lead during the first three minutes, the Saints rallied and blasted out on a 9-0 run to take a 10-7 lead with 15 minutes remaining before halftime. The Eagles returned blows to take the lead on two more occasions shortly after, but once Ashford took control, it wouldn't relinquish it.
The Saints rolled out to a largest advantage of 12 during the first half before holding a 46-35 lead at the halftime horn.
Lowery led Ashford with 16 points at the intermission while Gray added 11 and Sveinsson chipped in 10. As a team, AU shot 54.5 percent (18 of 33) from the floor while committing just three turnovers.
Following the break, AU's depth and offensive firepower helped extend its lead as the team polished off a 90-61 win.
"I thought we did a good job in the second half establishing defense," Drake said. "We didn't focus on the little things in the first half — making extra passes, rebounding, etc. — and really played as individuals versus letting the game come to us. I'm glad we came out in the second half and played the way we wanted to play."
Ashford concluded the contest by shooting 47.9 percent (34 of 71) from the floor while converting 76.5 percent (13 of 17) of its free-throw attempts. The Saints committed just eight turnovers and outrebounded FBBC 40-34 — they trailed 19-13 in that category at the half — and handed out 20 assists as a team.
Eagles guard Tyler Betz led all scorers with 38 points on 16-of-31 shooting from the field.
The Saints continue a four-game homestand on Tuesday when Benedictine University-Springfield visits Clinton for a women's/men's doubleheader. The men's game follows the 5:30 p.m. women’s contest.
ASHFORD 90, FAITH BAPTIST BIBLE 61
FAITH BAPTIST BIBLE (0-1) — Tim Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Cooper Rodman 4-6 4-4 12, Dillon Gingerich 1-13 2-2 4, Eric Young 1-2 0-1 2, Tyler Betz 16-31 3-3 38, Jason Scheps 1-1 1-2 3, James Stephenson 0-2 0-0 0, David Larson 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 24-58 10-12 6.
ASHFORD (2-0) — DeAndre Lowery 9-12 4-4 24, Vesteinn Sveinsson 8-9 3-4 20, Kevin Gray 5-10 0-0 14, Tyler Yeocum 1-6 0-0 2, Austin Uhrig 1-3 1-2 3, Cameron Burnett 0-1 0-0 0, Mitch Jankowski 0-1 0-0 0, Joe Lightfoot III 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Flowers 1-2 1-2 4, Joshua Little 1-3 2-2 4, Damon Overton 2-7 0-0 4, DeShawn King 1-4 0-0 3, Tevien Pinckney 0-0 0-0 0, Tim Huber 49 2-3 10, Jonathon Butler 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 34-71 13-17 90.
Halftime — Ashford 46, 61. 3-point goals — Faith 3-12 (Betz 3-6, Gingerich 0-2, Jones 0-1, Rodman 0-1, Young 0-1, Stephenson 0-1); Ashford 9-26 (Gray 4-8, Lowery 2-2, Sveinsson 1-2, Flowers 1-2, King 1-3, Yeocum 0-3, Burnett 0-1, Jankowski 0-1, Lightfoot 0-1, Little 0-1, Overton 0-1, Butler 0-1). Total fouls — Faith 13, Ashford 12. Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Faith 34 (Scheps 7, Young 6); Ashford 49 (Little 7, Overton 5, Huber 5). Assists — Faith 9 (Rodman 3); Ashford 20 (Overton 6, Lowery 5). Blocked shots — Faith 3 (Betz 3); Ashford 2 (Uhrig, Little). Steals — Faith 1 (Rodman); Ashford 11 (Lowery 3, Overton 3). Turnovers — Faith 18; Ashford 8.
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November 5, 2012
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