MIDWAY, Ky. – The Asbury University men's basketball team dropped a close 84-79 decision on Thursday evening at Midway in River States Conference play.

The Eagles battled Midway all night and the game came down to the closing seconds of play. Midway converted on a shot in the lane with 20 seconds to extend the lead to four and put the game out of reach for AU.

Five Eagles finished in double figures scoring on the night.

Inside the Matchup
Asbury moves to 6-13 (0-6, RSC) and Midway improves to 10-8 (4-3).
The loss tonight snaps a six-game winning streak against Midway.

Highlights
*Behind 16 points from Desmond Duke and 14 from Eric Powell, the Eagles maintained a 48-44 advantage at halftime.
*AU found success from three-point land, shooting 7-12 in the first half. Powell was a perfect 4-4 from deep.
*The Eagles also produced 27 points inside the paint in the first half.
*In the second half, Midway took the lead at 53-49 after a 9-1 run.
*Asbury responded with a quick 6-0 run to re-gain the lead following another Powell three.
*There were five lead changes early on as both teams traded the lead.
*AU held on to a 60-56 lead, but Midway went on another 9-2 run to take the lead again at 65-62.
*Siah Holifield recorded 13 points throughout the second half. 
*The Eagles remained close with MU all the way down to the wire but were unable to re-take the lead again in the final 10 minutes of play.

Key Stats
*Eric Powell led AU with 18 points and seven rebounds.
*Siah Holifiled tallied 17 points, eight boards, and four assists.
*Desmond Duke finished with 16 points and five rebounds.
*Leander Ridgeway and Drew Delatte each scored 10 points.
*AU scored 51 points in the paint, 17 points off turnovers, and 13 second-chance points.
*The Eagles shot 44 percent from the field and were 9-19 from three-point range.

Next Up
Asbury will host Alice Lloyd on Saturday at 3 PM. Saturday's contest marks the first home game of 2020 for the Eagles.