WILMORE, Ky.--- Clayton Winter led Asbury men's basketball (1-0) over Centre College (0-1) in the home opener Wednesday night in the Luce Center, 72-63. 

Winter had 16 points on 7-15 shooting with nine rebounds to start Asbury's season with a win. Dakota Walden and Ben McNew followed Winter with 14 points apiece, Walden grabbing seven boards and McNew four. 

McNew went four of five from distance to start his season with 80% three-point shooting. Caleb Wallis had 12 points for AU with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. 

Asbury first-year guard Aden Slone dished three assists, scored 10 points, and grabbed two boards in his first performance for the Eagles. 

AU scored nine points off turnovers compared to Centre's zero. A 12-14 from the line performance for Asbury was key, Centre went 8-18. 

Centre took an early 30-20 lead with 6:09 to go in the first half, but Asbury responded with a 10-0 run powered by two Ben McNew threes to tie things at 30-30.

McNew made another three and then Dakota Walden cashed in back-to-back layups to give AU a 37-36 lead heading into the break. 

The Asbury defense settled in during the second half, allowing only 27 points. Clayton Winter made a layup with 10:03 to go in the game that took the Asbury lead to 57-49. 

Caleb Wallis extended the lead to 10 for Asbury with a layup at 3:13 left, 64-54. The AU defense continued to hold Centre off, taking the 72-63 home win over the Colonels to move to 1-0 to open the 2023-24 campaign. 

The Eagles have now won nine out of their last 11 games, dating back to last season when they took home the NCCAA Mideast Region Championship. 


"It felt great to come out and start the season with a win against a tough team. I couldn't be more proud of the team and how everyone contributed and played a role in this win. It wouldn't have been possible without our coaches great game plan and the help from the students making it a great environment."
Dakota Walden | Graduate Student | MBA


* Clayton Winter | 16 PTS, 9 REB, STL
* Dakota Walden | 14 PTS (5-9 FG), 7 REB, 2 STL
* Ben McNew | 14 PTS, 4 3PT, 4 REB, AST
* Caleb Wallis | 12 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL
* Aden Slone | 10 PTS, 2 REB


* Asbury went on a 10-0 run late in the first half to power the rest of the night
* The Eagles defense held Centre to only 27 points in the second half


AU will travel to Nashville on Saturday to play Lipscomb University in an exhibition game, starting at 4 pm (CST). 


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