DANVILLE, Ky.--- Senior sport management major
Ben McNew went 8-9 from the field for 24 points but Asbury men's basketball (0-1, 0-0 CCS) fell at Centre College (1-0, 0-0) in the season opener for both teams at Alumni Gymnasium in Danville, Ky., 84-73.
Despite leading at halftime 40-39, the Eagles couldn't maintain their momentum in the second half against a resilient Centre team. The Colonels outrebounded AU 41-28 and shot 52.5 percent from the field on the night.
The Eagles' standout performers included McNew, going 5-6 from three, and sophomore business admin major
Jonathan Combs, who contributed a career-high 18 points along with four rebounds, a steal, and a block. Combs went 7-10 from the field and 3-4 from distance.
Asbury junior
Aden Slone not only scored seven points but also tallied four rebounds and three steals.
Cameron Jones, an AU sophomore also made a significant impact with 10 points, four assists, two steals, and three boards.
The Eagles made 12 threes in their opening matchup, compared to Centre's 10 triples. AU went 7-12 from the line while the Colonels went 12-18.
Asbury took a 49-41 lead with 17:06 to go in the second half off a
Jonathan Combs layup. Centre responded with a 16-4 run to regain a 57-53 advantage they held onto. The Colonels had 18 points off turnovers and 25 bench points on the night to seal their win.
Despite the setback, the Eagles are looking forward to their next match-up against Berea College, which will be hosted at the Asbury Luce Center on Tuesday night in Wilmore at 7 pm.
A lot of positives from tonight's loss at Centre. The negatives are fixable, we have to do a better job transitioning from scoreless offensive possessions, moving on to the next play and getting stops. Getting in game shape from a few guys coming off injury will naturally make us better as well. We feel great about this team and look forward to next week's games
Russ Abner | Asbury Associate Head Coach
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Ben McNew | 24 PTS, 8-9 FG, 5-6 3PT, 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL
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Jonathan Combs | 18 PTS (Career-High), 7-10 FG, 3-4 3PT, 4 REB
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Cam Jones | 10 PTS, 4 AST, 2 STL
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Aden Slone | 7 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL
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