WILMORE, Ky. --- Asbury men's basketball (0-6, 0-0 CCS) came up short in an NCAA Division III non-conference matchup with Aurora University (3-3, 0-1 NCAA) on Tuesday afternoon in the Luce Center in Wilmore, Ky., 83-80.
The game opened with an early lead for Aurora as Devon Richardson scored two of his 24 total points on the day. Asbury junior finance major
Luke Imfeld quickly responded, making a three to begin his season-high 19-point game.
Despite Asbury scoring 49 first-half points, the Spartans from Aurora went into the halftime break with a slight 52-49 lead, going 20-36 from the field at 56% shooting in the half. The Eagles shot 52% from the field in the half with four made threes.
The second period was marked by a strong comeback from Asbury, charged by four more three-pointers to equal eight made threes in the game. Sophomore sport management major
Isaiah Stephan led with three from distance, while Imfeld and
Jonathan Combs each made two threes.
A back-and-forth game in the first-ever meeting between Asbury and Aurora saw five ties and six lead changes, with Asbury leading 65-58 with 12:02 remaining. In the final 12 minutes of the game, Aurora used a 25-15 scoring run to secure the 83-80 win.
Key players for Asbury included Imfeld, who led the scoring with 19 points, and Combs with 17 points. Sophomore guard
Jordan Lewis scored 15 points and dished five assists for the Eagles, and Stephan, who not only scored 14 points but also grabbed a team-high five rebounds and two steals.
"Another close game against a really good team. We led late, and just weren't able to make the right plays, defensively and offensively, to close it out. This tough schedule early will prepare us for what we'll face come conference play. We will stay the course and keep working to get over these early-season hurdles."
Russ Abner | Asbury Associate Head Coach
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Luke Imfeld | 19 PTS, 6-12 FG, 2 3PT
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Jonathan Combs | 17 PTS, 4 REB, 2 3PT
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Jordan Lewis | 15 PTS, 5 AST, 3 REB, 2 STL
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Isaiah Stephan | 14 PTS, 3 3PT, 5 REB
Asbury will host Earlham College at 3 pm on Saturday in the Luce Center.
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