It took an extra five minutes, but Tiffin University's men's basketball squad (8-12, 3-9 GMAC) posted an upset of visiting Ashland with a 100-97 overtime victory.
The Dragons led for most of the contest, holding the lead for over 37 minutes of the game and leading by as much as 14 points in the first half. They opened on a 21-9 run to set the early tone, but Ashland flipped the script with an 18-5 run that vaulted them ahead 27-26 with 8:00 left in the first half.
The Dragons quickly regrouped, outscoring the Eagles the rest of the half 26-15 to post a 52-42 halftime margin.
In the second half, TU continued to hold a narrow lead throughout the half, but a pair of free throws by the Eagles finally put them on top 88-86 with just seconds remaining in regulation. Trent Williams missed a three point shot with 3 seconds left but Luke Johnson was there for the rebound and the putback with just 0.8 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
In the overtime period, the Dragons came up big at the line, hitting on 10 of 11 free throws over the final 2:16 of the game to secure the narrow victory.
Both teams shot well from the floor, with Ashland hitting 56 percent and TU 55 percent of their shots. Rebounding was also even, with AU holding a 31-30 edge, but the Dragons held a 17-10 advantage at the free throw line.
Tanner Johnson led the Dragons with 25 points and 9 rebounds, including 7 for 11 from three point land. Williams also had 21 points, and Wesley Jordan finished with 16 points inside. Luke Johnson hit double digits with 12 points and 7 rebounds, and Morgan Taylor made it five Dragons in double figures with 12 points.