It was quite an experience. Fourteen players scored for the Eagles - six had double digits. Michael Spann led the way with 19 points, followed by T.J. Chinn with 14 points and seven rebounds. Brian Johnson collected eight points, eight boards and five assists.
Asbury set the tone in the first half, racing out to a 41-4 lead with less than six minutes left.
When the halftime buzzer sounded, the Eagles led 64-16 and had not committed a turnover compared to 14 assists.
The Preachers (0-7) on the other hand, had not picked up an assist but committed 20 turnovers. During three different stretches in the half, Johnson Bible went three consecutive possessions with a turnover. The big lead allowed for Asbury players to relax and work on their offense.
"It was good to have a home game again, get comfortable and know that if you miss this shot, it doesn't necessarily cost you the game," Shouse said. "So these shots, believe it or not, will help us in the bigger games."
Shouse used his bench liberally throughout the game. Tyler Logsdon logged the most minutes with just over 18.
The coach didn't want to keep throwing his starters out there, but he was also using the game as a tryout to see who will jump into the spot of sophomore forward Cory Britt, who is out until January with a wrist injury.
"I'm looking for that spot, kind of a (small forward) spot, kind of our non-ball-handling guard," Shouse said. "I'm looking at Tyler Logsdon and Patrick Crouse and some of those guys, not necessarily for big minutes, but for some minutes that will help us out."
Logsdon scored just three points in his 18 minutes, but he grabbed five rebounds, four assists and four steals as well as showing solid defense. The junior said he's up to the task of filling in for Britt if need be.
"I've been waiting a long time for it," he said of getting a chance to log significant time. "I like to fight in the trenches. I like to get rebounds, D people up. I don't really need a whole lot of stats to keep me happy. I was a point guard in high school anyway, so I like racking up assists and getting other people points."
At the end of the day, Shouse will take the easy victory, especially after going on a tough stretch over the last two weeks, losing three of five games.
"It's good to get in here and boost morale a little bit and keep going on the right track," he said. "There's some games in the next two weeks that we really want to win."
Asbury will play in the Berea Classic this weekend before returning home Dec. 9 against Boyce College.
