TIFFIN, Ohio - Junior Joe Graessle broke the single-season record for steals as the Tiffin University men's basketball team (10-17, 7-14 GLIAC) lost 80-72 to Ashland (12-12, 10-11 GLIAC), Saturday afternoon at the Gillmor Center.

For the first six minutes neither team was able to gain an advantage. Graessle hit a jumper to give Tiffin a 13-11 lead with 13:42 to go. Ashland closed the half with a 24-11 run to lead by 11.

The Dragons shot just 32% from the floor and 33.3% behind the arc. The Eagles shot 52.2% from the floor and 50% on three-pointers.

In the second half, it appeared the game was over as AU led 59-43 with 10:41. Then Graessle caught on fire for TU. Tiffin went on a 25-14 run with Graessle scoring 16. Freshman Khaleal McCormick hit a jumper to make it 73-68 with 1:22 to go. That was as close as the Dragons could get.

For Tiffin, Graessle had 33 points and seven steals, extending his 20+ scoring streak to 12 games. He also broke the single-season record with 102 steals. The old mark had been 101 by Elmer Jackson (1981-82). McCormick had 14 off the bench and senior Isaiah Twine had five assists.

For Ashland, Will Evans had 18 points and Brook Turson scored 14.

Tiffin closes 2012-13, Saturday, March 2 when they play Ohio Dominican. The game is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. Live Stats will be available at http://livestats.prestosports.com/ohiodominican/

-TIFFIN UNIVERSITY-