Box Score ASHLAND, Ohio – For the first time in 10 seasons, the Ashland women's basketball team is off to a 6-0 start. In the latest win, the Eagles used a huge second half to polish off a 75-56 win over Hillsdale on Thursday (Dec. 2).
The Eagles (6-0, 1-0 GLIAC) have won their first six games for the first time since the 2000-01 season. The last time Ashland won seven straight to start the season was in 1996-97 when it won its first 12 games.
Ashland had to fight back from a large deficit in the first half as the Chargers (5-1, 0-1 GLIAC) scored 13 of the first 15 points of the game. The Eagles slowly clawed back into the game and eventually took a 29-28 lead after a layup by senior forward Liz Tyler (Monroeville, Ohio) with under a minute left in the first half. Junior guard Jena Stutzman (Berlin, Ohio/Berlin Hiland/Kent State) hit a three-pointer with five seconds left to give AU a 32-28 lead heading into the break.
The Eagles hit five of their first six field goals in the second half and extended the lead to 42-30 after a jumper by Stutzman. Ashland eventually built its lead to 21 points with just under eight minutes to play after freshman guard Alyssa Miller (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri-Valley) knocked down a three-pointer.
Ashland shot lights-out in the second half, firing at a 59 percent (16-for-27) clip after hitting on only 31 percent in the first half. The Eagles led in every hustle category in the second half (17-2 in points off turnovers, 22-10 in points in the paint, 10-0 on the fast-break).
For the game, AU out-rebounded the Chargers, 44-30, as Tyler and sophomore forward Daiva Gerbec (Dublin, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) each piled up eight rebounds. All nine Eagles had at least two rebounds and all played at least 11 minutes.
Sophomore guard Lindsay Tenyak (Wadsworth, Ohio) led the Eagles with 18 points in just 16 minutes off the bench. She was 6-for-8 from the field, including a 4-for-5 mark from three-point range.
Four other players finished in double figures. Gerbec had 16 points and three blocks, Miller finished with 13 points and Stutzman with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals. Senior guard Rachel Poorman (Zanesville, Ohio/Maysville) added 10 points, seven rebounds and a team-high four assists.
The Eagles continued their excellent defense, limiting the Chargers to just 37 percent shooting and forcing them into 18 turnovers.
Chelsea Harrison and Angela Bisaro had 10 points each to lead Hillsdale.
Ashland will travel to Detroit on Saturday (Dec. 4) for a scheduled 3 p.m. tip-off at Wayne State (0-6, 0-1 GLIAC), which fell to Lake Erie on Thursday.
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