Box Score Unlucky number 13 proved to be just what the Ashland University women's basketball team needed on Thursday night (Jan. 13) at Kates Gymnasium.
For those superstitious folks, the number 13 belongs in the same closet with black cats. For that crowd, you might as well walk under a ladder as try to escape fate when assigned the number 13.
The Eagles were playing the Tiffin Dragons for the 13th time in school history on Thursday. AU had won all 12 of the previous meetings. Was it time for fate to take a different turn in the road? The Eagles entered Thursday's game with a four-game losing streak. Tiffin had its best team in years. The Dragons came to AU with a 9-4 record, 4-3 in GLIAC play.
The Eagles didn't leave anything to fate, luck or chance in this game. Instead, they grabbed a commanding lead early in the game and rolled to a 73-41 victory. AU is 9-5, 4-3 in GLIAC play.
Ashland had a nine-point lead, 15-6 with 13:48 left in the first half. With 8:55 to play in the first half, that advantage had grown to 26-8. The Eagles would take a 38-21 lead to the locker room at halftime. At that point, AU had forced 14 turnovers and led in points off of turnovers, 16-9. The bench chipped in with 16 points first half points.
Much of AU's offense on this night centered around junior guard Jena Stutzman (Berlin, Ohio/Kent State). Stutzman scored a season-high 31 points. Nineteen of her points came in the second half. Stutzman connected on 10-of-13 field goal attempts and was 7-of-8 on free throw tries. She was 4-of-6 from three-point range. Stutzman is averaging a team-high 17.3 ppg.
The only other AU player to reach double digits was sophomore forward-center Daiva Gerbec (Dublin, Ohio/Bishop Watterson), who notched her sixth double-double of the year with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Eight of nine players on the AU roster scored at least one point.
Stutzman's performance becomes even more noteworthy when it's remembered that Tiffin has been one of the GLIAC's best defensive teams this season. The Dragons are second in the GLIAC in scoring defense (54.8 ppg.). The Eagles scored 19 points over that figure. AU also outrebounded the Dragons, 44-33 (26-13 in the second half) and coaxed Tiffin into 22 turnovers.
The last time the Dragons made a run to get back into the game came in the early stages of the second half. Tiffin scored the first seven points of the second half and trailed, 38-28 with 17:36 to play. AU righted the ship and with 13:14 to go, was in front, 48-30. The issue was never in doubt after that.
Tiffin shot 26.7 percent (16-of-60) from the floor and connected on only 4-of-14 three-point attempts. Guard Mandy Jaeb, one of the GLIAC's most reliable scorers, was limited to eight points. She joined guard Karli Mast (eight points) in leading the Dragons in scoring. The 41 points the Eagles allowed is a season low. This marked the fifth time this season AU held a team to 53 points or less.
The Eagles are idle until next Thursday (Jan. 20) when they play at Saginaw Valley State.
AU
WBB/ALK
