Box Score The last time larceny paid off like this Blackbeard was sporting a five o'clock shadow.
The AU women's basketball team forced Walsh into 20 turnovers Friday (Dec. 30) at Kates Gymnasium and enjoyed a 26-8 advantage in points off of turnovers. Thanks in large part to that spread, the Eagles downed the Cavaliers, 72-43 for their 10th consecutive win.
Add in the game on Dec. 19 at Northwood and the Eagles have forced 44 turnovers in the last two games. In those two contests they have a 53-17 edge in points off of turnovers.
The Eagles (10-1), ranked 25th in the country, never trailed on Friday. AU scored the game's first 12 points. The first Walsh points didn't come until Kristi Yoder hit a jumper with 14:53 left in the first half. With 14 minutes left in the half, AU was ahead, 15-4.
Walsh (6-7) had five turnovers in the first six minutes and missed its first five field goal tries. The Eagles had a 38-23 halftime lead.
Ashland outrebounded the Cavaliers, 42-32. The Eagles grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and had a 15-3 edge in second chance points. Junior forward-guard Kari Daugherty (Fresno, Ohio/Dayton) led the Eagles with 23 points and 13 rebounds. She was 9-of-18 from the field. Her line also included four assists, three steals and a pair of blocked shots.
The only other AU player to score in double figures was sophomore forward Ashley Dorner (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork). She had 12 points. Sophomore guard Alyssa Miller (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri-Valley) had nine points, seven assists and six rebounds. The Eagles did a good job of moving the ball and involving everyone in the offense. AU had 10 players put a mark in the scoring column.
Tanisha Lawler came off the bench to lead the Cavaliers with 10 points.
This was Ashland's first game since winning at Northwood on Dec. 19. While the Eagles might not have been as sharp offensively as they were at Hillsdale (Dec. 17) and Northwood, there was no rust on the defensive end of the court. Walsh shot just 36 percent (20-of-55) from the field and went 1-of-9 from three-point range. This marked the third time this season AU held a team to less than 50 points. This was just a point off of AU's season best for points allowed - 42 points against Saint Joseph's on Nov. 27.
The Eagles are idle until they host Findlay on Thursday, Jan. 5 (5:30 p.m.).
AU
WBKB/ALK
