Box Score Anyone who's guessed their way through a multiple choice test can sympathize with the Walsh women's basketball team.
Like so many teams that have faced the Ashland University Eagles this season, the first question that is asked is, "What do we try to take away?" Many times, the answer is to try and control senior forwards Kari Daugherty (Fresno, Ohio/Dayton) and Daiva Gerbec (Dublin, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) and junior guard Alyssa Miller (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri-Valley).
Here's what doesn't work, trying to quiet the Eagles with an "All of the Above," approach. Scratch your head, furrow your brow and nibble on your eraser, solving the puzzle about how to slow down the Eagles can be as daunting as a senior chemistry lab at MIT.
Thursday (Jan. 10) at Walsh's Alumni Arena, the Cavaliers watched as the Eagles got answers from every edge of the stat sheet. The Eagles rolled to a 79-53 win. Ashland, ranked first in the country, is 16-0, 9-0 in GLIAC play. This was AU's first game against a GLIAC South Division opponent this season.
Here are questions the Cavaliers (4-8/1-7) had to face.
Q – How strong is AU's supporting cast?
A – Senior guard Lindsay Tenyak (Wadsworth, Ohio) had 16 points – all in the first half – to lead the Eagles to a 41-19 halftime lead. Tenyak was 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-9 from three-point range. Tenyak is one of the best three-point shooters in school history. She has 161 triples in her career.
Q- Is the AU bench a legitimate weapon?
A- In the early part of this season, guard-forward Ashley Dorner (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork) has had to contend with some knee issues. She's shown steady improvement each week and at Walsh, she scored a season-high 20 points to go with 10 rebounds in 21 minutes. Dorner, a second team all-conference pick a season ago, was 7-of-12 from the field and 6-for-6 at the free throw line. The AU reserves outscored the Walsh bench, 32-17.
Q – Will Ashland's intensity wane here in the middle of the season?
A – If this game is any indication, the answer is no. In the first half, Ashland forced the Cavaliers into 11 turnovers. After 20 minutes, AU had one turnover. For the game, the Eagles forced 21 turnovers. AU gave the ball away four times and led in points off of turnovers, 20-2.
Q – Would the Eagles have tired legs after a trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula last week?
A – We should all have "heavy legs like this. The Eagles outrebounded the Cavaliers, 50-39. Daugherty had 12 points and 16 rebounds. This was her 33rd consecutive double-double. Gerbec finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
At this point in mid-January, the questions are few for the Eagles. This was AU's 41st straight regular season victory. The Eagles have won 49 of their last 51 games. They have not lost to a GLIAC entrant since the end of the 2010-11 season.
This was the first time AU and Walsh have played with both teams belonging to the conference. Walsh is playing a GLIAC schedule for the first time. This is a program that just two years ago, went 30-5 and went to the NAIA national semifinals so the Cavs know a little bit about winning.
In this game, the Cavaliers got 11 points each from Lydia Cole and Maggie Berg. Cole also had nine rebounds. Tracy Payne scored 10 points.
This is the first of two meetings between the schools. The return engagement will be in Ashland on Feb. 7.
AU wraps up a four-game road swing on Saturday (Jan. 12, 3 p.m.) with a GLIAC game at Malone.
AU
WBB/ALK
