Cedarville (0-0) at Ashland (0-0)
Saturday, Nov. 9, 5:30 p.m.
Kates Gymnasium, Ashland, Ohio
Setting The Scene
The Eagles are the defending NCAA Division II champions. They open their season against non-conference foe Cedarville…AU returns two starters from last year's team, which went 37-1…this is the first basketball game to be played in renovated Kates Gymnasium…Ashland leads the all-time series with Cedarville, 8-3.
About the Eagles
AU has a 43-game home winning streak and ended last season with a 13-game winning streak. The last time the Eagles lost at Kates Gymnasium was to Findlay, 81-73 in overtime on Jan. 29, 2011…the Eagles are ranked 15th in the nation. Ashland is picked to win the GLIAC South Division in the conference preseason poll…over the last two seasons Ashland has won a pair of GLIAC championships, two Midwest Region crowns and has put together a 70-3 record…sophomore guard Taylor Woods is AU's top returning scorer at 12.3 ppg. She had a team-high 74 treys last season and shot .424 from beyond the three-point line. She was named second team All-GLIAC in 2012-13…senior guard Alyssa Miller is in her fourth season as a starter. Miller is Ashland's career leader in assists and has the two highest single-season assist totals in school history. Last season, Miller averaged 10.3 ppg., had 192 assists and was named first team All-GLIAC and was a member of the GLIAC all-defensive team…last season the Eagles outscored the opposition by 21.6 ppg…head coach Sue Ramsey is in her 19th year at Ashland. Her overall record is 419-237. On the AU bench she is 324-199. Ramsey is AU's career leader in victories.
About Cedarville
The Yellow Jackets are gunning for their sixth consecutive 20-win season. Last year's team was 20-10. Cedarville was competing as an NCAA Division II institution for the first time a year ago…the Yellow Jackets compete in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and return five starters from last season and 12 of 13 players on last year's roster…the Yellow Jackets are coming off of a 110-47 win over Earlham in a preseason game. Cedarville shot 79 percent from the field in that game…Kayla Jenerette, a 5-4 senior guard, is the top returning scorer – she averaged 16.0 ppg., last season. She had 20 points and six assists against Earlham. Raegan Ryan, a 5-5 junior guard, averaged 10.3 ppg., last season and led the Yellow Jackets in assists (137) and steals (47)…Kayla Linkus, a 5-10 sophomore forward, had 24 points against Earlham…head coach Kirk Martin is starting his 13th year with the Yellow Jackets. His career record at the school is 313-68.
Up Next
AU will welcome Indianapolis to town on Sunday, Nov. 17 (2 p.m.). Those teams played in the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament last season.
AU
WBB/ALK
