Box Score Ashland University's women's basketball team went through the 2015-16 non-conference and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division schedules unblemished.
After one game in GLIAC South Division play, it remains business as usual for the No. 6-ranked Eagles, as they improved to 15-0 overall and 9-0 in the conference following an 78-64 win over Walsh (9-5, 6-3) on Thursday (Jan. 14) night at Kates Gymnasium.
AU, which came into Thursday one of just five NCAA Division II undefeated women's basketball teams, continues to lead the overall GLIAC standings, as well as the South (by three games over Findlay, Ohio Dominican and Walsh), and has won 20 consecutive home games.
"We don't really talk about a number of wins or streaks," said Ashland head coach Robyn Fralick. "We talk about (how) it's our sacred space. We talk about that a lot. The kids know that playing at Kates is a special place to play."
Coach Fralick's Post-Game Comments
Ashland's 15 consecutive wins to begin the season marks the program's second-best start, only trailing the 24 in a row won at the start of the 2012-13 national championship season.
Sophomore forward Laina Snyder paced the AU offense with 17 points, while junior guard Kelsey Peare added 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
"It was fun," Peare said. "We started out a little slow, but once we got into it, we really just ran the court well, played defense and really put it together.
"I'm glad the shots went in. It's so much fun. We just love being around each other, cheering each other on, everything."
Sophomore forward Julie Worley came off the bench for 13 points and four rebounds in 19 minutes, while junior guard Alex Henning had 10 points and five boards.
Ashland shot 53.6 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from 3-point range, and had 21 assists on 30 baskets.
The Eagles trailed 14-5 in the first 4:04 of the game before outscoring the Cavaliers 35-12 for the remainder of the first half to take a 40-26 lead into the break. Ashland never looked back.
"We weren't playing tough enough," Fralick said of the game's first six minutes. "We were getting out-run down the court, we weren't matching up in transition, we weren't being strong with the ball in a crowd. We got a little bit tougher, we settled in and made a run."
Ashland will begin a three-game GLIAC road swing on Saturday (Jan. 16) at 1 p.m. at Malone (5-9, 2-7).
EAGLE NUGGETS: Since the start of the 2011-12 season, the Eagles are 128-21 (.859) overall, 82-12 (.872) in the GLIAC and 68-8 (.895) at home…The sophomore trio of Snyder, Andi Daugherty (a team-high eight rebounds on Thursday night) and Worley have led or co-led Ashland in rebounds in all 49 games together...AU has shot better than 50 percent from the field in six games in 2015-16.
Game Highlights
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