Box Score With five minutes left in regulation on Saturday (Jan. 23) afternoon, the No. 4-ranked Ashland University women's basketball team trailed at Wayne State, 63-58, and the Eagles' many win streaks were in jeopardy.
Despite that – and two last-second 3-point field goals by the Warriors to force both a first and second overtime period – Ashland prevailed in Detroit, Mich., 92-82. The Eagles move to 18-0 overall and 12-0 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Warriors are 8-10, 3-9.
Ashland, which came into the day as one of four undefeated women's basketball teams in Division II, leads both the GLIAC overall and South Division standings by three games with 10 regular-season conference games remaining.
In addition to an 18-game overall winning streak, the Eagles kept their other winning streaks alive, as well – 22 consecutive regular-season wins, 16 straight GLIAC regular-season victories and 10 road/neutral-site wins in a row.
There were many key players and performances for Ashland along the way on Saturday. Sophomore forward Andi Daugherty scored a career-high 32 points to go with 13 rebounds for her 12th career double-double. She was 9-for-10 from the free-throw line, and added four assists and three steals.
In wins at Findlay on Thursday (Jan. 21) and at Wayne State, Daugherty finished the week with 53 points (her highest back-to-back total at Ashland), 21 boards, nine assists and eight steals while going 18-for-21 from the foul line.
Both senior guard McKenzie Miller and junior guard Alex Henning scored 18 points, while sophomore forward Laina Snyder finished with 15 points, a career-high-tying 18 rebounds (her 21st career double-double), three assists, four steals and two blocks.
Ashland had a 58-51 rebounding advantage, grabbing its most boards since Nov. 15, 2014 against Urbana (65). The Eagles turned the ball over just nine times, and converted 16 Warrior turnovers into 16 points.
Unofficially, according to research conducted by Liberty University assistant athletics communications director Joe Carmany, AU head coach Robyn Fralick has tied the record for most consecutive wins to begin a Division II head coaching career. The NCAA does not keep official records in this category.
Snyder scored Ashland's first seven points, including her first-ever collegiate 3-point field goal make (and attempt), then Daugherty scored the Eagles' next five points en route to a 12-6 lead with 4:47 left in the opening quarter. Wayne State, however, closed the first trailing by a single point at 17-16.
The start of the second quarter stayed close, then became a back-and-forth affair. Ahead 26-24, Ashland went on a 9-2 run, but Wayne State countered with five straight points to trail 35-31 at the break.
The Warriors then scored the first eight points of the third quarter to take a 39-35 lead, finishing off a 13-0 run. AU continued to battle, and a Daugherty put-back tied the game at 50 with 38 seconds left until the fourth quarter.
Ashland trailed 52-50 entering the fourth, and the contest was tied at 56 before the Warriors scored five straight points. Trailing 63-58, the Eagles six straight to take a 64-63 lead inside of the two-minute mark.
Back-and-forth the game went, and AU went ahead again 66-65 with 1:10 remaining. Miller hit both free throws with 29 ticks left to increase the Ashland lead to three, but the Warriors tied the game with a triple just seven seconds later.
In the first overtime, Wayne State led 73-70 before three straight Eagles points retied the contest at 73 with 1:35 to go. After a Warrior layup, Miller's trey gave Ashland a 76-75 advantage at the 55-second mark. With 27 ticks remaining, Henning split two charity tosses, then grabbed the offensive rebound, setting up another 1-for-2 showing to put AU up by three.
Yet another late Wayne State 3-pointer, however, sent the game into a second overtime period.
In double OT, Henning began the period with a layup, an assist and a 3-pointer on three of AU's first four baskets, and the Eagles went ahead 87-80 and didn't look back.
Ashland will return to Kates Gymnasium on Thursday (Jan. 28) at 5:30 p.m. for a GLIAC South contest against second-place Ohio Dominican (14-4, 9-3).
EAGLE NUGGETS: The Eagles are 131-21 (.862) in their last 152 games…Saturday marked Ashland's first double-overtime game since Jan. 5, 2011 at Findlay, and the program's first extra-session win since Feb. 20, 2014 at Ohio Dominican…The sophomore trio of Snyder, Daugherty and Julie Worley have led or co-led Ashland in rebounds in all 52 games together…The Eagles have won all five games in Michigan in 2015-16, and are 29-9 (.763) in the state up north since the start of 2010-11...AU now boasts four active players with at least 700 career points – junior forward Suzy Wollenhaupt (807), Snyder (752), Miller (721) and Daugherty (712).
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