Box Score Coming into Saturday (Jan. 9) afternoon's home game against Michigan Tech, Ashland University's women's basketball team led both the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference South Division and the league overall.
Following Saturday's game, the No. 7-ranked Eagles still do, thanks to a 69-63 victory over the Huskies at Kates Gymnasium. AU is 14-0 overall and 8-0 in the GLIAC halfway through the regular season, while Tech is 8-4, 6-2.
"The win was a tough win," said Ashland head coach Robyn Fralick. "We really had to earn it. Every time you play Tech, they're in every game. They're tough. They're disciplined. We had some lapses, but I was really proud of the way we finished the game.
"You know when you play Michigan Tech…every battle we have with them, every possession is so critical."
Post-game Comments
Ashland's 14 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.
The Eagles, who lead the South Division by two games over Findlay and Walsh, came into Saturday as one of seven undefeated women's basketball teams in Division II – six of which were in action on Saturday. AU also has won all seven home games in 2015-16, and 19 games in a row at "The Kates."
Sophomore forward Andi Daugherty paced Ashland's offense with 24 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
"We took care of non-conference, and now we've taken care of the North, and now we have the South," Daugherty said. "Just one game at a time. This was like a tournament atmosphere. We persevered, and I think it will really help us in the long run."
Sophomore forward Laina Snyder added 16 points, a game-high nine rebounds and six steals, and two assists.
The Eagles shot 50.8 percent from the field, including 56.7 percent in the second half. AU forced 15 Tech turnovers, which led to 20 points.
Saturday's first half was as close as one would expect when the Eagles and Huskies get together. The first quarter ended with a 16-15 Tech lead, and the halftime score was 28-28. In the game's first 20 minutes, neither team had a lead any bigger than four points, and there were nine lead changes and five tie scores.
The second half is when AU began to pull away, leading 54-42 after three periods. The Huskies, however, wouldn't go away, cutting their deficit to two points at 60-58 with 3:01 remaining.
Ashland never trailed down the stretch, and when a key bucket was needed, Daugherty answered with a layup with 30 seconds to play to put Ashland ahead 66-63.
"Big games call for big performances, and I thought everyone on the team had a great game today," Daugherty said.
The Eagles will conclude their three-game homestand on Thursday (Jan. 14) at 5:30 p.m. against Walsh (9-4, 6-2), in the start of South Division play. It will be Danny Krispinsky Night, a benefit for the AU head women's soccer coach in his fight against cancer, at Kates Gymnasium.
EAGLE NUGGETS: Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Ashland is 146-31 (.825) overall, 93-19 (.830) in the GLIAC and 77-10 (.885) at home…The sophomore trio of Snyder, Daugherty and Julie Worley have led or co-led Ashland in rebounds in all 48 games together...Senior guard McKenzie Miller had six assists on Saturday, and has 24 helpers in the last four games.
Late-Game Baskets
AU
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