Box Score LINK – ASHLAND UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE
The question always comes up following a big win – will there be a letdown in the upcoming game?
Ashland University's women's basketball team, ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II, answered that with an emphatic "no" on Saturday (Jan. 11) afternoon. The Eagles, coming off of their win over No. 3 Grand Valley State at home on Thursday (Jan. 9) night, topped Davenport at Kates Gymnasium, 101-72.
With the victory, Ashland remains alone in first place in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings at 15-0 overall and 7-0 in the league. The Panthers are 5-10, 0-7.
"We just came off of a really tough stretch of basketball," said Ashland head coach Kari Pickens. "To be able to come home and two big wins, I was proud of our team for that.
"Offensively, we were firing on all cylinders. To be able to score 101 points and have 29 assists, I was very, very pleased offensively. We came out with a lot of energy. Overall, I was incredibly proud of our team's effort."
Ashland is 6-0 all-time against Davenport.
THE MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
- The two teams traded baskets early on, but thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from sophomore guard Hallie Heidemann, the Eagles led 10-6. By the time the Panthers took a timeout 3:27 in, Ashland had a 14-7 advantage.
- With 5:05 to go in the opening period, senior point guard Renee Stimpert's behind-the-back pass (her fifth assist of the game to that point) to freshman forward Annie Roshak resulted in a layup and an 18-9 lead. At the end of one, the Eagles led 27-18, Stimpert had six helpers, Ashland hit 11-of-18 from the field, and AU's rebounding advantage was 10-4.
- Senior guard Jodi Johnson's layup with 7:09 remaining in the first half lifted Ashland to a 35-22 lead, leading to a Davenport timeout. The Eagles continued to extend that lead to end the first half, and that was 51-33 at the break thanks to a field-goal percentage of 60.0, and a defense which forced 14 turnovers.
- While the scoring pace slowed down early in the third quarter, Ashland's lead increased. Just outside of the five-minute mark, Stimpert's between-the-legs pass for a Johnson layup made the Eagles' lead 62-37. By the second media timeout of the third, the Eagles were up, 67-42, on the way to victory.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Five Eagles scored in double figures, paced by Johnson, whose 24 points led all game scorers. Johnson added five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
"With this team, I'm not surprised," Johnson said of being undefeated through 15 games. "We've put in the work, and game in and game out, we have the same energy and the same mindset."
- Heidemann was next with 17 points, including five triples. Junior forward Karlee Pireu added 13 points, four assists and a team-high four steals, Roshak came off the bench for a dozen points, and senior forward Sara Loomis ended with 11. Loomis' 1,211 career points now put her in 15th place in Ashland women's basketball history, and one point shy of Jackie Mason (1,212) for 14th place.
"When I think of this team, I think of sacrifice," Pireu said. "Doing whatever you have to do to put your team in the best position to win."
- Stimpert was just shy of a second straight double-double, racking up nine points and nine assists in the victory.
- The Eagles boasted 29 assists on 40 made field goals, as they shot 61.5 percent from the field, 48.1 percent from beyond the arc, and a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line. AU also scored 32 points following 26 Panther turnovers.
- This marks the third time Ashland's women have reached the century mark in scoring in 2019-20, and the first time since back-to-back such contests on Nov. 9 and 14.
- For Davenport, Jenna Falkenberg scored a team-high 19 points.
UP NEXT
Back on the road for another GLIAC game on Thursday (Jan. 16) at 6 p.m. at Purdue Northwest.
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