Hallmarks Return For Eagle Women In Home Win Over SVSU

It had been more than seven years since Ashland University's women's basketball team had lost three games in a row.

The Eagles made it obvious from the jump on Saturday (Jan. 23) that the streak wouldn't become four, as they topped Saginaw Valley State, 80-64, at Kates Gymnasium. Ashland improves to 3-3 overall and in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Cardinals go to 2-4, 2-4.

"I was so proud of how we responded," said Ashland head coach Kari Pickens. "It's been a tough couple of games, that I think we've learned a lot from and have been able to grow. That performance was a showcase of that.

"It was just fun to get the win."
 
STRONG EFFORTS ON BOTH ENDS GIVE AU BIG EARLY LEAD
It didn't take long for the start of Saturday's game to look different than the beginning of Friday's, as back-to-back defense-to-offense fast-break layups by sophomore forward Annie Roshak and freshman forward Erica Warren, making her first collegiate start, put AU on top, 4-0. The advantage became 8-1, then 10-3, then upped to a double-digit lead for the first time at 17-6.

By the end of the opening period, the Eagles led 24-12, and the differences statistically were obvious – a 13-6 AU rebounding advantage, 8 assists on 10 Eagle field goals (71.4-percent shooting), and a defensive showing which kept the Cardinals to 5-of-17 from the floor.

"We talked a lot about punching first, being the aggressor at first," said Pickens. "And what a difference it made. We went back-and-forth with Saginaw the rest of the game. They're a very good team."
 
BALANCED SCORING HIGHLIGHTS EAGLE ADVANTAGE AT THE BREAK
Ashland continued to extend its lead in the second quarter, as an 8-4 spurt lifted the team to a 16-point bulge at the media timeout. At halftime, the Eagles led 42-27, as there was plenty of scoring balance to go around – Roshak 12 points, senior forward Karlee Pireu eight, junior guard Erin Daniels seven, Warren six, freshman guard Sydney Jacobson five, and junior guard Hallie Heidemann and junior forward Kayla Sanders two each.
 
QUICK RUN TO START SECOND HALF SINKS CARDINALS
A Daniels layup and a Heidemann 3-pointer put Ashland up by 20 points early in the third, and at halfway through the stanza, that lead was upped to 25 points at 58-33. The Eagles kept the Cardinals at arm's length for the rest of the third, ending it at 65-48, and they went on to victory from there, despite a late SVSU rally.
 
THE SUMMARY
Roshak led all game scorers with 25 points, and paced four Eagles with double-digit points. She is averaging 24.0 points through her first four games of 2020-21.

"It was a good team win. We needed that after coming off of three tough ones," Roshak said. "I feel like we finally put that all together today."

Daniels came off the bench for 16 in 27 minutes, Pireu added a dozen, and Heidemann ended with 10.

"Really proud of Erin Daniels," Pickens said. "I thought she stepped up in a big way tonight."

Daniels said, "Coach P talked in our pregame that it takes every single person, and we all have to be our best for our team to be the best. It's stuck with me, and that's what it takes. It was a great win, and it was fun."

Ashland shot 55.9 percent from the field, while keeping SVSU to 42.4 percent. The Eagles scored 14 points on the Cardinals' 15 turnovers, and had 21 assists on 33 made field goals.

"Our intensity on defense absolutely translated into easy buckets," Pickens said.
 
NEXT UP – TUESDAY AT HOME VS. WAYNE STATE
Ashland will play its third game in five days on Tuesday (Jan. 26) at home at 4 p.m. vs. Wayne State (4-2, 4-2).

"I'm excited just to carry the momentum that we have from this game into the games ahead," Pickens said.