A game in which neither team could separate from the other for three quarters saw Ashland University's women's basketball team put together a 14-0 fourth-quarter run to lift it to a 83-68 win over Wayne State on Tuesday (Jan. 26) at Kates Gymnasium.
The victory put the Eagles back above the .500 mark at 4-3 overall and in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Warriors also are 4-3, 4-3.
"It was not a pretty game, but we found a way to win," said Ashland head coach
Kari Pickens. "And that is a mark of a team that is on a mission to do something special.
"We figured out a way to come through down the stretch."
Ashland has won back-to-back home games in a four-day span – scoring a season-high in points both times in the process.
"I think we've been getting a lot of great shots," Pickens said, "and I think we're learning how to play together and learning what each other are going to do. It all starts on the defensive end, getting stops that lead into easier points on offense."
ASHLAND JUMPS OUT ON TOP EARLY
The Eagles didn't take long to assert themselves, as a 6-0 lead on two layups from senior forward
Karlee Pireu with a layup from sophomore forward
Annie Roshak sandwiched in-between forced the Warriors into a timeout just 80 seconds in.
Wayne State did score the next six points, but the early game of runs continued when Ashland countered with five straight. When the dust settled after the game's first 10 minutes, the track-meet period saw the Eagles lead 24-22, as they had eight assists on 10 made field goals from six different players.
EAGLES, WARRIORS TRADE SHOTS IN TIGHT SECOND QUARTER
Ashland never trailed in the first half, but in the second period, the Eagles couldn't earn a lead of more than four points. At the break, the game was tied at 39, and Roshak already had tied her career high in steals with four.
The scoring balance Ashland has been looking for was on display in the first 20 minutes, as freshman guard
Sydney Jacobsen and Roshak each had nine points, junior guard
Hallie Heidemann followed with seven, Pireu and junior guard
Erin Daniels each had six, and freshman forward
Erica Warren chipped in with two.
BACK-AND-FORTH THIRD SEES AU TAKE LEAD LATE
Wayne State took its first lead of the game 16 seconds into the second half, and took its largest advantage to that point at 45-42 when Ashland took a timeout. Neither team had the ability to pull away from the other, and heading into the final period – in a game which had eight ties and six lead changes to that point – the Eagles led, 60-58.
RUN LIFTS EAGLES ABOVE .500 MARK
The Warriors continued to keep coming, as they scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to regain the advantage. At the 7:39 mark of the stanza, however, Heidemann's corner triple put AU back on top, 65-63, then a pair of Roshak charity tosses made it a four-point lead with seven minutes remaining.
With 5:43 to go, Roshak's triple rolled around and went in, and the Eagles had their largest lead of the game at 70-63. By the time Ashland's 14-0 run was over, the lead was 74-63 inside of the three-minute mark.
THE SUMMARY
Roshak, the GLIAC scoring leader coming into the day, posted a game-high 22 points to go with a career-high six steals, as well as five rebounds and two blocks. Heidemann was right behind with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and added five assists.
"Defense has never been my forte," Roshak admitted. "I'm glad that I was able to show it off a little bit tonight."
Said Heidemann, "This contributes to the team that we have here, and how much we share the ball. When one person is on, another person is making the passes to that person."
Pireu ended with 13 points, five rebounds and four steals, and Daniels rounded out four Eagles in double-digit scoring with 13 points, four boards and three helpers.
Two Warriors finished with double-doubles – Sam Cherney (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Kara Wilson (10 points, 10 rebounds).
NEXT UP – TWO MORE AT HOME VS. DAVENPORT
Two more GLIAC games at "The Kates" prior to a long road stretch – Friday and Saturday (Jan. 29-30), both at 4 p.m., vs. Davenport.
AU
WBKB/DS
