Beginning a stretch of eight home games out of the next 11 contests, the No. 10-ranked Ashland University women's basketball team ran away from Lake Erie on Saturday (Dec. 11) afternoon, 90-34, at the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium.
The Eagles improve to 7-1 overall and 3-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference after their first-ever league game at home, and the Storm are 1-8, 0-4.
"We just keep taking steps forward," said Ashland head coach
Kari Pickens, who moves to 70 games above .500 guiding the Eagles (83-13). "As long as we keep taking steps forward and growing throughout the course of the year, I think this team can do something special."
Saturday's game was AU's 700
th conference contest (420-280) all-time between the Greater Ohio Athletic Conference, Great Lakes Valley Conference, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Great Midwest.
Ashland moves to 237-16 (.937) all-time as a ranked team in the NCAA Division II coaches poll.
WHAT HAPPENED
- It took the Eagles three chances on the first possession of the game to score. It wasn't as difficult the rest of the way, beginning with a 13-0 run which forced a Storm timeout. By the end of the first quarter, Ashland led 21-0, and that isn't the first time the Eagles blanked the Storm in the first quarter of a game – it also happened at home, 23-0, on Feb. 25, 2016.
- "When we play Ashland basketball, and stick to our identity points, my hope is that we can take people out of what they want to do," said Pickens.
- The run finally stopped at 27-0, thanks to a Storm layup at the 8:27 mark of the second quarter. At halftime, Ashland took a 47-6 lead into the locker room, after turning the ball over only once, and keeping Lake Erie to 3-of-23 shooting from the floor.
- Four Eagles scored in double figures, led by freshman forward Hayley Smith, who posted a career-high 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting, in just 15 minutes.
- "We have a really deep team, and that's something as a coach, I love," Pickens said.
- Sophomore guard Macy Spielman added 15 points and six rebounds, junior forward Annie Roshak chipped in with 14 points, and senior guard Erin Daniels scored 10.
- Senior forward Kayla Sanders played nine minutes off the bench, and went for nine points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field.
- "They've been in the gym," Pickens said. "It's not a magic wand. It's work that they have put in to get to this point. I'm proud of her (Sanders') performance. And Hayley, I have to keep reminding people, she's a freshman. She just keeps growing every single game."
- The Eagles shot 53.0 percent from the field, turned the ball over just five times, and had a decided 44-30 rebounding advantage. Ashland kept the Storm to 26.0 percent from the floor and forced 21 turnovers.
UP NEXT
Ashland's women are off for finals week, then return to the court on Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. at Tiffin (4-5, 1-2).
AU
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