The No. 11-ranked Ashland University women's basketball team finished its first week in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference atop the league's standings following a 79-52 win at Cedarville on Saturday (Dec. 4) afternoon.
In winning the early-season game for first place in the conference, the Eagles improve to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the Great Midwest. The Yellow Jackets are 4-2, 1-1.
"I thought we put together as close to a 40-minute basketball game as we have all year," said Ashland head coach
Kari Pickens. "We were able to take a few things away, and, offensively, I thought we did a lot of good things. I'm excited to continue to take a few steps forward.
"We're really excited to be in the GMAC. We're renewing some old rivalries."
The Eagles kept Cedarville, which came into the game as the top-ranked offense in the conference at 82.0 points per game, to 30 points less than its season average coming in.
Ashland is 18-11 all-time vs. Cedarville.
WHAT HAPPENED
- A first quarter filled with runs saw the Eagles go up early by an 8-2 count, then the Yellow Jackets score the next points, then AU go on a 15-4 run to end the period leading 24-13.
- Ashland went into the locker room leading 38-27, and the catalysts were an offense which had a 50.0 field-goal percentage, and a defense which forced eight turnovers and kept Cedarville to 34.5 percent from the floor.
- The Eagles kept the Yellow Jackets at a distance in the third quarter, leading 58-42 at the end of the period, and went on to victory from there.
- Junior forward Annie Roshak paced four Eagles in double-digit scoring with a game-high 21 points to go with six rebounds and three blocks. Senior forward Karlee Pireu came off the bench for 14 points and eight rebounds, and with 1,286 career points, moved past Sue Rupp into 12th place on the program's all-time scoring list.
- "Depth is one of our biggest strengths on the team this year," Pickens said. "We have a deep bench, and we want to be able to utilize it."
- Sophomore guard Macy Spielman scored 11 points, and senior guard Hallie Heidemann added 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the victory.
- "I thought we played 40 minutes of Eagle basketball," Spielman said. "We gave it everything we had and did our principles very well. That game was really fun. It was a huge win for our team."
- Said Pickens, "I'm really pleased with Macy's progress so far this year. She had a lot to learn, and she's really put in the work to get better, to understand our system, and it's definitely showed."
- The Eagles shot 50.8 percent from the field, and kept the Yellow Jackets with 30.2 percent.
UP NEXT
Ashland will play its first home Great Midwest game at the Sherill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium on Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. vs. Lake Erie.
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