It was a hard-fought victory for Ashland University's women's basketball team on Saturday (Feb. 20) at Northwood, as the Eagles earned their first win away from Kates Gymnasium in 2020-21, 65-61.
With two more regular-season games remaining next weekend at Lake Superior State, the Eagles are 9-7 overall and in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Timberwolves are 10-6, 10-6.
Ashland and Northwood were tied at 11 in the first quarter before the Timberwolves' 7-0 spurt. The Eagles, however, answered with five points in a row to end the first, and senior forward
Karlee Pireu scored 11 of AU's 16 first-stanza points as it trailed 18-16 going into the second.
Back-to-back baskets from junior guard
Hallie Heidemann – a 3-pointer and a layup – put Ashland ahead 25-22 early in the second. The Eagle advantage had moved to 35-26 inside of 3:30 to go until the halftime break, but Northwood came up with a 10-0 run late in the first half.
Only a jumper from freshman guard
Makenna Geiser kept Ashland from trailing at the half, as it was a slim 37-36 Eagle advantage heading into the locker room. In the first 20 minutes, 11 Ashland turnovers became 13 T'Wolves points – nearly negating a 50-percent shooting half for AU.
The third quarter continued Northwood's rally, to the point where the Timberwolves led 50-44 going into the final two minutes. Ashland, however, scored the period's last six points – consecutive triples from freshman guard
Sydney Jacobsen and sophomore guard
Sam Chable – to pull even at 50-all going into the fourth.
Ashland scored the first point of the fourth to take a 51-50 lead, then Northwood countered with five points in a row. The Eagles, not backing down, scored seven in a row themselves to retake the lead at 58-55. AU led 60-57 entering the final minute, but a Timberwolves layup with less than 30 seconds to play cut that advantage to a single point.
Sophomore forward
Annie Roshak hit two free throws shortly thereafter to put the lead back to three points, then Roshak stole the ball shortly after that and made 1-of-2 charity tosses to seal the victory.
All five Eagle starters scored in double figures, led by Pireu's 16 points – which give her 1,066 career points, moving her past
Alyssa Miller and into 22
nd place on the program's all-time list. Roshak scored 12, Jacobsen added 11, and Heidemann and Chable each posted 10 – Chable's total being a career high.
The Eagles and Lakers will conclude the regular season with two games in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 26-27).
AU
WBKB/DS
