No. 1 Eagle Women Rout Oilers In Return Home

In its first home game in two weeks, the No. 1-ranked Ashland University women's basketball team remained undefeated in 2022-23 following a 84-42 win over Findlay on Thursday (Jan. 19) night at the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium.
 
The Eagles move to 19-0 overall and 11-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, and continue as one of just three undefeated women's basketball teams in NCAA Division II. The Oilers are 4-14, 1-9 following their ninth loss in a row overall and 10^th in a row to AU.
 
"There were stretches of really good basketball tonight," said Ashland head coach Kari Pickens. "There are a few things that we saw a ton of growth in. I thought defensively, with our principles, we were really locked in.
 
"Offensively, this team is really special. To be able to share the ball as well as we do and shoot such high-percentage shots at the rate that we do, as a coach, that's a true blessing."
 
Prior to Thursday night, according to Synergy Sports metrics, Ashland was the most efficient women's basketball team at all levels of college hoops in points per possession (1.032). The Eagles did nothing to change that on Thursday, scoring 84 points on 70 possessions (1.200).
 
WHAT HAPPENED

• Ashland jumped out to a 10-0 lead, as the Eagles made each of their first four shots while forcing five Oiler turnovers in the first three-plus minutes. Findlay scored at the 4:29 mark of the period, making it a 13-2 game, and while the scoring pace slowed due to turnovers (eight for both teams), Ashland took a 23-6 lead into the second quarter.
• In that second stanza, the Eagles outscored the Oilers 18-7, allowing Ashland to take a 41-13 lead into the locker room. With 20 points off turnovers in the first 20 minutes, AU nearly matched its per-game average through the first 18 games (20.8).
• The third quarter saw the Eagles extend their advantage to 53-20 at the media timeout, and Ashland led 64-31 heading into the fourth quarter – after not turning the ball over in the entire third period.

 
THE WRAP-UP

• Ashland came into the game the best shooting team in NCAA Division (52.7 percent), and it shot 58.6 percent on Thursday night. The Eagles also had 21 assists, slightly more than their nation-leading total coming in (20.4).
• Four Eagles scored in double figures – sophomore forward Hayley Smith (16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, 7-of-10 shooting), senior forward Annie Roshak (12 points, 6-of-8 shooting), junior guard Savaya Brockington (12 points, 4-of-6 from 3-point range), and fifth-year guard Hallie Heidemann (10 points, seven rebounds, five assists).
• Ashland made 43.5 percent from beyond the arc, had a 39-29 rebounding advantage, and turned the ball over just four times in the second half after doing so 10 times in the first half.
• Defensively, the Eagles kept the Oilers to 30.5 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from downtown. Following Ashland's 73-61 win at Findlay on Dec. 1, the defense was modified – and Thursday was another example of the results.
• "We look like a very different team, obviously," Pickens said.
• The Eagles also turned 19 turnovers into 28 points.
• Ashland moves to 96-3 all-time as the top-ranked team in D-II, and 278-18 all-time as a ranked team in D-II.

 
UP NEXT
Ashland will go back on the road on Saturday (Jan. 21) at 1 p.m. for another league game against Tiffin (5-13, 2-8).