It was the start of a new season for Ashland University's women's basketball team on Friday (Nov. 10) night…but it was the same old result.
At the Sherrill Hudson Court on Friday night, the No. 1-ranked Eagles recorded a 98-61 win over in-region rival Wayne State – starting the 2023-24 season at 1-0 and moving their overall winning streak to 38 games, the seventh-longest in NCAA Division II women's basketball history.
"I liked that we played really hard," said Ashland head coach
Kari Pickens. "There were a lot of things that we're going to take from this game that we're going to learn from. But it's Game 1, and that's going to happen."
"(An) A for effort. I did not love the miscues that we had happen too often. We have at least 27 more games to clean those things up."
After an early 6-6 tie, the Eagles ran off 10 points in a row – en route to a 27-14 lead after the game's first 10 minutes. In that first quarter, junior forward
Hayley Smith grabbed seven rebounds (Ashland led in rebounds, 17-6), and fellow junior forward
Zoe Miller scored nine points.
Outside of 13 minutes into the game, the Eagles led by 20 at 34-14. By halftime, Ashland's advantage was 49-31, and the Eagles were shooting 60.0 percent from the floor to the Warriors' 28.9 percent. AU's rebounding margin was a decided 29-11 in the game's first 20 minutes.
The third quarter was a clamp-down defensive period for the Eagles, as Wayne State scored only 12 points. Ashland went into the final stanza leading 79-43.
POST-GAME NUGGETS
- Six Eagles scored in double figures on Friday night, paced by Miller's 19 points in 18 minutes and 6-of-6 shooting from the floor off the bench. Senior guard Savaya Brockington added 13 points, and 11 each came from fifth-year forward Annie Roshak, senior guard Macy Spielman, Smith and junior forward Sarah McKee.
- Smith finished with a double-double (10 rebounds) in the opener.
- The Eagles shot 59.6 percent from the field, 52.9 percent from 3-point range and 75.0 percent from the free-throw line, while the Warriors were 30.8/18.8/58.1, respectively.
- All 15 Eagles played on Friday night, and none played more than 20 minutes.
- On the boards, Ashland won that stat battle by a 2-1 margin (50-25).
- "It was awesome. I thought that our rebounding effort was fantastic from start to finish," Pickens said. "Getting to the free-throw line and out-rebounding people has to be a big identity point for us."
- Ashland has won 39 of its last 40 games in the month of November.
- The Eagles improve to 115-3 (.975) all-time as the No. 1 team in D-II, and 297-18 (.943) all-time as a ranked team.
- Ashland has won 15 of the last 16 in the series with the Warriors.
- Friday night's game featured a combined 53 fouls.
UP NEXT
Game No. 2 of the young season, also at home, on Saturday (Nov. 11) at 5:30 p.m. vs. Indianapolis (0-1).
