Ashland University's women's basketball team traveled to Thomas More for the first time on Saturday (Dec. 9) afternoon, and the No. 1-ranked Eagles came away with an 70-62 Great Midwest Athletic Conference victory over the Saints to remain undefeated in 2023-24.
The Eagles are 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the Great Midwest, and have won 45 games consecutively – the fourth-longest streak in NCAA Division II women's basketball history. The Saints are 4-4, 2-2.
Saturday's game was a matchup of the two NCAA women's basketball head coaches with the best all-time winning percentages at all levels (minimum 160 games). Ashland's
Kari Pickens now has 10 times as many wins as losses (150-15, .909) as a head coach, and Thomas More's Jeff Hans is at 210-15 (.933) in NCAA competition.
Ashland also extended its win streak away from home to 34 games with the victory over the Saints.
It was a slow start offensively for both teams on Saturday afternoon, as it was a 14-12 Eagle lead late in the first quarter before senior guard
Savaya Brockington converted a four-point play for a six-point AU advantage. The Saints, however, cut their deficit to one point at 19-18 after the opening period – mostly due to a 9-for-10 showing from the free-throw line.
Thomas More took a 22-19 lead in the early minutes of the second half, capping a 10-0 run. The Saints led 27-25 going into the media timeout, and they extended that lead to 33-28 late in the first half.
By the break, the Eagles led 34-33 thanks to a 6-0 spurt to end the half – the last four points coming from senior guard
Macy Spielman. Both teams didn't shoot well from the field in the first 20 minutes (AU 35.7 percent, Thomas More 41.7), but both were helped greatly by their free-throw shooting (Eagles 11-of-13, Saints 11-of-14).
Thanks in large part to Brockington's eight points at the start of the third quarter, Ashland's overall run finished at 16-0 – putting the Eagles' lead at 44-33. Ashland's spread was nine points at 51-42 through three stanzas, and it kept Thomas More at arm's length the rest of the way.
POST-GAME NUGGETS
- Brockington's 20 points were a game-high, and she added a career-high-tying nine rebounds and was a career-best 10-of-10 from the foul line.
- Junior forward Hayley Smith posted 14 points and seven rebounds, and fifth-year forward Annie Roshak added 12 points, six caroms and two blocks. Roshak, with 1,978 career points, is 22 away from becoming the fifth player in program history to score 2,000.
- Ashland overcame making 35.8 percent from the field and 21.7 percent from beyond the arc by converting 90 percent (27-of-30) from the charity stripe.
- Since 2015, Ashland has won 48 of its last 49 games played in December.
- The Eagles have won 122 of 125 (.976) all-time games as the No. 1 team in D-II, and are 304-18 (.944) as a ranked team in D-II.
UP NEXT
Back to the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium against No. 5-ranked Ferris State (5-1) on Dec. 16 at 1 p.m.
