No. 20 Eagle Women Top Panthers At Home

Continuing first-semester Great Midwest Athletic Conference play on Saturday (Dec. 14) afternoon at the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium, the No. 20-ranked Ashland University women's basketball team defeated Kentucky Wesleyan, 78-41.
 
The Eagles improve to 8-3 overall and 2-1 in the Great Midwest, while the Panthers are 3-2, 1-1.
 
"We played with a level of intensity that was really good to see," said Ashland head coach Kari Pickens. "KWC, they just know how to fight, they know how to play really hard. I thought that we matched it and then some today."
 
Ashland is 4-0 at home so far in 2024-25, and now 200 games above .500 (214-14) at The Kates since the start of the 2011-12 campaign.
 
The Eagles scored the game's first seven points, then went up 16-8 inside of the three-minute mark – before a Panthers timeout. When the first 10 minutes were up, Ashland's advantage was 23-10 – with the rebounding advantage being 15-4.
 
In the second quarter, the Eagles' largest lead was 33-15, but KWC then ran off six straight points. Still, by the break, Ashland was ahead by a 35-21 count – and senior forward Hayley Smith nearly was halfway to a triple-double (seven points, eight rebounds and four steals).
 
The first 20-plus-point lead for AU came at the 7:11 mark of the third quarter, on an old-fashioned 3-point play from senior forward Zoe Miller following an offensive rebound. The lead was 43-21, then it was 55-32 through three quarters – and the Eagles went on to victory from there.
 
A PAIR OF DOUBLE-DOUBLES…AND THE REST OF THE STORY

• Smith ended with 17 points, 11 rebounds, a career-high four steals and two assists, while Miller finished with 16 points, a career-high-tying dozen rebounds, two assists and a steal. It is the first time two AU players have had double-doubles in the same game since Nov. 11, 2023 at home vs. Indianapolis.
• "I've had a lot of confidence. As a leader, you've just got to step up and set that example for everyone else," Smith said. "And then everything else will follow. The post game is pretty strong, and I love being a part of it."
• With Smith being the leading scorer, the Eagles continue to have had just one instance where the same player has led the team in scoring in back-to-back games.
• The Eagles dished out 24 assists on 30 made field goals, and had a 45-25 rebounding advantage.
• "Hayley's been a beast on the boards all year," Pickens noted. "I tell everyone, everyone's invited to the rebounding party, so it was really, really good to see Hayley and Zoe dominate the boards."
• Ashland is 5-0 against KWC in Great Midwest play, and the Eagles have beaten the Panthers in eight straight overall.
• Saturday was Ashland's first game all-time as the No. 20-ranked team in NCAA Division II. The Eagles are 335-23 (.936) all-time as a D-II ranked squad.

UP NEXT
Monday (Dec. 16) at 5:30 p.m. at Lake Erie (2-4, 0-2).
 
"Lake Erie is always a challenge," Pickens said. "It's a unique place to play. We need a good challenge. We're starting to put some pieces together, but you can't just put pieces together at home."