The No. 10-ranked Ashland University women's basketball team picked up its first Great Midwest Athletic Conference victory of 2024-25 on Saturday (Dec. 7) afternoon at the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium, 76-45, over Tiffin.
 
Ashland improves to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in the league, while the Dragons are 4-3, 0-1. This is Ashland's 16^th consecutive home win dating back to last season, and 16^th straight win over Tiffin.
 
"I was really pleased with our girls' effort," said Ashland head coach Kari Pickens, who coached in her 200^th game guiding the Eagles on Saturday. "I thought that we were a little too sloppy at times. I'm glad we were able to come away with a big win."
 
The Eagles kept the Dragons off the board for nearly the first five minutes, but Ashland fell behind 6-5 after back-to-back Tiffin 3-point field goals. A 10-8 AU lead at the game's first media timeout melted away, but senior guard Morgan Yoder's triple in the closing seconds of the opening period gave the Eagles a 15-13 lead going into the second.
 
Ashland opened up the trey barrage to start the second quarter, as four triples in the first 4:21 of the stanza lifted the Eagles to a 29-20 lead – resulting in a Dragons timeout. The biggest AU first-half advantage was the halftime score of 38-22 – as sophomore forward Gia Casalinova's four 3s gave her a game-high dozen points at the break.
 
The Eagles' first 20-plus lead was 43-22 early in the second half, and that moved to 54-25 inside of the halfway point of the third quarter after Yoder hit AU's 12^th triple of the afternoon. By the end of the third, Ashland led 61-29 – and went to victory from there.
 
SMITH SETS NEW PERSONAL STANDARD…AND THE REST OF THE STORY

• Senior forward Hayley Smith ended the game with a career-high 17 rebounds (12 in the first half, six in the last two minutes of the first half), to go with six points, five assists three blocks and two steals.
• "Hayley was a force on the glass," Pickens said. "Seventeen of our 41 rebounds is pretty impressive. That's something that she's elite at, and today showcased that."
• Casalinova scored a game-high and career-high-tying 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range.
• Said Casalinova, "After last game, I did not shoot the ball that well. The confidence that my teammates and the coaches have given me has instilled me believing it."
• "Gia really set the tone with that confidence," Pickens said. "She went on to have a phenomenal game."
• Graduate guard Lydia Sweeney (14 points) and freshman point guard Ashley Mullet (12) also scored in double figures in the win.
• Ashland's 17 treys on Saturday were one short of the school record.
• "I thought we shot pretty well from 3," Pickens noted. "I thought our attack of that zone was pretty good."
• The Eagles had a 41-27 rebounding advantage, and picked up 24 assists on 27 made field goals.
• Pickens is 180-20 (.900) as Ashland head coach.

UP NEXT
A week off, then at home on Dec. 14 at 1 p.m. vs. Kentucky Wesleyan (3-1, 1-0). That will be Toy Drive and Mini Cheer Day.