On Saturday (Feb. 17) afternoon at Hillsdale, the No. 1-ranked Ashland University women's basketball team earned an impressive 90-59 win to increase its NCAA Division II-record road winning streak to 37 games.
The Eagles are closing in on a third consecutive outright Great Midwest Athletic Conference regular-season title at 23-1 overall and 16-0 in the league. Ashland has a four-game lead in the conference with four regular-season games to go.
Ashland improved its overall win streak to 15 games, and its Great Midwest win streak to 45 games, including tournaments. The Eagles have won 60 of their last 61 games overall.
The Chargers are 14-10, 10-6, after having their five-game win streak snapped.
Back-to-back 3-point field goals from senior guard
Macy Spielman and freshman guard
Lexi Howe put Ashland up 6-0 early, and that lead became 15-7 at the first-quarter media timeout after the Eagles made five of their first six shots.
By the end of the first quarter, eight different AU players had scored – leading to a 31-15 advantage. It was more of the same to begin the second period, with the Eagle difference increasing to 42-17 when the second-quarter media stoppage came about.
Halftime saw Ashland with a 30-point lead at 55-25. The Eagles had 10 triples in the first 20 minutes, as both Howe and junior point guard
Morgan Yoder each went 3-for-3 beyond the arc in the first half.
Ashland took a 76-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
POST-GAME NUGGETS
- Four Eagles scored 10 or more points on Saturday afternoon – Howe (19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 5-of-6 from 3-point range), junior forward Hayley Smith (13 points on 6-of-9 shooting), fifth-year forward Annie Roshak (10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, eight rebounds), and junior forward Zoe Miller (10 points).
- Roshak increases her career point total to 2,241 – 55 away from passing Laina Snyder as the program's all-time leading scorer.
- Ashland made 52.9 percent from the field in the victory, hit 41.4 percent from 3-point range, and had 23 assists to 11 turnovers.
- Saturday was the Eagles' 130th all-time win as the No. 1 team in NCAA Division II (130-4), and they are 300 games above .500 as a ranked team in D-II (319-19).
UP NEXT
A return to the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium on Thursday (Feb. 22) at 5:30 p.m. vs. Thomas More (15-9, 11-6).
