Snyder Scores 1,000th Point, Eagles Rout Battlers At Home

Snyder Scores 1,000th Point, Eagles Rout Battlers At Home

LINK – ASHLAND UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE

THE TURNING POINT: Leading 15-11 with 3:20 left in the first quarter, Ashland went on a 26-0 run to pull away.

STAT OF THE GAME: The Eagles have won 91 of their last 102 games at Kates Gymnasium, including 27 in a row in the regular season.

Ashland University's women's basketball team, ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division II, has started the 2016-17 season at 2-0 following a 128-41 win over Alderson Broaddus on Saturday (Nov. 12) night in the second and final day of the 2016 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference/Great Midwest Athletic Conference Exempt Tournament at Kates Gymnasium.

"We played hard. We played hard the entire game," said Ashland head coach Robyn Fralick. "We played hard regardless of the score, and that is, as a staff, what we were most proud of."

The Eagles hit the century mark in points for the first time since a 108-65 win at Tiffin on Feb. 22, 2014. They also set single-game school records for points, field goals (49), assists (35) and margin of victory (87).

Junior forward Laina Snyder scored her 1,000th career point in the third quarter, ending the game with 12 points to give her 1,006 at Ashland.

"It means I have great teammates," Snyder said. "I've been on a great team. People can't score 1,000 points if you're on a bad team, and that just shows we've had success for three straight years."

"Laina scoring her 1,000th point in the beginning of her junior year is quite an accomplishment," Fralick said. "It's not an accident. Success is not an accident."

Seven Ashland players scored in double figures, led by freshman forward Sara Loomis, who posted 25 points and 12 rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. She is the first Eagle to score at least 25 points in a reserve role since Lindsay Tenyak (27) at Saginaw Valley State on Jan. 20, 2011.

"She has a nose for the ball. She really does," said Fralick. "She's a good shooter."

Junior forward Andi Daugherty and senior guard Kelsey Peare each had 14 points, senior guard Rachelle Morrison and junior forward Julie Worley each scored 13 off the bench, Snyder had 12 and sophomore guard Maddie Dackin added 10 in a reserve role.

Freshman guard Renee Stimpert had a team-high eight assists off the bench, and Snyder added six helpers and five steals.

The Eagles shot 62.8 percent from the field, 61.1 percent from 3-point range and 76 percent from the free-throw line. Ashland outrebounded AB, 51-23, and turned 28 Battler turnovers into 52 points.

Ashland had a 15-11 lead with 3:20 to play in the first quarter, then scored the game's next 26 points to pull away.

The Eagles, who came into the weekend as the winningest Division II program over the previous five seasons (144 wins), are 41-2 in their last 43 regular-season games. AU also has won eight consecutive regular-season non-conference home games.

In the final game of the exempt tournament on Saturday night, Ohio Dominican defeated Cedarville, 67-35.

UP NEXT: A third consecutive home game on Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. against Indianapolis.

 

FRESHMAN GUARD/FORWARD SARA LOOMIS HIGHLIGHTS

 
JUNIOR FORWARD/CENTER LAINA SNYDER'S 1,000th POINT
 

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