Top-Ranked AU Women Win At Tiffin For Victory No. 48 In A Row

Photo courtesy of Tiffin University athletics.
Photo courtesy of Tiffin University athletics.

LINK – ASHLAND UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE

TIFFIN – Despite having to concentrate on finals for the last week, the seven-day break between games was a good one for Ashland University's women's basketball team.

On Saturday (Dec. 16) afternoon at the Gillmor Student Center, the top-ranked Eagles moved to 11-0 overall and 5-0 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference following a 121-56 win at Tiffin (3-7, 1-4). The 121 points ties the GLIAC record for the most in a regular-season game, equalling the mark set by Grand Valley State against Hillsdale on Dec. 13, 1975, and are the second-most in a game in AU women's basketball history.

"I thought we had much better sustained effort for the whole course of the game tonight," said Ashland head coach Robyn Fralick. "That's something we really talked about after our last game. As a group, I thought we did that a lot better."

The win was Ashland's 48th in a row, one shy of the No. 2 spot in the history of NCAA Division II women's basketball, occupied by North Dakota State (Feb. 25, 1994-Dec. 15, 1995). Washburn won 51 straight games from Jan. 26, 2005-March 11, 2006.

Sophomore guard Jodi Johnson, the reigning U.S. Basketball Writers Association national and GLIAC South Division Player of the Week, led the Eagles with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, as well as five steals. Junior guard Maddie Dackin was right behind with a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 from the field, to go with four rebounds, four assists and a career-high-tying three steals.

"It's all for my teammates. They were looking for me on the threes," Dackin said, "so all credit goes to them."

Renee Stimpert, the sophomore guard who had a career-best 12 assists in Ashland's last game at home vs. Davenport, scored a career-high 17 points on Saturday, while sophomore guard/forward Sara Loomis came off the bench for 13 points, six rebounds and a career-high four assists. Senior forwards Andi Daugherty (14) and Laina Snyder (10) also scored in double figures, with Daugherty going 3-for-3 from the field, 2-for-2 from the arc and 6-for-6 from the foul line and adding six boards and five assists.

"It's a really fun gym to shoot in, very unique," Daugherty said. "It felt like everything was going in."

Ashland shot 56.8 percent from the field, hit a season-high 13 3-pointers and connected on 85.7 percent from the free-throw line in the victory.

TEN TAKEAWAYS

1. Daugherty gave the Eagles their first lead of the game at 5-4 just inside of two minutes into the game. That allowed her to become just the fourth player in Ashland women's basketball history with 1,600+ points. The bucket also started an Eagles 13-0 run.

2. Ashland's offensive success didn't stop with that run. At the end of the first quarter, the lead was 39-12 – and the Eagles had their second-highest-scoring quarter (tied) since the NCAA went to that format in 2015-16. The period featured Ashland hitting 15-of-22 shots from the field, and seven Tiffin turnovers which resulted in 16 points.

3. By halftime, the Eagles had doubled up the Dragons, 66-33. Dackin had achieved her career high in points (18) in the game's first 20 minutes, and Ashland had scored 31 points off 17 Tiffin miscues.

4. The Eagles scored at least 95 points for a program-record fifth consecutive game – and for the 22nd time during the winning streak.

5. Ashland also scored in triple figures for the fourth time in 2017-18, and the third consecutive time against Tiffin. The Eagles also have scored at least 120 points in two of their last three outings.

6. In addition to being the No. 4 all-time scorer in Ashland history, Daugherty on Saturday moved into a tie for fifth place on the Eagles' rebounding list with Daiva Gerbec with 794.

7. Saturday's victory was Snyder and Daugherty's 100th each as starters at Ashland.

8. Ashland continues to force turnovers at an impressive pace, having made the other team cough the ball up at least 24 times (35 on Saturday) in all 11 games this season.

9. The Eagles' overall winning streak is the longest in all of NCAA basketball, regardless of level and gender. Division III Amherst's women have won 40 in a row, while Division II Northwest Missouri State's men are on a 21-game winning streak.

10. Other Ashland winning streaks extended on Saturday include 45 games in the regular season, 31 games in the GLIAC regular season, a school-record 25 games away from home, 22 games in the regular season away from home and 15 games away from home in the GLIAC regular season.

UP NEXT

The last game prior to Christmas break, Monday (Dec. 18) at 5:30 p.m. at Kates Gymnasium vs. Indianapolis (3-8).

 

 

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