LINK – ASHLAND UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE
There has been just one triple-double in the 51-plus seasons of Ashland College/University women's basketball.
On Monday (Dec. 17) night, there nearly were two.
The No. 8-ranked Eagles defeated Notre Dame College at Kates Gymnasium on Monday, 103-58, to earn their program-record 45th consecutive home victory. Ashland is 9-1, while the Falcons are 6-4.
Both junior forward Jodi Johnson and junior guard Renee Stimpert nearly came away with triple-doubles in the record-setting victory. Johnson finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals, while Stimpert posted 11 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.
Ashland head coach Kari Pickens knows about triple-doubles – because she was the first in program history to record one on Jan. 5, 2012 at home vs. Findlay (12 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists). She also knows about home winning streaks at "The Kates," since she played on the team which set the mark the current team broke on Monday.
"The records, when you have a team that plays for one another," Pickens said, "and lets their light shine, good things are going to happen. The game tonight was just a result of that.
"They're (Johnson and Stimpert) really good basketball players. And they also play with really good basketball players, and that's why they are able to do the things they are able to do."
THE TOP TEN
1. In her first collegiate start, sophomore forward Karlee Pireu ended with 16 points and four rebounds.
"No one's surprised, because of the hard work she's put in," Pickens said. "She is a competitor. She knew she was going to get an opportunity, and she took full advantage of it."
2. Rounding out the five Eagles who scored in double digits were senior guard Maddie Dackin and freshman guard Hallie Heidemann, who each scored 15 points. Ashland shot 53.3 percent from the field, 48.1 percent from 3-point range, and 76.9 percent from the free-throw line.
3. Already the NCAA Division II leader in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.51-to-1), the Eagles had 28 assists to just nine turnovers on Monday. AU also was No. 2 in the nation at 92.7 points per game, and recorded its fourth triple-figure outing of 2018-19.
4. Ashland is 179-13 (.932) all-time as a coaches' poll-ranked team, and 99-5 (.952) all-time as a coaches' poll-ranked squad at Kates Gym.
5. The Eagles won their 30th straight non-conference regular-season game on Monday.
6. Ashland wasted little time jumping on top, and boasted a 19-4 lead at the game's first media timeout. The Eagles hit seven of their first eight shots from the field, and assisted on six of those.
7. At the end of the first 10 minutes, AU led 27-10, and was dominant on both ends of the floor. Offensively, Ashland made two-thirds of its floor attempts, and defensively, NDC was kept to 5-of-17 from the field. Stimpert had six assists in the first quarter alone.
8. The halftime break saw the Eagles with a 44-26 lead, as Stimpert was halfway to a triple-double – six points, five rebounds and six assists. Ashland's defense was stifling, as 13 turnovers resulted in 15 points.
9. By the end of the third period, thanks to Ashland outscoring the Falcons 30-15, the Eagles went into the final stanza with a 74-41 lead.
10. Notre Dame was led by Alli DeLaney, who scored 10 points in 10 minutes off the Falcons' bench.
UP NEXT
Wednesday (Dec. 19) at 5 p.m. at Indianapolis (6-3).
AU
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