The Ashland University Eagles women’s basketball team kicked off their 2016 season in Columbus against The Ohio State University Buckeyes as they lost 88-79.

It was a tough matchup for the Eagles going up a division to take on the No. 7 ranked Buckeyes, but the Eagles made the most of their opportunity and made the Buckeyes work for the lead. 

The Buckeyes jumped ahead early, but AU came back and grabbed a 15-13 lead after a corner three by Kelsey Peare. OSU came back and took the lead towards the end of the first quarter and a huge shot by Kelsey Mitchell at the buzzer made it a 26-21 lead for the Bucks going into quarter number two. 

The second quarter was all Buckeyes as they outscored the Eagles 21-15 in the quarter and jumped out to an 11-point lead at the half. The Eagles stormed back in the third quarter and brought the lead to just five points with five minutes to go in the quarter. 

OSU ended the third on a 7-0 run to bring the lead to 64-49 heading into the final quarter of play. The Buckeyes grabbed a 16-point lead, their largest of the day but the Eagles outscored the Bucks, 30-24 , as they brought the lead to single digits before the clock ran out. 

Andi Daugherty came out strong for the Eagles as she shot 50% from the field en route to a 25-point night to go along with five rebounds.

Laina Snyder recorded a double-double as she scored 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Kelsey Peare knocked in five triples for AU as she recorded 15 points as one of the two seniors on the team. 

The other senior for the Eagles, Alex Henning did a phenomenal job on defense  as she held Mitchell to just 11 points on 5-20 shooting. Mitchell averaged over 26 points per game a year ago.

Julie Worley added five points and six rebounds off the bench for the Eagles. Coach Robyn Fralick was able to get every player into the game, as she was able to see what the freshmen were going to bring to the table.

Jodi Johnson grabbed four boards and chipped in five points as she got her first collegiate start.

Shayla Cooper led Ohio State, scoring 20 points, grabbing four rebounds and having four assists.

Stephanie Mavunga, a transfer from North Carolina, scored 18 points for the Bucks and had eight rebounds and five blocks.

Freshman, Kiara Lewis, contributed 12 points off the bench for the Buckeyes.

The Eagles played good basketball throughout the game as they played their first and only preseason game of the year as they will now prepare for the Cedarville Yellow Jackets who will come to Ashland to take on the Eagles on Friday at 11 a.m. 

The Eagles began their season in Columbus and they will now look to begin their regular season in a quest for a national championship.