After rolling through non-conference play with five straight wins, the Ashland University women’s basketball team has continued to find incredible strides in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) play action.
On Thursday, Nov. 30, the Eagles took on the Lake Erie College Storm in Kates Gymnasium to kick off conference play and dominated them with ease. From the beginning whistle, the Eagles controlled the gym, garnering momentum off each basket made en route to an 84-38 victory.
Heading into the outing, the Eagles led the all-time program series, 19-0, having not lost to the Storm since the two sides’ first-ever meeting back on Dec. 11, 2010.
To kick off the first quarter of play, the Eagles came out swinging going up 11-4 after just three minutes of play. Of those 11 points, five different players found a score, showcasing the depth Eagle Head Coach Kari Pickens has at her disposal. Through the next seven minutes of action, the Eagles would only allow five points for the Storm as the Eagles offense itself added on 15 more.
Moving into the second quarter, the Eagles led 26-9, with a variety of different Eagles getting involved in the offensive explosion.
The Eagles’ defense would bend a bit in the second set of 10 minutes as they allowed 12 points to the Storm, while the offense put up 18 more points to give the team a 44-21 lead heading into the halftime break.
Down low, the dynamic duo of forwards Annie Roshak and Hayley Smith thrived as they combined for over 15 points in the opening half. In the second quarter alone, the Eagles were able to find four three pointers to fall behind fifth-year guard Erin Daniels who had two herself.
At the break, the team knew that they could not become complacent and needed to maintain the play they had through the opening 20 minutes.
In the second half, the Eagles continued to dominate the high level of play that they displayed in the first half. Over the course of the third and fourth quarters, they only allowed the Storm to score 17 points while holding them to just 7-of-23 from the field for 30%. The Storm also struggled from beyond the arc as they went 2-of-7 from three point range.
With little going in the Storms favor, the Eagles capitalized on the inconsistencies and continued to pull away with the win.
Unlike the Storm, the Eagles’ percentages remained high with a clean 50% field goal percentage and 38% from three point range to help produce 40 points in the second half.
When the fourth quarter clock hit zero, it was the Roshak and Smith duo that led the team as they combined for 27 points and 12 rebounds. Outside of the two starting forwards, bench-spark Zoe Miller continued her hot start to the 2023-2024 season as she found herself 10 points and six rebounds.
Throughout the entirety of the Eagles’ 14-player roster, 11 were able to find themselves in the scoring column.
The win moves the Eagles to 6-0 on the season while sitting 1-0 in conference play. Currently, after going undefeated with a 37-0 overall record in the 2022-23 campaign, the program sits on a 43-game winning streak.
The Eagles next look to take on the Walsh University Cavaliers on the road on Saturday, Dec. 2 with tipoff set for 1:00 P.M. The Cavaliers will enter the contest with a 2-2 overall record.
