It was a tale of two halves Thursday night at Kates Gymnasium for the No. 6-ranked Ashland University women’s basketball team.

The Eagles turned it on in the second half, cruising to a 78-67 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over rival Findlay (14-10, 9-9 GLIAC).

With the win, the Eagles (23-1, 17-1 GLIAC) clinched at least a share of the GLIAC South.

“It’s something we are proud of,” said head coach Robyn Fralick. “That’s one step of the journey, but the focus still has to stay small.”

Coming out of halftime ahead 29-26, AU went on a 15-4 run in the third quarter to put them up 53-36. The 17 point lead was Ashland’s biggest of the game.

A key to AU building the 17 point lead was improved second half shooting.  AU shot 53.3-percent from the field in the second half, up from 37.5-percent in the first half.

Ashland moved the ball efficiently throughout the game, assisting on 20 of 28 made shots. Eight players on the Eagles had at least two assists.

“Ball movement is a critical piece of our offensive identity,” said Fralick. “That’s something we really emphasize. The more ball movement we have, you tend to get better shots.”

The first half was not as easy for the Eagles, as they turned the ball over six times in the opening quarter.

AU’s defense kept them in the game early on according to Fralick.

“I was proud of our defensive effort,” said Fralick. “It kept us in the game when we weren’t playing particularly well on the offensive side.”

A large number of people from Holmes County were in attendance at the game. Laina Snyder is one of three Holmes County natives on Ashland’s team.

“Night in and night out there is a whole section of West Holmes people,” said Snyder. “Whether it’s old coaches, or people from the community who want to support the players who have gone on to college. They are just amazing support, and it just speaks a lot about where I came from.”

Snyder did not disappoint her fans, racking up a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) in the first half. She stuffed the box score for the game, finishing with 18 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and three steals.

Ashland had three other players finish the game in double-figures. Andi Daugherty scored 17 points and added eight rebounds. Julie Worley chipped in ten points and eight rebounds, while McKenzie Miller added ten points.

Next for the Eagles is a home contest Saturday versus Wayne State. Tipoff is 1 p.m.