The Ashland Women’s Basketball team travelled to take on the Ohio Dominican Panthers on Thursday Jan. 30.
Ashland had won twelve straight games and ten straight in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) while ODU was looking to win their third straight game. Ashland is ranked No. 11 in the nation, and it will take all that ODU has to get the upset.
The game did not start well for the Panthers as Ashland took a 12-0 lead within the first three minutes thanks to four threes from senior guard Morgan Yoder and sophomore guard Lexi Howe. ODU didn’t panic as they slowly crawled their way back into the game and took the lead after a 15-0 run. Howe finished the quarter for the Eagles with another three-pointer that tied it up at 15.
Ashland finally got their first field goal inside the arc after 2:15 ran off the clock in the second quarter and extended their lead to 20-15. There wasn’t much action in the second as the defenses were on display. Ashland outscored the Panthers 10-4 in the second and headed to the half with a 25-19 lead. Howe led the Eagles in scoring with four three-pointers and 14 total points.
ODU came out of the half with a 6-2 run and cut the lead to two halfway through the quarter and could feel the momentum swing their way. ODU kept it close throughout the quarter going bucket-for-bucket with the Eagles and only trailing 35-31 after three quarters.
Back-to-back threes by Howe and Yoder crushed the Panthers Momentum to start the fourth and all of a sudden it was 41-31 in the blink of an eye. ODU wouldn’t be able to make up the ground they had lost, and Ashland won their 13th straight game in a 49-39 win.
Howe led the team in scoring, including tying her career-high in making three-pointers with six to go along with 21 points. Senior forward, Hayley Smith, dominated the glass, snatching 14 rebounds and having ten points to add on to get her a double-double.
The Eagles next contest will be on Saturday Feb. 1 for senior day as they take on the Thomas More Saints with tipoff set for 1:00 p.m.
