ASHLAND — How do you stay unbeaten and keep the longest winning streak in Division II history alive?
With coaching, talent and an extreme work rate.
The Ashland University women’s basketball team hosted and defeated the Grand Valley State Lakers Thursday at Kates Gymnasium in a contest between the top two teams in the GLIAC Conference.
The matchup didn’t disappoint, as the Lakers clawed back from double digits to cut it to six points with less than six minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
However, Ashland sophomore guard Jodi Johnson decided the game was close enough, and hit a dagger three to extend the Eagles lead to nine.
But Johnson wasn’t done, stealing the ball and passing to a streaking Laina Snyder for an easy bucket and the mental nail in the coffin.
“We have a deep bench, and Coach (Robyn) Fralick says, ‘Earn your sub,’ and we go out there and play hard,” Johnson said.
Hustle and will were the determining factors that lead Ashland to victory by a final score of 83-67, while increasing the win streak to 53 in a row.
“What is the most important thing, is the thing that is right in front of us,” Fralick said. “Each possession, and winning each possession, you have to lock into that, you can’t look at a season from a big perspective.”
Before the game, a giant mural honoring the two national titles was unveiled behind the basket.
The intensity, fueled by a boisterous crowd, started early as the Eagles scored nine seconds into the game to set the tone.
Despite a back-and- forth first period, AU was up 16-13. The margin grew to 40=26 at halftime.
The Lakers rallied in the third period, Grand Valley’s Jenn DeBoer scored on a layup at the period buzzer, cutting the lead to 59-51.
But it was the hustle and grit orchestrated by a coach that refused to let the team get distracted that made the difference.
“One of the phrases we use with our team is, stay in the huddle, because there is a lot of outside noise, and attention and that sort of thing,” Fralick said. “We also realize we have a platform, to be role models and to be a light and to connect people together.”
Ashland will go for its 54th win in a row on Saturday when they welcome Purdue Northwest at 1 p.m. to Kates Gymnasium.
Coverage of Ashland University Eagles athletics is produced in partnership with OhioHealth, the official sports medicine provider for Ashland University.
