ASHLAND — With a stomp of her foot, Drury University women’s basketball coach Molly Miller helped Ashland University win its second straight Division II NCAA Midwest Regional Championship on Tuesday night.

It was an unexpected and somewhat anti-climactic ending to a night that saw the country’s top-ranked (Ashland) and third-ranked (Drury) teams battle furiously all night with the Eagles claiming a 79-73 victory.

Her team trailing 75-73 with 12 seconds left at Kates Gymnasium, Miller was upset at a foul call that sent Ashland senior Andi Daugherty to the stripe for two free throws.

An official assessed a technical foul against Miller, earning Daugherty four straight attempts. The 6-foot-1 forward drained all of them, closing out the Panthers.

“I stomped my foot … that was the reason I was given,” Miller said after the game.

The win, in front of a packed house of almost 2,000 fans, marked the 71st victory in a row for the 34-0 Eagles, who punched their ticket to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in the last seven years. Ashland won the Division II title last year, finishing 37-0.

This year’s Elite Eight begins March 19 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The eight participants will be seeded once all eight are determined.

Drury University, based in Springfield, Missouri, finished the season 31-3, losing to AU in the regional finals for the second straight season.

BATTLE TO THE END: Ashland never trailed, building an 11-point lead at halftime and maintaining a 10-point edge going into the fourth quarter.

But the Panthers roared back, authoring a 15-5 run to tie the game at 71 with 4:04 to play. Drury had a chance to take the lead with 3:17 left when forward Hailey Diestelkamp tied the game at 73 on a bucket and was fouled. But she missed the ensuing free throw.

Diestelkamp led the Panthers with 27 points, connecting on 12 of 18 shots.

“Wow,” said Ashland head coach Robyn Fralick, now 102-2 in her third season guiding the Eagles’ program. “What a game. What a game. Drury is an incredible program. I think they played really hard. They play really together.

“It was a battle until the last second. I’m really proud of our team. We just kind of kept figuring it out. When they tied it, we just made a play and found a way to win against a really, really good team.”

SENIOR TRIO: Daugherty and fellow seniors Laina Snyder and Julie Worley played their final games at Kates, finishing with a home record of 71-3, including 40 in a row.

Snyder, a 6-1 forward from West Holmes, finished with 16 points, a game-high nine rebounds and four steals Tuesday night. 

“I love my team, I love this community and I love the fans,” Snyder said, “and I love to play at Kates. It’s a special place.”

Daugherty, who graduated from Warsaw River View High School, said she enjoyed making Kates Gymnasium hard on opponents. She finished with 19 points Tuesday, including 11 of 12 at the line.

“It’s hard for teams to come in here and not only win at Kates, but play well at Kates. Over the past four years, it’s been fun to see the crowds grow and interact with the community,” Daugherty said.

SUPER SOPHOMORES: Sophomore guards Jodi Johnson (Wadsworth) and Crestview graduate Renee Stimpert also played essential roles in the win.

Johnson was selected the regional tournament MVP, scoring a team-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting with five rebounds, three assists and five steals.

Stimpert added 15 points and seven assists for the Eagles from her point guard position.

The two seniors and two sophomores each logged more than 33 minutes on the court Tuesday night.

NOTEWORTHY: Ashland’s winning streak is the fifth-longest streak in NCAA basketball history, regardless of level and gender. The record is held by the University of Connecticut women’s team, which won 111 consecutive games from 2014-2017.

The Eagles have the best NCAA Division II postseason winning percentage of any program with at least 25 games at .828 (24-5).

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Ashland connected on 51 percent (27-of-53) of its field goals and added 20 of 22 at the foul line (91 percent). Drury shot 49 percent from the floor (32-of-66) and made 1-of-2 from the line.

Drury had a 32-29 rebounding edge and both teams committed 26 turnovers in the fast-paced game.

Coverage of Ashland University Eagles athletics is produced in partnership with OhioHealth, the official sports medicine provider for Ashland University.