ASHLAND — You could see it on their faces.
Whether from the floor, or on the bench — the Eagles were flying high with nothing but appreciation for the game they played.
Top-ranked Ashland University secured yet another Great Midwest Athletic Conference championship at Kates Gymnasium on Satuday with a 99-58 pounding of Trevecca Nazarene.
The Eagles had a blast doing it, too, but don’t let the smiles fool you.
“We wanted to come in and give them no hope,” said Annie Roshak, Ashland’s all-time leading scorer.
The fifth-year senior forward entered the game just three points shy of moving into 25th place on the all-time NCAA Division II scoring list. With 13 points, she made it look easy.
So did her team.
The Eagles came out roaring in the first quarter, hitting 52% from the field and drilling a staggering five treys.
Trevecca responded late that quarter, ending it with leading scorer Keeley Carter drawing a foul on a shot at the buzzer. She converted two of the three shots, to boos from the AU crowd of around 1,200, to pull her squad within 25-19.
But it was the second quarter when the Eagles really took flight, despite a “funky zone” from the Trojans, as AU head coach Kari Pickens put it.
The Eagles netted 20 of 23 shots — from within the arc, beyond the arc and at the free-throw line.
“You gotta be able to hit some shots against them. And we did that really, really well today,” Pickens said.
That blizzard of offense included a 33-11 scoring margin in the period, and effectively put the game away as AU stretched its advantage to 58-30 at halftime.
Trevecca’s standout guard, Carter, put up 14 points in the first half. Most of those points were scored during the first quarter, however. The Eagles held her to just three points in the second quarter, forcing her teammates, Kor Fornesa Liu and Carden Vailes, to respond each with nine points between them.
Carter ended the night with 22 points, many of those from the line as she drew eight fouls.
But that was the lone bright spot.
By the half, the Eagles hit 67% of their shots and an equally impressive 56% from 3-point range.
Erin Daniels, the GMAC tournament MVP, didn’t miss in the first half, hitting four treys and triggering eruptions from her teammates and the crowd each time.
“I just knew I had to shoot the ball when I was open,” she said. “Even if I missed it, we get offensive rebounds.”
She’s not wrong. Her teammate, Hayley Smith, led Ashland with four offensive rebounds. Zoe Miller had three and Roshak had two, along with Savaya Brockington’s two.
Daniels ended the evening as the Eagles’ leading scorer with 17. Her streak from downtown must have inspired her teammates, too.
Even Sarah McKee, a post player, hit one from distance. Lexi Howe, the GMAC freshman of the year, canned four treys and Brockington had two.
Saturday’s performance earned the Eagles’ their third consecutive GMAC championship title. The team heads into the NCAA Division II Regionals with a 30-1 record.
The NCAA Division II women’s basketball tournament selection show will be Sunday, March 10 at 10:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
The first game of the regional tournament is slated for March 15.
