ASHLAND — As the 50-year celebration of basketball at Kates Gymnasium continued Saturday afternoon, the home fans couldn’t have asked for a better team performance as a backdrop.
The Ashland University women’s basketball team extended its win streak to 57 by defeating the Tiffin Dragons, 111-46.
Not only does Ashland continue to pad its record for the most consecutive wins by a Division II women’s team, they also are looking to break the men’s record as well.
The Eagles have tied Winona State’s men’s mark and with another victory could be in the conversation as one of the best Division II teams of all time, from either gender.
Let that sink in for a second.
Before the game started, Ashland University basketball alumni were honored at halfcourt as the flag was lowered from the ceiling for the national anthem. Among them, coach Sue Ramsey, who lead the Eagles to a national title in 2013.
Although the final score was telling of how Ashland seemingly scored at will, it was the defense that was most impressive.
Shortly after tipoff, the Dragons realized getting points in the paint wasn’t going to be easy against the 6-foot-1 duo of senior center Laina Snyder and senior forward Andi Daugherty.
The suffocation defense continued with Ashland’s relentless full-court press, resulting in multiple steals and easy transition layups.
“Thought we were locked in the halfcourt and fullcourt. Our defense is a huge part of our offense. Those are very clearly tied. Our defense is critical in our offense,” said Ashland head coach Robyn Fralick.
A steal by junior guard Maddie Dackin, just over minute into the game, that resulted in a layup, illustrated the defense-to-points philosophy.
The inside presence of the Eagles also worked on the offensive end, with inside-out action leading to an open look like Jodi Johnson’s 3 with 8:21 left in the 1st quarter.
Ashland’s intensity and high pressure continued through the half, as shown with a 10-second violation against Tiffin with 2:24 to play in the 1st period.
Even though it was a 34-13 lead for the Eagles at the end of 1, thanks to a buzzer-beater by Daugherty, the team continued to play as if it didn’t know the score.
The score was 69-22 at the half in favor of Ashland.
“We keep it pretty light, I feel like this team likes to have fun,” Daugherty said. “We make sure we stay focused enough and communicate about what we want to tell the coaches, and then when they come in it’s a group effort to see what we want to do in the second half.”
“Obviously, our captains are a big part of that, they kind of get things flowing, and then when the coaches come in they communicate that with them,” said Johnson of staying focused during halftime.
There was no letdown in the third quarter, as the gap widened to 79-26 with 5:56 left to play.
A lot of Ashland’s bench got playing time in the fourth quarter and the Eagles never let up. Ashland has a two-game road trip against Wayne State and Davenport and will return home Thursday, Feb. 8, against Lake Superior State at 5 p.m.
Coverage of Ashland University Eagles athletics is produced in partnership with OhioHealth, the official sports medicine provider for Ashland University.
