34-0: How did Ashland University get there? Relive it here, game by game

ASHLAND — A journey to perfection, like a journey of a thousand miles, begins with but a single step.

For the Ashland University women’s basketball team, the road to 34-0 and a spot in the NCAA Division II Elite 8 began more than four months ago in Detroit.

Let’s take a game-by-game look back at how the Eagles have learned to fly this season. Many kudos to Dusty Sloan, AU director of athletic communications, for 34 detailed game recaps.

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NOVEMBER (6-0)

Nov. 11, 87-61 win at Wayne State (1-0)

his was the eighth season-opening win a row for the Eagles, ranked No. 5 in the country. It also put head coach Kari Pickens in a tie with Karen Linder for second place on the program’s all-time head-coaching wins list with 106. Sophomore Zoe Miller led the Eagles with 22 points on 9 of 12 shooting.

Nov. 13, 87-49 win at Indianapolis (2-0)

AU recorded its 900th all-time win, a path that began in 1967. Fifth-year guard Hallie Heidemann and senior forward Annie Roshak each scored 18 points. The points moved Heidemann into 16th place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,240 career points. The Eagles led 21-3 after the first quarter.

Nov. 16, 87-75 home win against Saginaw Valley State (3-0)

AU fell behind by 17 points in its home opener (37-20) before rallying to a victory at the the Sherill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium. Five Eagles scored in double figures, led by sophomore guard Megan Yoder’s career-high 16. She also had three assists and five steals.

“It’s a long season,” said Pickens, “so when you’re down 17, it’s always a one possession at a time-type mentality. I thought our team stayed really together. Defensively, we definitely have to clean a few things up. We were able to find a win.”

Nov. 19, 83-65 home win against Lewis (4-0)

After honoring its 2012-2013 national title team ancestors before the game, AU blitzed Lewis, jumping out to a 25-8 lead after one quarter. Heidemann scored 15 points to lead Ashland and notched her 271st career three-pointer, three shy of the school record.

Nov. 22, 96-88 win over Truman State in the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center Thanksgiving Classic (Springfield, Mo.) (5-0)

The Eagles, now ranked No. 3 in the country, used 14 first-half triples and led by 21 late in the third quarter before holding off Truman St. down the stretch. Senior forward Annie Roshak led AU with 21 points. Guard Savaya Brockington added 16 to move into 10th place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,415 points.

Nov. 23, 68-67 overtime win Drury in the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center Thanksgiving Classic (Springfield, Mo.) (6-0)

A possible NCAA regional title game between these two national heavyweights was killed by COVID-19 in March 2020. The finals of the home team’s holiday tournament lived up to the game’s billing as No. 3 Ashland knocked off No.-7 ranked Drury. There were 15 lead changes and 13 ties during the classic.

After rallying late to tie the game in regulation, AU fell behind 65-61 in overtime. Roshak scored four points in a row for yet another tie at 65-65 and Yoder’s triple put Ashland ahead for the first time in OT at 68-65. Drury missed a shot at the end of overtime.

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DECEMBER (8-0)

Dec. 1, 73-61 win at Findlay (7-0)

The No. 2-ranked Eagles outscored the hosts 20-9 in the fourth quarter in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference opener for both teams. The win improved AU to 39-1 in December games since 2015.

Yoder set a career high with five triples and finished with 17 points and six rebounds. Five AU players finished in double figures. The Eagles shot 84 percent the foul line and forced 22 Oiler turnovers.

Dec. 3, 104-46 home win against Tiffin (8-0)

It was the most points Ashland has scored in a game since the Eagles notched 106 against Trevecca Nazarene in January 2022. AU led 28-10 after one quarter and 79-30 going into the fourth.

Sophomore forward Hayley Smith hit all 10 FG attempts and finished with a career-high 23 points and nine rebounds for the second-ranked Eagles.

Dec. 8, 94-71 home win against Walsh (9-0)

Heidemann was honored before the game for being the program’s new career leader in 3-point field goals. She then led AU with 17 points. The Eagles had 28 assists on 38 made baskets.

“It was beautiful. Offensively, I couldn’t have asked anything more, except for maybe a few less turnovers,” Pickens said. “I love how unselfish this team is. It makes us a very powerful offensive team.”

Dec. 10, 93-57 home win against Northwood (10-0)

The win marked the fifth time in the last eight seasons AU started a season 10-0. The Eagles, who came in tied for second nationally in assists per game at 19.6, had 32 on 36 made baskets.

Roshak led AU with 24 points on 10 of 11 shots. Smith added 18 and three other players reached double figures.

Dec. 17, 68-47 home win against Kentucky Wesleyan (11-0)

The second-rankled Eagles moved into first place along in the GMAC and were one of nine unbeaten women’s Division II teams in the country after handing the visitors their first league loss and snapping their five-game winning streak.

Roshak scored a game-high 14 points. Junior guard Macy Spielman came off the bench to contribute 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 22 minutes.

Dec. 19, 83-50 home win against Trevecca Nazarene (12-0)

AU notched its sixth 12-0 start since the 2012-2013 season, entering the day as one of only eight remaining unbeaten NCAA Division II women’s teams. Five Eagles reached double figures, led by 14 from Heidemann and 12 from Spielman.

“I love this team,” Pickens said afterward. “I love how together they are, I love how bought-in to reaching our goals every game that they are. We’ve grown a lot in the 12 games that we’ve played.”

AU entered the Christmas break ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Dec. 29, 77-49 home win against Michigan Tech (13-0)

It was a big win in a rare but important non-conference regional matchup between the Eagles (13-0) and the Huskies (10-3).

Roshak became just the eighth player in program history to reach 1,500 career points, scoring a game-high 16 to finish the night with 1,503. Miller came off the bench to score 15 points and pull down eight rebounds.

“The girls have been incredibly bought in with just what we’re asking them to do,” said Pickens.

Dec. 31, 97-68 win at West Liberty (14-0)

Ashland’s road win, combined with No. 1-ranked Grand Valley State’s first loss, was expected to move the Eagles to the nation’s top spot when new rankings came out Jan. 3. If so, it would be the first time AU has been ranked No. 1 since December 2018.

Ashland was one of just five unbeaten NCAA Division II women’s teams in the country. Roshak scored 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting in 21 minutes of playing time. Smith added 19 in 20 minutes.

AU has won at least 14 games in every season in the last two decades.

JANUARY (7-0)

Jan. 5, 90-60 home win against Cedarville (15-0)

AU outscored the visitors 60-22 in the second and third quarters while cruising to victory on a date that marked the 11-year anniversary of the only triple-double in program history by a player then named Kari Daugherty.

Now named Kari Pickens, the AU coach had her newly top-ranked Eagles rolling in their seventh GMAC win of the season.

“The middle two quarters were great,” said Pickens. “I was really proud of the team.”

Heidemann scored 25 points, missing her career high by one, and moving into 12th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,388. Roshak had 16 points and nine rebounds, entering the game as the best shooter in Division II, hitting nearly 71 percent from the field.

Jan. 7, 98-67 win at Northwood (16-0)

The Eagles entered the game as the best shooting team in the country — and then broke a program record by hitting 66.7 percent of their shots against the hosts (36 for 54).

AU, one of only three unbeaten Division II women’s teams in the nation, has won at least 16 straight games to start the season for the fifth time since 2015-2016.

Smith led AU with 18 points and Heidemann added 17 points and a career-high eight assists.

Jan. 12, 98-64 win at Lake Erie (17-0)

AU outscored Lake Erie 54-26 in the second half to break the game open and win the middle contest of a three-game road swing. It marked the fourth straight game the Eagles topped the 90-point mark.

Miller came off the bench to score 18 points in 18 minutes. Spielman added 15 points in 19 minutes off the bench. Heidemann scored 12 and moved into 11th place on the AU all-time scoring list with 1,417 — passing her coach.

Jan. 14, 78-52 win at Walsh (18-0)

The Eagles led 24-5 after one quarter in ending the host team’s hopes early.

AU has won seven consecutive games by at least 26 points and has won 20 road/neutral-site games in a row.

Heidemann and Roshak each had 18 points and combined to shoot 16 of 21 from the field.

Jan. 19, 84-42 home win over Findlay (19-0)

Playing at home for the first time in two weeks, the Eagles jumped out to a 23-6 lead after one quarter and 41-13 at the half.

“Offensively, this team is really special. To be able to share the ball as well as we do and shoot such high-percentage shots at the rate that we do, as a coach, that’s a true blessing,” Pickens said.

Prior to the game, Ashland was the most efficient women’s basketball team at all levels of college hoops in points per possession (1.032). The Eagles did nothing to change that on Thursday, scoring 84 points on 70 possessions (1.200).

Jan. 21, 79-63 win at Tiffin (20-0)

The Eagles outscored the hosts 27-14 to break open a close game and claim the sixth 20-0 start to a season in program history.

AU remains one of only two unbeaten Division II teams in the country, along with Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Fifth-year senior guard Maddie Maloney led AU with 15 points, all coming on 3-point field goals. Roshak and Heidemann each scored 14.

As a coach, Pickens moves to 110 games over .500 (125-15) after just 140 games.

Jan. 26, 76-37 win at Malone (21-0)

AU extended its win streak away from home to 22 games and its regular-season win streak to 25. The Eagles limited the Pioneers to just 28.6 percent shooting from the field, the second-lowest total AU has allowed during the season.

Heidemann finished with a game-high 14 points. Miller came off the bench for a dozen. Roshak went 4-for-4 from the field (nine points) and continues to lead NCAA Division II in field goal percentage at 71.5.

FEBRUARY (8-0)

Feb. 2, 94-60 win at Hillsdale (22-0)

AU remained the nation’s only unbeaten team in Division II, jumping to a 33-15 lead after one quarter and holding a 55-30 edge at halftime.

Ashland made 17 triples, one shy of the program record of 18, done three times since 2018.

Miller had 16 points in 17 minutes off the bench. Roshak had 16 on six-of-six shooting, upping her national-best field-goal percentage to 72.5. Heidemann’s 14 points moved her to No. 9 on Ashland’s all-time scoring list with 1,487.

Feb. 4, 81-44 home win over Lake Erie (23-0)

The Eagles won their 100th game while playing as the nation’s top-ranked team, now 100-3 in that position.

Ashland kept Lake Erie to 13 points in the second half, stifling the Storm to the tune of 6-for-36 from the field and 1-of-14 from 3-point range.

“We have had so much growth in our defense from a month ago to now,” Pickens said. “Credit to the girls. They’ve bought in. Any time we’ve asked them to make changes, they’ve unquestionably done what we’ve asked them to do.”

Smith scored a team-high 14 points. Guard Savaya Brockington had 13, reaching the 1,000-point mark in her career between Purdue Northwest and Ashland University.

Feb. 9, 93-56 win at Ursuline (24-0)

AU jumped out to a 52-25 halftime lead in a game that saw no Eagles player get more than 23 minutes of court time.

Eleven AU players scored, 10 had at least one assist and 10 grabbed at least one rebound.

Smith scored 20 points and Roshak had a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) and moved into sixth place on Ashland’s all-time scoring list with 1,655 points.

Feb. 11, 99-57 win at Ohio Dominican (25-0)

AU recorded its fourth 25-0 start in program history (2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2019-2020), outscoring the hosts 62-31 in the second half.

The 25 wins for the Eagles gives the program 10 25-plus-win seasons, all in the last 12 years.

Five Eagles reached double figures with two players coming off the bench to lead the way — Miller (18) and Brockington (17).

Feb. 16, 107-83 win at Cedarville (26-0)

AU clinched at least a share of the GMAC regular-season title, outscoring the hosts 63-45 in the second half.

It’s the second GMAC title in a row for AU, following eight South Division championships in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in the last 11 seasons in that league.

Six Eagles reached double figures, led by Heidemann’s 22. She was 8 of 9 from the field, including 6 of 6 behind the arc.

Feb. 18, 83-59 win at home against Hillsdale (27-0)

AU celebrated Senior Day at the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium, as Heidemann, Maloney and senior guard Sam Chable were honored.

“That was a great win for our seniors,” Pickens said. “We talked before the game about how much they have exemplified what Ashland women’s basketball should be.”

Roshak led AU with 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots. She has 1,698 career points, fifth on the program’s all-time scoring list.

Feb. 23, 59-55 win at home against Malone (28-0)

AU completed the fourth undefeated regular season in school history, holding off the Pioneers (19-8, 13-6).

Heidemann led Ashland with 19 points, including a 30-foot triple to give AU a 51-49 lead going into the final three minutes. Smith had 11. 

The Eagles kept the Pioneers to 38.3-percent shooting from the floor, despite Alexis Hutchison’s game-high 29 points.

“I thought that we had some huge toughness plays down the stretch, that we were able to pull ahead,” Pickens said. “Just some really big plays. It definitely wasn’t our best game. I thought the team weathered the storm, and we found a way to win.”

Feb. 28, 69-52 home win over Ursuline (GMAC quarterfinals) (29-0)

The win in the league tournament opener gives Ashland back-to-back 29 win seasons and the eighth season of at least 29 victories, all since 2011-2012.

The Eagles led 46-23 at the half, but were outscored 29-23 in the second.

Yoder finished with a team-high 15 points, hitting 5 of 8 3-point attempts. Smith, Roshak and Spielman each added 10.

“I’m glad we won, and we get to advance to the next round,” Pickens said. “It was a great first half, and I thought we did a lot of good things. There’s not much more positive to talk about after that.”

MARCH (6-0)

March 3, 80-56 home win over Malone (GMAC semifinals) (30-0)

AU outscored the visitors 41-24 in the second half to pull away from the Pioneers (21-9).

Ashland has won 19 consecutive conference tournament games at home, and are 25-1 in such games since 2012.

Roshak had a season-high 26 points in just 27 minutes.

The victory gave Pickens a career winning percentage of .900 (135-15) — making her only the second NCAA women’s basketball head coach at all levels all-time with a percentage that high.

“I am so proud of this team,” Pickens said. “We met every single game goal, and it’s been a little bit since we’ve done that. I loved that today, we were the aggressors. We attacked them.”

March 4, 83-65 home win against Trevecca Nazarene (GMAC title game) (31-0)

The win gave AU its ninth league tournament title in the last 12 seasons and automatically qualified the Eagles for its 13th postseason appearance in the NCAA Divison II women’s tournament.

Ashland has started a season at 31-0 for the fourth time in program history, all since 2016-17. The Eagles are 191-13 at home since the start of the 2011-2012 season.

Roshak, selected the GMAC Player of the Year, was also picked as the tournament MVP. Heidemann and Yoder were selected for the all-tournament team.

Yoder had a career-high 18 points, all coming on a career-high six triples.

March 10, 72-65 win at home against Malone (Midwest Regional quarterfinals ) (32-0)

The Eagles defeated league-rival Malone for the fourth time this season, building a 33-23 halftime lead and then holding off the Pioneers (22-9) in the final 20 minutes.

“Malone’s a really good team. They played really hard,” Pickens said. “A ton of credit to them. I’m really proud of this team to take a punch, and respond. The fact that we were able to win by seven when we had gotten down, I was proud of our team’s resilience.”

Heidemann finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. Roshak had 16. Spielman scored 10, coming off the bench.

March 11, 73-49 win at home against Trevecca Nazarene (Midwest Regional semifinals) (33-0)

AU knocked off Trevecca Nazarene (22-10) for the third time this season, rallying from a 15-8 deficit after the first quarter. The Eagles outscored the Trojans, 65-34, in the final 30 minutes.

The Eagles’ 33-win season is the program’s fifth such campaign, all since 2011-12.

“I thought the last three quarters of basketball were the best we played in a while,” Pickens said. “We executed the scout really well. Defensively, we did some really good things, and offensively, we were confident.”

Heidemann had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the win.

Ashland earns thrilling Division II regional championship win over GVSU

March 13, 61-58 win at home against Grand Valley State (Midwest Regional championship game) (34-0)

The top-ranked Eagles knocked off fifth-ranked GVSU, overcoming a 29-23 halftime deficit to regain the lead and then hold off the visitors in the closing moments.

Ashland is 34-0, and will go to the Elite Eight in St. Joseph, Mo., starting on March 20.

“At halftime, we talked about how we were going to win this game one possession at a time,” Pickens said. “We have to play together, and I thought they did that from start to finish in that second half.”

“I’m so proud of them. They played really selflessly, really together,” Pickens said. “I couldn’t be more proud of my team coming out on top.”

Brockington finished with a team-high 17 points. Roshak added 14 points and six rebounds. Maloney and Heidemann each had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Up next: March 20, University of Texas Tyler at St, Joseph, Mo. Tip will be at 6 p.m. local time.