Ashland's 20th win tied the DII mark, and win No. 21 could set it Thursday night.
The Ashland women's basketball storybook run continues Thursday, February 1 in Detroit, Michigan. The Eagles travel to Wayne State, looking for their 58th consecutive victory, which would become the best mark in both DII men's and women's basketball.
RELATED: WBCA Coaches Poll
The Eagles already took down Washburn's DII women's basketball record of 51 straight wins that stood for 12 seasons. Next up is the Winona State men's mark of 57, set back in 2007. Should the Eagles take care of the DII basketball mark, what's next?
- 60 -- SUNY Potsdam, DIII men's basketball
- 81 -- Washington-St. Louis, DIII women's basketball
- 88 -- UCLA men's basketball
- 111 -- UConn women's basketball
That's wins in a row, tying for the most in history for both women's AND men's basketball!
— Ashland University Eagles (@goashlandeagles)
If Ashland keeps rolling, the DIII men's mark is in sight this season, but the others will have to wait. Here's a look back at the amazing streak to date.
Ashland's streak by the numbers:
February 4, 2016 --The last road loss the Eagles suffered. Ashland lost at Walsh (Ohio) 78-64.
March 12, 2016 -- The last loss for Ashland, falling to Drury 86-60 in the Midwest Region semifinals.
1 -- The closest margin of victory over the streak. The Eagles defeated Cedarville 79-78 to move to 2-0 this season on Laina Snyder's game-winning, buzzer-beater.
THIS JUST HAPPENED! extends its winning streak to 39 games on a Laina Snyder buzzer beater!
— Ashland Eagles (@goashlandeagles)
2 -- Losses seniors Laina Synder and Andi Daugherty have since the 2015-16 season. The two -- who are Top 5 all-time in Ashland scoring and rebounding lore -- have started all but four games together over that span.
3.95 -- Steals per game for sophomore Jodi Johnson, tops in DII.
4 -- Games in a row that the Eagles have posted 100 or more points, tying their own record set earlier this month. Ashland has scored 100 points 22 times during the run. To put that into perspective, Washburn broke the century mark twice during their winning streak.
MORE: Jodi Johnson tops list of 10 sensation sophomore in DII women's basketball
4 -- Undefeated seasons in the history of DII women's basketball. Ashland's 37-0 championship season made it the fourth, joining North Dakota State in 1995, Bentley in 2014, and Lubbock Christian in 2016. The Eagles' 37 wins were the most of any of the previous undefeated teams and second most in a single season in DII women's basketball history.
8-0 -- Record against ranked teams during the streak. The average margin of victory against some of the best in DII women's basketball, you ask? An astounding 19.9 points per win after the most recent 35-point defeat of No. 13 Michigan Tech.
18 -- 3-point shots Ashland drained in its January 20 victory for a, you guessed it, new program record. Seven different Eagles hit one from downtown with Johnson going 5-for-7 to lead the way.
18.5 -- The average margin of defeat in the Eagles last two (home and away) losses before the streak began.
22-0 -- Eagles record on the road during the streak. They are 5-0 on neutral sites. The Eagles have won 24 in a row (29 if counting neutral) on the road dating back before the streak started.
24 -- Consecutive No. 1 rankings for the Eagles, spanning more than an entire calendar year.
Our women's basketball team has been the unanimous team in in 10 of 10 regular-season coaches' polls!
— Ashland University Eagles (@goashlandeagles)
25 -- Straight non-conference wins the Eagles have posted.
30 -- Consecutive home wins. The Eagles had a 30-game home winning streak snapped against Drury before the current streak began.
33.5 --Average margin of victory during the streak. In comparison, Washburn won by 21.9 points during their record-setting run.
34 -- Wins during the streak that have come by 30 or more points.
35 -- Assists recorded in win No. 55, tying a program record.
35 -- Weeks that Ashland has been No. 1 in program history. Three more weeks at the top and they will break North Dakota's mark of 37 for yet another record.
38 -- Consecutive regular season wins in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Andi rolls off a screen and scores on a soft touch for of our 22 points in the paint in the first quarter!
— Ashland University Eagles (@goashlandeagles)
: 34
: 13
39 -- Steals forced in Ashland's January 13, 120-47 victory over Purdue Northwest. This was the most in DII this season and the second most in a single game in history.
44.8 -- Average margin of victory for Ashland this past December, when they played some of the best basketball during the streak. The Eagles finished 6-0, scoring no less than 95 points in any contest, while breaking the century mark four times. The Eagles are currently 7-0 in January as well, outscoring their opponents by an average of 44.3 points per game.
45 -- Consecutive weeks the Eagles have been in the rankings. Drury currently holds the longest streak at 74. They have been in the Top 10 for 39 straight weeks.
57 -- Wins in a row, the longest current winning streak amongst men's and women's basketball at any level.
88-2 -- The almost unimaginable record that head coach Robyn Fralick has put together to start her career. She also has an Ashland national championship as an assistant coach (2013) to go along with last season's title as a head coach.
87 -- Widest margin of victory during the streak, a November 12, 2016, 128-41 victory. The 87 points is a program record. The 128 points were the most scored by the Eagles during their winning streak, and set the program record as well.
102.0 -- Points per game the Eagles have scored in the 2017-18 season, best in DII. No NCAA women's basketball team has ever scored 100 points per game for an entire season.
121 -- The most points scored thus far in 2017-18. The 121-56 victory over Tiffin tied the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record for most points scored in a regular season game. The Eagles have scored 120 twice as well.
1000/1000 -- Laina Snyder is the first Ashland women's basketball player to record 1000 rebounds (she's also tallied over 1,000 points), making her the president of the 1000/1000 Club.
Laina Snyder just became the first player in Ashland University women’s basketball history to record 1,000 rebounds in a career!
— Ashland Eagles (@goashlandeagles)
1,750 -- Points Andi Daugherty eclipsed, making her the third Ashland Eagle ever to score at least 1,700 points. The second was Laina Snyder, earlier this season.
RELATED: The DII stadium tour: Best basketball arenas in DII
The last time Ashland lost...
- Zootopia was the No. 1 film at the box office.
- Work by Rhianna was the No. 1 song on the Billboard charts.
- The Walking Dead and Big Bang Theory were tops on television.
- Kevin Durant led all scorers with 28 points, despite the Oklahoma City Thunder losing to the Tim Duncan led San Antonio Spurs 93-85.
A mural commemorating the 2013 and 2017 national championship teams was revealed before tonight's game!
— Ashland University Eagles (@goashlandeagles)
How do Wayne State and Ashland matchup? Tale of the tape:
| The Numbers | Ashland | Wayne State |
|---|---|---|
| WBCA ranking | No. 1 | NR |
| Head coach | Robyn Fralick (3rd season) | Carrie Lohr (7th season) |
| Record | 20-0 | 14-4 |
| Points per game | 102.0 (No. 1 in DII) | 71.7 |
| Points allowed per game | 62.3 | 56.9 (No. 19 in DII) |
| Rebounds per game | 40.0 | 39.3 |
| Assists per game | 24.6 (No. 1 in DII) | 12.7 |
The points per game total rises each week for the Eagles, while the points against keeps getting lower. That's in large part thanks to a team with unbelievable depth and a bevy of scorers. Laina Snyder (19.4 points per game) and Jodi Johnson (19.1) pace the high-scoring attack, but it doesn't stop there. Andi Daugherty (14.2) and Maddie Dackin (11.3) are also scoring in double figures for the Eagles. Renee Stimpert leads the team in assists (6.1 per game) but also adds 9.3 points per game. Sara Loomis leads the team in blocks per game (1.5) and contributes 9.0 points per game. Senior Julie Worley is one of the more unheralded heroes of this run, coming off the bench or starting in a pinch, chipping in 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game off the bench.
Wayne State will be no easy task. The Warriors are second to Ashland in the GLIAC South Division and have one of the stingier defense in DII. Shannon Wilson (16.4 points per game) leads a balanced scoring attack that has four Warriors dropping double-digit points per game. Ashland will have to work to reach No. 58 as all eyes converge on the Matthei Center at 5:30 p.m. ET as Ashland goes for more DII history.
