Ashland has won 50 straight games dating back to March 12, 2016.
March 12, 2016. That was the last time the Ashland women's basketball team lost, an 86-60 blowout in the Midwest Regional semifinals to the Drury Panthers. The Eagles have since reeled off 50 consecutive wins, with an undefeated season and national championship sandwiched between.
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The Eagles first test of the new year will be of historic porportions. Ashland looks to tie DII women's basketball history on Thursday, January 4, attempting to get its 51st straight win. Washburn currently holds the record, set between January 26, 2005 to March 11, 2006. Standing in the Eagles way of history is the No. 13 team in the nation, so it will be no easy task.
Ashland by the numbers:
50 consecutive victories for Ashland University women's basketball!
— Ashland Eagles (@goashlandeagles) December 30, 2017
That's the longest active win streak across any level of men's or women's college basketball. pic.twitter.com/7kcCdWqjVF
February 4, 2016 -- The last road loss the Eagles suffered. Ashland lost at Walsh (Ohio) 78-64.
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!@AshlandWBB extends its winning streak to 39 games on a Laina Snyder buzzer beater! pic.twitter.com/kbFNgDwzuV
— Ashland Eagles (@goashlandeagles) November 11, 2017
3 -- Games in a row that the Eagles have posted 100 or more points, a program record.
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.
7 -- Wins shy of the DII basketball record. Winona State men's basketball won 57 straight from January 13, 2006 to March 22, 2007.
7-0 -- 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 17.7 points per win.
We're still #1 in the country in this week's poll.
— Ashland Eagles (@goashlandeagles) January 3, 2018
https://t.co/rgI1MAj0Ly
We play #13 Michigan Tech tomorrow. They'll be the eighth ranked team we've played since the start of our 50 game win streak! pic.twitter.com/PBkzs5mKU7
18.5 -- The average margin of defeat in the Eagles last two (home and away) losses before the streak began.
18-0 -- Eagles record on the road -- which is how they will have to win to tie the record -- during the streak. They are 5-0 on neutral sites. The Eagles have won 20 in a row (25 if counting neutral) on the road dating back before the streak started.
20 -- Consecutive No. 1 rankings for the Eagles, spanning an entire calendar year.
MORE: Ashland has now been No. 1 for a whole year
25 -- Straight non-conference wins the Eagles have posted.
27 -- Wins during the streak that have come by 30 or more points.
27 -- Consecutive home wins, which is still 60 short of the DII women's basketball record. The Eagles had a 30-game home winning streak snapped against Drury before the current streak began.
44.8 -- Average margin of victory for Ashland this December, when they have been playing 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.
50 -- Wins in a row, the longest current winning streak amongst men's and women's basketball at any level.
81-2 -- 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.
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.
Tale of the tape
| The Numbers | Ashland | Michigan Tech |
|---|---|---|
| WBCA ranking | No. 1 | No. 13 |
| Head coach | Robyn Fralick (3rd season) | Kim Cameron (8th season) |
| Record | 13-0 | 11-1 |
| Points per game | 99.8 (No. 2 in DII) | 74.5 |
| Points allowed per game | 62.6 | 60.8 |
| Rebounds per game | 40.5 | 35.5 |
| Assists per game | 24.5 (No. 1 in DII) | 16.3 |
Ashland leads Bellarmine, 87-41, after three quarters.
— Ashland Eagles (@goashlandeagles) December 30, 2017
NOTE: Renee Stimpert is good at passing.#NCAATop10 pic.twitter.com/2NMW5A4D4m
Who to watch
Ashland brings a deep, battle-tested presence to Houghton, MI. Senior forward Andi Daugherty is the first student-athlete in Ashland women's basketball history to score at least 1,600 points, while racking up 800 rebounds, 300 assists, 100 blocks and 125 steals all while shooting better than 50 percent. Snyder leads the team with 20.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Renee Stimpert leads the best passing game in DII women's basketball with 5.8 assists. Sophomore Jodi Johnson is second on the team in scoring (18.7 per game) behind a team-best 60.6 field goal percentage, which is Top 15 in all of DII. Maddie Dackin chips in 11.8 points per game while senior Julie Worley adds 8.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, mainly as the first person off the bench.
Michigan Tech counters with a senior-heavy starting lineup against the reigning champs. Three seniors lead a balanced scoring attack, as senior Lindsay Winter puts in 13.8 points per game, while Brenna Heise adds 13. 2 and Kelli Guy puts in 13.1. Forward Elizabeth Kelliher, the lone junior in the starting ineup, is second on the team in rebounds, while leading the team with 2.9 blocks per game.
