ASHLAND – It might not look exactly the same, but once again, the Eagles are doing that thing they do.
Riding an 11-game winning streak after knocking off Hillsdale on Thursday, the 12th-ranked Ashland University women’s basketball team is 20 games into yet another stellar season.
This one hasn’t been of the conventional variety for AU (17-3, 9-1 Great Midwest Athletic Conference), which in recent years has been a powerhouse of offense.
Of the 29 Eagles ever to score 1,000 career points, 16 have come through the program since 2013. In fact, nine of Ashland’s top 12 all-time scorers have donned the purple and gold in the last 12 years.
But the 2024-25 edition – so far – has been steered by a less flashy style of defense and scrappiness.
The Eagles entered Thursday’s game fifth in all of Division II in scoring defense (50.8 points per game allowed).
In the meantime, AU has had a player score 20 or more points in a game just three times all season (once each for Zoe Miller, Lydia Sweeney and Hayley Smith).
It’s largely been a win-by-committee approach, and seventh-year head coach Kari Pickens said she’ll take victories however she can get them.
“We’ve definitely been a better defensive team than we have been an offensive team, which is unique for us; we’ve kind of been known for our offense over the years,” said Pickens, who totaled 1,414 points in just two seasons as a player while leading Ashland to back-to-back national championship games in 2012 and 2013.
“I’m hoping our offense catches up, and I think we’re getting there, but right now I think if I could summarize this team in a nutshell, they’ve just been one of the most disciplined teams I’ve coached.
“I don’t think we make very many mistakes defensively, so if people earn shots, then good for them – that’s what we’re trying to make them do. … The fact that we’re holding teams to about 50 points a game with a pretty tough strength of schedule has been really good to see.”
The Eagles allowed 60-plus points in just four of their first 20 games and have yet to give up 70.
Pickens said they have bought into trying to eliminate inside-out 3-pointers and easy buckets near the rim.
It’s a formula that should serve them well as they gear up for what figures to be yet another exciting stretch run.
“If we can get our offense to catch up to our defense, I think we will be a really dangerous team in March,” said Pickens, who hopes to guide Ashland to its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Loudonville’s Vermilya part of Eagles’ balance
Pickens said her ideal number through the years in terms of players rotating into a game has been nine. So far this season, the coach has mixed and matched personnel in a variety of ways.
Entering Thursday, the Eagles had nine players averaging at least 4.1 points per game, and 10 players averaging at least 9.5 minutes per game.
In 15 of its first 20 games, Ashland had at least three double-digit scorers. And in 13 of 20 games, a double-digit scorer has come off the bench.
“We haven’t quite figured out our rotation yet,” Pickens said. “I like playing nine because I think we can stay fresh that way. To get past some of the best teams in the country, you have to play deep, just with how much pressing is prevalent in Division II right now.
“I tell the girls all the time, if I have to play five players, I’m gonna play the players that I need to be able to win a national championship. But right now, I do think we can go nine-deep pretty consistently.”
One of the players in that mix has been freshman guard Corri Vermilya, a Loudonville product who re-set the Ashland-area record books during her time in high school (2,407 points, 1,255 rebounds, 553 steals).
In the first five games of 2025, she averaged 6.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists. In her lone collegiate start thus far – Jan. 4 against Ursuline – the former Redbird went for 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes.
Pickens said she likes what she’s seen from the versatile freshman, but knows there is plenty of growth to come.
“Corri has so much upside,” the coach said. “It’s been a tough year for her because her role has fluctuated so much – she played a little bit, then didn’t get to play, then got to start, then has been coming off the bench.
“For her, it’s just a continual process of learning how to play at this level. I think she has all the tools she needs to be a really, really special player here. That girl is gifted in a lot of different ways.”
GMAC competition growing
Ashland is in the midst of its fourth season as a member of the G-MAC, and the Eagles have been nothing short of jaw-droppingly dominant in the league.
After Thursday’s win over Hillsdale, AU improved to 70-2 in G-MAC regular-season games. The Eagles have claimed conference crowns in each of the last three seasons and also are 8-0 in the G-MAC Tournament.
Looking at the numbers, it has seemed to be a far cry from the competition in Ashland’s former league, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
But while the 11-team GLIAC features No. 1-ranked Grand Valley State (19-1, including a 67-42 win over AU on Nov. 21), Pickens feels the 13-team G-MAC is becoming a more balanced challenge.
“I would say that the GLIAC’s top schools have more tradition and more long-standing success in the women’s game,” she said. “But I think the G-MAC, top to bottom, competes really well with the GLIAC.
“Grand Valley, Ferris State, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, those (GLIAC) schools have always had a really rich history in women’s basketball. But when I look at the G-MAC, Malone, Kentucky Wesleyan, Walsh, us … there is some high-level basketball here and I don’t think the G-MAC gets the credit that it deserves.”
When the Eagles went 29-3 in 2021-22, they split four games with Walsh, losing twice at home to the Cavaliers, including a 72-62 defeat in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
This season, Ashland dropped its league-opening game at Northwood, 69-58, a defeat that has had the Eagles chasing first place ever since.
This is the first time AU has experienced second place as a member of the G-MAC, as Malone (15-2, 9-0) was a half-game ahead in the standings entering Saturday.
It’s an odd position for an Ashland program that has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in 143 weeks since the 2012-13 season.
The Eagles will take on the Pioneers twice in an eight-day span in February (in Canton on Feb. 6, then at home on Feb. 13).
“Those will be huge games,” Pickens said. “We knew really early on that they were going to be a very good team and they have proven it.
“They’re mentally tough, they’re physically tough, they win all the hustle plays and they’re just really good at basketball. We’re gonna have our work cut out for us to go get two big wins in the middle of February.”
Streaks, big starts and more crazy stats
As good as it has been, Ashland’s 17-3 start actually is its second-worst through 20 games over the last decade. Only the 13-7 start of 2020-21 – a campaign that saw an out-of-the-ordinary scheduling format due to COVID-19 precautions – has been worse for AU since the 2015-16 season.
Unbelievably, the Eagles have started either 20-0 or 19-1 in 10 of their seasons since making their first of five national championship game appearances in 2011-12.
Here’s a look at that those 20-game starts, beginning with this season: 17-3, 19-1, 20-0, 19-1, 13-7, 20-0, 19-1, 20-0, 20-0, 20-0, 14-6, 12-8, 20-0, 19-1
Needless to say, it’s always more about the finish than the start, and Ashland has shown it knows how to close, with Division II championship-game appearances in 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2023.
A lot of that mojo comes from AU’s relentless ability to win at home.
The Eagles are riding a 22-game winning streak inside Kates Gymnasium, where they are 44-1 over their last 45 contests.
Through Thursday, Pickens was 101-5 at home (.953) as AU’s head coach and already was just 10 wins from 200 overall (190-20, .905) with 10 regular-season games left.
Senior forward Hayley Smith, who is putting the finishing touches on one of the best rebounding careers in Ashland history, said playing at home is always a treat.
“Eagle Nation shows out every time, which we’re really blessed to have,” Smith said. “Being able to bring the energy, no matter who we’re playing, how many people are in the stands, I think that’s our biggest thing.
“We want to start the game with a punch and continue rolling it through, no matter what the environment is. But we love playing at Kates.”
If the Eagles are going to get where they want to go, they will need the 6-foot-1 Smith to help lead the way.
She ranks fifth in AU history in rebounds (855) and with a big finish could become just the second player in program history to pull down 1,000 boards (Laina Snyder had 1,207 after her final season in 2017-18).
Smith was second in the country entering Thursday in total rebounds for this season, and she’s on pace for just the ninth 300-rebound campaign in AU history. Already with 225 (11.3 per game), if she gets 87 more, she will trail only Pickens (492 and 411) and Daiva Gerbec (357) for single-season rebounding in AU history.
From here, the Eagles will push to host the G-MAC Tournament yet again (games March 4, 7 and 8).
A strong finish and a few losses by Grand Valley State could also put them in position to host their region in the NCAA Tournament (games March 14, 15 and 17).
The final three rounds of this year’s Division II tournament will take place in Pittsburgh on March 24 (Elite Eight), 26 (Final Four) and 28 (national championship).