ASHLAND — There they go again.
The 2024-25 Division II college basketball season did not begin the way Ashland University basketball fans have come to expect.
The perennial powerhouse faced a bit of a rebuild this winter, and the Eagles lost their season opener, 57-49 to Northwest Missouri State. A 67-42 setback at second-ranked Grand Valley State on Nov. 21, and a 68-59 defeat at Northwood in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference opener were all part of a 6-3 start.
But then a funny thing happened — or a predictable thing if you’re an Eagles’ fan. Coach Kari Pickens’ squad found its footing.
Since that loss to to the Timberwolves on Dec. 5, Ashland has not lost again.
Over the weekend, Pickens picked up the 200th win of her career when AU pocketed a 72-51 victory at Walsh.
Ashland has won 21 straight games, with a 19-1 GMAC record clinching yet another conference crown, and the right to host Tuesday’s 5:30 p.m. league tournament quarterfinal game against Thomas More at Kates Gymnasium.
Pickens has added to her astounding career record which now sits at 200-20 (.909). Her winning percentage ranks as the best at all NCAA levels in women’s basketball history, minimum 200 games coached.
AU features a balanced offense, with just two players averaging double figure. Senior Zoe Miller, a 5-foot-11 forward, tops the squad at 14.7 points. Guard Lydia Sweeney, a 5-8 graduate student from Buffalo, chips in 12.1 points per game.
Four more players average at least 7.0 points per game, while a total of seven players register at least 20 minutes of action per game.
Loudonville freshman Corri Vermilya is part of a nine-player rotation that clocks at least 10 minutes per game. Vermilya averages nearly 4 points per outing, too.
Thomas More is 11-17 overall, 8-12 in the conference. Ashland has already beaten the Saints twice this year, 78-49 on Jan. 11, and 78-47 on Feb. 1.
Should the Eagles win, they advance to the conference semifinals on Friday, March 7.