WINONA LAKE, Ind. --Asbury University (2 seed) and Columbia International (7 seed) met up in the first round of the 2022 NCCAA National Tournament on Wednesday night.
The Eagles came out ready to play from the tip as they took the lead with 25-16 after the first quarter and never looked back as they secured the win 81-63.
Top Performers:
*Jaclynn Ruble led Asbury in scoring 20 points on 6-9 shooting. The junior also collected a steal dished out six assists and one rebound.
* Autumn Herriford recorded a double-double with 19 points and a season-high of 12 rebounds. Herriford also collected three steals, five assists and was 6-10 on the floor.
*Paige Taylor and Trinity Shearer each recorded 11 points. Shearer dished out six assists also in the matchup.
*Emma Strunk scored 9 points from the night and an assist.
* Haleigh Releford finished with seven points, while Sarah Dennison tallied four points and seven rebounds.
Key Stats:
*Four Eagles scored in double figures to lead the way offensively.
*AU shot 46 percent from the floor, knocked down ten threes, and shot 13-20 from the foul line.
*The Eagles also scored six second-chance points and 16 points off turnovers.
* Asbury out-rebounded Columbia International with a margin of 44-38.
*AU posted 24 points in the paint and scored 16 fast-break points.
Quote:
"We are extremely excited to get a win. Knowing that there were only 8 teams left in the tournament is exciting, but can also cause teams to play tight. We came out loose and focused from the start. The great thing about this group is how much they trust each other. Now we are playing in the Final Four, which is an amazing opportunity!"
"We had four players in double figures scoring without hitting a lot of threes. That's always a great sign for us. We had 22 assists off of 29 made shots. That's incredible and just goes to the unselfishness of this team."
-Head Coach Chad Mayes
Team Record:
With the victory Asbury moves to 21-5 on the year.
Up Next:
Asbury will advance to the semifinals in the NCCAA National Championship Thursday, March 17 at 8:45 PM against seed #6 Southwestern Christian University.
