SENIOR (2009-10): OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll... Thomas started all 33 games she played in, sitting out only the win at SIU Edwardsville… led the team in 3-pointers made, connecting on at least one 3 in a team-high 22 games… finished with more assists than turnovers this season and for her career… scored in double figures eight times, including a season-high 15 points in the loss at Miami (Ohio) thanks to a 5-for-10 showing from 3-point land… scored in double figures four times over a five-game stretch in December and January, averaging 10.4 points per game… scored 13 big points, without connecting on a 3-pointer, in the win at Murray State that clinched a share of the OVC title… hit three 3s and finished with 10 points in the big win at Morehead State… helped EIU establish a new single-game 3-point percentage record with a 3-of-3 showing in the win a IPFW… that game marked the beginning of an 8-of-13 effort from long range over a three-game stretch, breaking out of an early-season shooting slump… averaged 8.0 points per game in true road games, connecting on 26 of EIU’s 70 3-pointers… OVC Rankings: 11th in 3-pointers per game… EIU Single-Season Rankings: fifth in 3-pointers attempted and seventh in 3-pointers made… EIU All-Time Rankings: fourth in 3-pointers made and attempted.
JUNIOR (2008-09): OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll... Thomas played in 25 games and started three times – at Bradley, at Indiana State and at Illinois State… returned from a back injury that sidelined her for seven games in February in time for the OVC Tournament… recorded 12 points and six rebounds off the bench in the tourney semifinal win against Tennessee State… made two 3-pointers in both tournament games played in Nashville… scored in double-figures six times, including 14 points in the season-opening win against Miami (Ohio)… missed her first game as a Panther Nov. 29 at the Cincinnati tournament because of the flu, but was able to play the next day and made a 3-pointer… connected on 19 consecutive free throws from Nov. 14 to Jan. 5, 28-of-31 for the season… hit a leaner near the free throw line as time expired at Illinois State that would have sent the contest to overtime, but after a video review the officials ruled it left her hand after the buzzer… had more assists than turnovers… made at least one 3-pointer in each of the first seven games of the season in which she played… EIU All-Time Rankings: 10th in 3-pointers made and 3-pointers attempted.
SOPHOMORE (2007-08): OVC Medal of Honor (4.0 GPA)... OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll... she played in 32 games and started three times, including both contests on the Tennessee Tech-TSU road trip, which EIU swept for the first time… after starting 27 times as a freshman, her acceptance of a sixth-man role helped give EIU one of the deepest rotations in the league… put on one of the most impressive shooting performances in Lantz Arena’s recent history, breaking the EIU single-game 3-point percentage record by connecting on 5-of-5 3-pointers in the win against Austin Peay… after also making her lone two-point field goal attempt and a pair of free throws, she did not miss a shot that night… that contest highlighted an impressive four-game stretch in which she averaged 15.5 points… averaged 10.3 points per game in February, ranking second on the team… scored a season-high 19 points in both the APSU win and at Samford… sent the Samford contest in Birmingham to double overtime with a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of the first OT… that was her fifth 3-pointer of the game, a career-high total… scored 13 points in the double-overtime win at Jax State two days earlier… stepped up big in the regular-season home win against TSU, registering 14 points and career-high nine rebounds… was a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line, a personal-best showing, and scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half of that win… made two of the biggest baskets of the season at Lantz Arena: a jumper with 1:15 remaining against TSU and a put-back basket in the final minute of overtime versus EKU… finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in that OT win against EKU… went 14-of-14 at the free throw line during EIU’s 5-0 December… was 4-of-4 from the field, scoring nine points, in the loss at Toledo.
FRESHMAN (2006-07): OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll... OVC Freshman of the Week (Dec. 11 and Feb. 19)… she played in all 29 games and started 27 times… ended the year having scored in double-figures in a season-high five consecutive games… posted 10-plus 14 times total… scored a season-high 21 points twice, both EIU wins… led the team in 3-point field goal percentage and was especially efficient at home (43 percent)… after beginning her career 1-of-7 at the free throw line, made 12 consecutive and 44-of-53 (.830) the rest the year to finish at 75 percent… shot 83 percent at the charity stripe in league play to rank among the OVC leaders… her 39 3-pointers would have been an EIU freshman record and good for a spot in the EIU single-season Top 10 if not for her teammates’ totals… made at least one 3-pointer in the last 12 games and 23 of the 29 contests overall… finished with an equal number of assists and turnovers (68) after committing one or fewer turnover in eight games… took good care of the ball on the road (30 assists, 22 turnovers)… led the team in scoring at Tech, nationally-ranked Louisville and versus TSU… was 4-of-4 from 3-point land and grabbed a season-high five steals in the win over TSU… connected on a season-high eight field goals at No. 14 Louisville… Top 10 OVC Rankings: seventh in 3-point percentage.
HIGH SCHOOL: Ashley was a four-year letter-winner for coach Steve Ford… also lettered in soccer and track and field… 2006 Quad City All-Metro Player of the Year… McDonald’s All-American nominee… Illinois Ms. Basketball nominee… All-State honors as a senior: Illinois Basketball Coaches Association first team, Champaign News-Gazette first team, Associated Press second team and Chicago Sun-Times second team… team captain as an upperclassman… broke the single-season steals record and was named team MVP as a senior… No. 2 all-time scorer in MHS history… National Honor Society secretary… DARE award winner and role model… Illinois State Scholar… ranked in the Top 10 percent of her graduating class… also played for the Illinois Hustle AAU team.
PERSONAL: No. 1 sports highlight was winning the sectional championship and playing in the Sweet 16 her senior year of high school… her father has been a major influence on her sports career because “he has coached me since I was in elementary school and he taught me how to play the game and work hard”… most admires Orlando Magic guard J.J. Reddick because “he was such a great player for Duke and he handled the stress and attention with a lot of class”… enjoys shopping and wakeboarding... daughter of Rick and Kris Thomas… MAJOR: Communication Studies.
