Box Score Maybe the AU women's basketball team looked at their trip to Lake Superior State this way. If they were going to ride a bus for over 10 hours to get there, they might as well get their money's worth.
Did the Eagles enjoy their trip to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., so much they didn't want to leave? Ashland played an extra five minutes Saturday (Jan. 22) at LSSU and that could have been a real downer for the Eagles because in the closing minutes of regulation, they had a chance to win. But on this day, the Eagles forged ahead, never looked back and got what could be their biggest win of the season, an 83-75 overtime verdict over the Lakers.
Maybe there's a good reason the Eagles didn't want to leave the floor. Ashland is 11-5, 6-3 in the GLIAC. This victory completes a 2-0 trip and is AU's third consecutive win. This is the Eagles' most successful run since they opened the season with a six-game winning streak. This win came against one of the GLIAC's best teams. Beginning play on Saturday, the Lakers (11-5/8-2) stood third overall in the GLIAC standings.
With five tenths of a second left in regulation, sophomore forward-center Daiva Gerbec (Dublin, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) put in a layup to tie the game, 66-66. Gerbec was fouled on the play by Maria Blazejewski and had a chance to end the game with a made free throw. Gerbec is 13th in the country in free throw percentage, but she misfired on this attempt and the teams went to overtime.
The Eagles ripped into LSSU for 17 points in the extra session. The Eagles scored 20 seconds into the extra frame on a jumper by senior guard Rachel Poorman (Zanesville, Ohio/Maysville). They took the lead for good, 75-73 on a layup by Poorman with 2:39 to go. That broke the seventh tie of the game. LSSU couldn't score on its next possession and sophomore guard Lindsay Tenyak (Wadsworth, Ohio) hit a jumper with 1:03 left to give AU a 77-73 lead.
The Lakers got that deficit down to two points on a layup by Blazejewski moments later, but Ashland upped its advantage to 79-75 on a layup by senior forward Liz Tyler (Monroeville, Ohio) with 28 seconds left. LSSU's Emily Joseph misfired on a three-pointer and AU junior guard Jena Stutzman (Berlin, Ohio/Kent State) hit two free throws for an 81-75 lead with 10 seconds left. That was it for LSSU.
Stutzman had six of her game-high 29 points in overtime. She scored 19 points after halftime. Tyler had five of her 11 points in the extra session. This was the third time this season Stutzman had 29 or more points in a game.
In the early going of this contest, the teams were even. Ashland had a 12-6 lead with 12:58 to go in the first half. Shortly after that the Lakers went on a three-point shooting rampage and the Eagles couldn't find a way to stop the barrage. By the time halftime rolled around the Eagles trailed, 40-26. The Lakers connected on 6-of-11 three-point attempts (54.5 percent) in the first half. However, in the second half and overtime, the Lakers went 3-of-16 (18.8 percent) from three-point range.
It took the Eagles much of the second half to get back to even. They finally managed that with 3:46 to play in regulation when Tyler hit a jumper to knot the score, 57-57. After that, the teams kept trading the lead back and forth. Stutzman hit a triple with 13 seconds left in regulation to tie the score, 64-64. Joseph was fouled by Stutzman and dropped in a pair of free throws with 10 seconds to play to give the Lakers a 66-64 lead. That set the stage for Gerbec's layup with under a second to go.
AU won the battle of the boards, 52-38. Both teams had 19 turnovers. In overtime, the Eagles shot 75 percent (6-of-8) from the field and 80 percent (4-of-5) from the free throw line.
Gerbec finished with 13 points and 19 rebounds. That rebound total is her second highest of the season and it's her second double-double of the week and eighth of the season. Four times this season she has snared 16 or more rebounds in a game. The sophomore entered the week leading the GLIAC in rebounding (10.0 rpg.). Poorman had 12 points and seven rebounds and Tyler had eight rebounds to go with her 11 points.
Blazejewski finished with 22 points and six rebounds. Joseph had 16 points, as did Nicole Marshall. Marshall yanked down nine rebounds. Cassy Schemberger finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
This was AU's second overtime game of the year and both have been on the road. On Jan. 5, at Findlay, the Eagles lost in double overtime, 80-77.
The Eagles will be back at Kates Gymnasium on Thursday (Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m.), hosting Wayne State. That will open a three-game home stand. Following the Warriors, AU will play Findlay and Ohio Dominican. Ashland lost earlier this year to Wayne State, 77-75.
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