Box Score There are those who will tell you that the worst part of the trip from Ashland to Marquette, Mich., is the 10-plus hours cramped in a bus. Or, some say it is trying to cross the bridge to the Upper Peninsula when the wind is whistling and the bridge is swaying.
As petrifying as those two prospects are, here's where it's really tough sledding – when you're behind and trying to find a route that gets you back into a basketball game against Northern Michigan, Michigan Tech or Lake Superior State.
The AU women's basketball team was on that road again on Saturday (Feb. 19) at Northern Michigan. AU trailed for much of the game and then found an avenue to tie the game, 60-60 with 3:23 left in regulation. Then the Wildcats showed they had one surge left in them and regrouped for a 74-66 win.
The setback gives the Eagles an 0-2 trip north. AU began this week ranked eighth in the NCAA Division II Midwest region. Saturday's loss leaves the Eagles at 15-9, 10-7 in GLIAC play. Thanks to Ashland's loss and a win by Findlay at Ferris State, the Eagles will head into their final two regular season games in fifth place in the overall GLIAC standings. Findlay won at Ferris State on Saturday, 86-67 and holds onto fourth place by one game with an 11-6 league record. Ashland, Hillsdale and Northwood are all 10-7.
AU deserves a great deal of credit for getting back into Saturday's game. The Wildcats (11-13/6-11) were in front at the intermission, 33-28. Just 57 seconds into the second half, AU was behind, 39-28. With 10:32 left in regulation, NMU's Steffani Stoeger buried a three-pointer and the 'Cats were ahead, 55-45.
But like one of those quick storms that can come rolling in off Whitefish Bay, the Eagles made an impressive flurry. They got stops and finally, shots started to drop. With 6:08 left, sophomore guard Lindsay Tenyak (Wadsworth, Ohio) fired in a three-pointer and the NMU lead was cut to 56-51. Ashland tied the game, 60-60 when sophomore forward Daiva Gerbec (Dublin, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) hit a jumper with 3:23 left.
NMU outscored the Eagles, 14-6 the rest of the way. During that stretch, the home team went 8-for-8 at the free throw line. AU hit some shots, too, the Eagles went 3-for-6 on field goal tries. But the Eagles turned the ball over three times in the final 3:23 and for the game, had 20 giveaways. NMU, which had 14 turnovers, led in points off of turnovers, 23-14.
The three-point field goal was also NMU's friend. The Wildcats went 6-for-12 from three-point distance in the second half (they were 9-for-23, 39.1 percent in the game). Stoeger, who started the week averaging 9.8 ppg., scored 25 points, 21 in the second half, including the 1,000th point of her career. She went 4-for-10 from three-point range. Hillary Bowling had 17 points and was 4-for-8 from three-point distance.
Gerbec notched her 14th double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Senior forward Liz Tyler (Monroeville, Ohio) had 12 points and six rebounds and Tenyak had 13 points.
AU has never won at Northern Michigan. The Eagles' record there is 0-11.
The Eagles will play at Ohio Dominican on Thursday (Feb. 24) and then host Lake Erie on Saturday (Feb. 26). Ashland has wins over both of those teams this season.
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