Ashland University Women's Basketball - Report 13

The GLIAC Final Four

At Michigan Tech, Saturday-Sunday, Mar. 5-6

Saturday, Mar. 5

1 p.m. – Hillsdale (17-9) at Michigan Tech (24-2)

3 p.m. – Northwood (15-11) at ASHLAND (18-9)

Sunday, Mar. 6

2 p.m. – GLIAC Championship Game

A Quick Look at the Eagles

            The Eagles extended their season to at least Saturday afternoon with a 75-50 win at Findlay on Wednesday (Mar. 2).  AU has won three consecutive games and heads to Houghton, Mich., for the GLIAC Final Four. Ashland has never won a GLIAC Tournament title. AU has made three trips to the tourney title game.  This late-season push the Eagles are putting together could also thrust them back into the NCAA Division II playoff picture. Eight teams from the Midwest Region will be included in the postseason. That list will be revealed on Sunday (Mar. 6). Ashland is not among the top 10 teams in this week's regional rankings.  As for the GLIAC Tournament field, Ashland went 0-1 against Michigan Tech, 1-0 against Northwood and 1-1 against Hillsdale this season.

Flight Patterns

            This week's games can be heard live on WNCO (1340 AM) with Ken Carman at the microphone. 

Head Coach Sue Ramsey

            Ashland University head coach Sue Ramsey is in her 23^rd season as a collegiate head coach. Her overall record is 348-323.  At Ashland, Ramsey is 253-195. This is her 16^th season at AU.  Ramsey is the program's career leader in victories and she has guided the Eagles to the NCAA Division II playoffs twice (2003-04, 2005-06). She is the only coach in the program's history to lead the Eagles to the Division II playoffs. Ramsey's 2003-04 team won a school record 23 games.

            Prior to arriving at AU, Ramsey spent eight seasons as the head coach at the University of Dayton (1986-1994).  The AU head coach is a 1978 Miami (OH) graduate.  She earned her master's degree from Dayton in 1988.

            Under Ramsey, the Eagles have won or shared six GLIAC South Division titles.  Three times (2007-08, 2005-06, 1997-98), her teams have advanced to the GLIAC championship game.

Eye on the Eagles

            Sophomore forward-center Daiva Gerbec (Dublin, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) is one of the GLIAC's top all-around players.  Gerbec is the league leader in rebounding (11.0 rpg.). She's third in scoring (15.7 ppg.), fourth in free throw percentage (.851), is 10^th in blocked shots (26/1.0 bpg.) and 11th in field goal percentage (.506).  Gerbec is 14^th in the country in free throw percentage and 15^th in rebounds per game.  Gerbec has set a school single-season record for rebounds (297), surpassing Jackie Mason's mark of 280, established in 2003-04.  Mason holds the school single-season record for rebounds per game (10.2), a standard Gerbec is in position to break.  The sophomore has 17 double-doubles (points-rebounds) this season and has posted four consecutive twin killings…AU has two seniors on this year's team – forward Liz Tyler (Monroeville, Ohio) and guard Rachel Poorman (Zanesville, Ohio/Maysville) and both had stellar performances last week.  Tyler, who is 13th in the conference in field goal percentage (.478), scored a career-high 24 points in her final game at Kates Gymnasium, a 78-52 win over Lake Erie (Feb. 26).  Poorman scored a career-high 20 points last Thursday (Feb. 24) at Ohio Dominican in a 64-44 Ashland triumph.  Poorman is 10th in the GLIAC in assists (3.3 apg.).  At Findlay on Wednesday she had a career-high eight assists…freshman guard Alyssa Miller (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri-Valley) had a career-high 13 assists against Lake Erie. That's one assist shy of the school single-game record of 14, shared by Alethea Lamberson and Sara Whitis.  Miller is 11th in the conference in assists per game (3.2).  She is seventh in assist-turnover ratio (1.5).  Over the last four games, Miller has averaged 6.5 apg.  …sophomore guard Lindsay Tenyak (Wadsworth, Ohio) is second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.463).  Tenyak has 44 triples, a year ago she was 19-of-52 (.365) from three-point range…freshman forward Mikaela Lengal (Brunswick, Ohio) has become a factor for AU off the bench. She had 11 points and three rebounds last week against Lake Erie…junior guard Jena Stutzman (Berlin, Ohio/Kent State) was one of the league's top scorers before going out for the year with a knee injury.  Stutzman was hurt in the Jan. 29, against Findlay. She was producing 16.2 ppg., and had 44 three-pointers (2.4 per game).  Stutzman was shooting .927 percent (38-of-41) from the free throw line.

 Streaks, Strings and Things

            The Eagles have held five of their last seven opponents to 54 points or less…Ashland has held five of the last seven teams it has played (Grand Valley State, Ferris State, Ohio Dominican, Lake Erie, Findlay) to less than 35 percent shooting from the field… AU has played three overtime games and is 1-2 in those games.  This is the most OT games the Eagles have played since they had three overtime games during the 2001-02 campaign…Gerbec has scored in double digits in 15 consecutive games. The last time she didn't score 10 or more points came in San Diego against Mars Hill on Dec. 30 when she had five points…AU is 1-4 when trailing at halftime.

Facts and Figures

• AU went 10-2 at Kates Gymnasium with the losses coming to Hillsdale (Dec. 19) and Findlay (Jan. 29). A year ago, the Eagles were 9-6 at home.
• The Eagles have won at least nine home games for seven consecutive seasons.
• AU has held eight teams this season to 53 points or less.
• Ashland is the GLIAC leader in scoring (71.3 ppg.) and free throw percentage (79.2) and is second in field goal percentage (45.0), field goal percentage defense (36.1) and assists (417/15.4 apg.).  AU is third in scoring margin (+8.8), rebound margin (+4.4) and three-point field goal percentage (37.6).
• The Eagles lead the nation in free throw percentage (79.2). AU is 17^th in three-point field goal percentage (37.6) and 21^st in field goal percentage (45.0).
• Poorman has started 48 games, the most of any player on the roster.
• Gerbec has never attempted a three-pointer in her collegiate career.
• The Eagles are 6-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points.
• Last season, AU lost in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament, 71-50 at Northern Michigan.  This is the third consecutive year the Eagles have made the GLIAC Tournament.
• AU is the fifth seed in the tournament field.

Ashland-Findlay Recap

            The Eagles earned a spot in the GLIAC Final Four thanks to a 75-50 win at Findlay on Wednesday (Mar. 2).  Ashland went 0-2 against the Oilers during the regular season, losing in double overtime at Findlay and in overtime at home.  In the third meeting, the Eagles didn't take any chances with a close call at the end.  AU shot out to an early lead and had a 35-21 lead at the intermission.  Early in the second half that advantage expanded to 20 points and the Eagles were able to cruise to the victory.

            This would qualify as one of AU's best defensive efforts of the season. The Eagles outrebounded the Oilers, 39-25 and led in points in the paint, 36-22.  AU was able to pressure every shot and that enthusiasm on defense paid huge dividends, Findlay shot 29.8 percent (17-of-57) from the field.  The Oilers were 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) from three-point range.  The Eagles held UF's explosive Clare Aubry to 14 points (3-of-16 from the floor). She was the only Findlay player to score in double digits.

            Gerbec scored a career-high 30 points and yanked down 10 rebounds.  Gerbec has played five career games against UF and has never failed to post a double-double.  In this game, she was 12-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. For much of the first half, she outscored the Oilers by herself.  She ended the half with 17 points.

            AU also got 14 points and five boards from Tyler and 13 points (three three-pointers) from Tenyak.  The rapidly-improving Miller played 35 minutes and had eight points (2-of-3 on three-point attempts), five assists, two steals and two turnovers.

Ashland-Northwood

            AU hosted the Timberwolves on Dec. 16 and held on for a 62-60 win.  AU leads the series with Northwood, 14-4.  The teams have split the last six meetings. At one point, AU led the series, 12-0.

            In this year's game, AU had an eight-point lead with 14 minutes left in regulation and a four-point advantage, 62-58 with 2:31 left on the clock.  With 1:45 left, NU's Savannah Stedman hit a jumper and the Ashland lead was down to 62-60.  Neither team scored again.  The 'Wolves missed a jumper with 37 seconds left and with one second remaining in the game, NU gave the ball away on a turnover.

            Gerbec was the lone AU player to score in double figures – she had 16 points and five rebounds.  Tyler had eight points and eight rebounds. 

            NU got 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists from 5-10 senior forward Pam Wilson. 

Rachel Church, a 5-7 sophomore guard, had 15 points in 27 minutes off the bench.

Scouting Northwood

            The Timberwolves (15-11) have won seven of their last nine games. The two losses in that stretch have come at home to Northern Michigan (69-58) and Michigan Tech (68-51).  In the GLIAC quarterfinals, Northwood won at Grand Valley State, 63-39.  The Timberwolves entered the tournament as the sixth seed.

            At GVSU, the 'Wolves played suffocating defense. The Lakers shot 19.7 percent from the floor and went 1-for-19 (.053) from three-point range.  NU leads the GLIAC in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.4) and is third in field goal percentage defense (36.9).

            Stedman, NU's 6-3 junior guard-forward, had 16 points and 10 rebounds.  Church had 13 points and Wilson finished with 11 points.

            Wilson is the GLIAC's leading scorer at 17.0 ppg.  She's second in rebounds per game (8.7 rpg.) and minutes played (36.6 mpg.).  She's 12^th in free throw percentage (78.8).  Wilson was named the GLIAC preseason player of the year.  Stedman is 11^th in rebounds (6.9 rpg.) and sixth in field goal percentage (52.4).  She is NU's second leading scorer at 11.9 ppg.  Church averages 8.6 ppg.

            NU's head coach is Jeff Curtis. In 2007-08, he was the GLIAC and region coach of the year.

Ashland-Michigan Tech

            The Eagles played at MTU on Feb. 17 and lost, 68-50.  Tech has a 13-7 lead in the series.  The Huskies have a four-game winning streak against the Eagles.  Ashland's last victory over MTU came on Feb. 7, 2009, 80-77 in Ashland. The last time the Eagles won in Houghton, Mich., was on Jan. 24, 2008, 61-60.

Scouting Michigan Tech

            MTU is first in the conference in scoring defense (53.5 ppg.), scoring margin (+15.8), field goal percentage (46.7), field goal percentage defense (36.1), three-point field goal percentage (41.2), assist-turnover ratio (1.2) and three-point field goals per game (8.2 per game).  Lucy Dernovsek, a 5-11 senior forward, is third in the GLIAC in rebounds (8.3 rpg.) and blocks (53/2.0). Dernovsek averages 11.9 ppg.  Lisa Staehlin, a 6-2 senior center, averages 11.6 ppg., and 5.0 rpg.  She's second in the conference in field goal percentage (59.5).  Sam Hoyt, a 5-5 sophomore guard, is the league leader in three-pointers (60/2.3 per game). Hoyt averages 11.0 ppg. Lindsey Lindstrom, a 6-0 junior forward, is a factor on the glass, averaging 7.3 rpg. (sixth in the GLIAC).  Tech is the top seed in the tournament.

Ashland-Hillsdale

            The Eagles and Chargers split their season series.  On Dec. 2, the Eagles won at Hillsdale, 75-57. In Ashland on Dec. 19, HC nipped the Eagles, 80-77.  Ashland trails in the all-time series with Hillsdale, 21-18.  Ashland saw a three-game winning streak against the Chargers end on Dec. 19.

Scouting Hillsdale

            The Chargers are second in the league in scoring (71.1 ppg.), second in turnover margin (+1.50) and third in three-point field goal percentage (37.0).  Chelsea Harrison, a 5-9 junior guard, is scoring 16.2 ppg., which puts her second in the conference.  She's fifth in free throw percentage (84.2).  Laura Barczak, a 6-0 senior forward, is good for 13.7 ppg., and 7.3 rpg. (tied for eighth in the conference).  Barczak is making 53.5 percent of her field goal attempts (fourth in the GLIAC).  Lea Jones, a 5-6 sophomore guard, scores 10.5 ppg.  The Chargers are the seventh seed in the tournament.

Tournament Tidbits

• Michigan Tech is ranked fifth in the country and has an 11-game winning streak.
• Tech won its first round game over Tiffin, 58-40.  Tech was the only home team in the GLIAC quarterfinals to win.  Lake Superior State, Findlay and Grand Valley State all lost at home.
• Hillsdale upended Lake Superior State in overtime, 81-79.  HC's Lea Jones set a school record by playing 50 minutes. She had 23 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists.
• This is the fourth consecutive year MTU has hosted the GLIAC Tournament.
• Northwood is in the GLIAC Tournament for the fourth consecutive year.  In the first 20 years of the program, the Timberwolves never advanced to the tournament.
• GVSU missed 24 consecutive shots against Northwood on Wednesday.  The Lakers' field goal percentage – 19.7 – was the lowest by a GLIAC team this season.
• NU set an NCAA Division II record earlier this year for the largest comeback.  Against Northern Michigan, the 'Wolves trailed, 39-12.  NU came back to win, 65-58.  Northwood outscored NMU, 53-19 in the final 24 minutes.
• The Michigan Tech-Hillsdale matchup features a decided contrast in coaches. MTU's Kim Cameron is in her first season.  HC's Claudette Charney is in her 26^th year as a coach in the GLIAC (Saginaw Valley State, Grand Valley State, Hillsdale) and has 484 career wins.

On Deck

            The season could end this weekend, or the Eagles could find themselves in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Ashland has gone to the NCAA postseason twice in school history.

AU

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