Thursday, Jan. 9, 5:30 p.m.
#24 Northern Michigan (9-1, 6-0) at Ashland (6-4, 4-2 GLIAC)
Kates Gymnasium, Ashland, Ohio
Saturday, Jan. 11, 11:30 a.m.
Michigan Tech (8-2, 6-0 GLIAC) at Ashland (6-4, 4-2 GLIAC)
Kates Gymnasium, Ashland Ohio
(Both games will be broadcast live on WNCO-AM 1340 with Matt Brubaker on the call. The campus radio station, WRDL, will be live on the air only for the Northern Michigan game on Thursday. Saturday's game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network with Noah Coslov doing play-by-play, Lisa Byington handling the color and Cat Anderson serving as the sideline reporter.)
Setting the Scene
Ashland begins a four-game home stand with a pair of matchups against the leaders of the GLIAC North Division. Northern Michigan is ranked 24th in the latest USA Today Division II Coaches Poll and Michigan Tech is listed among "Others Receiving Votes". Ashland is 2-2 at home this year. The Eagles are coming off a road trip where they lost to Northwood, 65-49 then held on to beat Lake Superior State, 60-57. Ashland is 33-6 against the GLIAC North over the last three seasons.
About the Eagles
During the weekend trip to Michigan, the Eagles had their worst shooting performance in any two-game stretch this season, shooting 37.8 percent (37-for-98) from the field…against Northwood, the Eagles turned the ball over 20 times and were held to a season-low 49 points. Ashland was out-rebounded, 44-34 by the Timberwolves and the difference was on the offensive glass. Northwood had a 17-7 advantage which led to a 14-2 edge in second chance points…against Lake Superior State, the entire game was played in an 11-point window and there were eight ties and 10 lead changes. Freshman guard Kelsey Peare made her first career start and hit two clutch free throws late to preserve the win. Peare finished 5-for-6 from the line and finished with seven points, two rebounds and three assists. The Eagles out-rebounded the Lakers, 38-37. That was just the second time this season AU came out on top on the boards, the other time came against Ferris State on Dec. 7. The Eagles also went 20-for-28 at the free throw line, making their most since they converted 24-of-29 in a loss to Wayne State on Dec. 18.
How They Rank
Category GLIAC
Free Throw Percentage --- 79.1% 1st (3rd in nation)
Turnovers/Game --- 13.6 1st (11th in nation)
Assists/Game --- 14.8 3rd
Field Goal Percentage --- 45.2% 3rd
3-Point Field Goal Percentage --- 34.7% 4th
Points/Game --- 73.2 5th
Blocks/Game --- 3.4 5th
Opp. Field Goal Percentage --- 41.3% 12th
Points Allowed --- 73.4 14th
Rebounds/Game --- 33.4 15th
Rebounding Margin --- (-6.0) 15th
Eagles to Watch
Senior guard Alyssa Miller is out indefinitely and has missed the last four games with a left hand injury. She leads the GLIAC in minutes played (37.0 mpg.) and assists (4.8 apg.). She is eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 15.5 ppg., and is ninth in field goal percentage (50.7 percent)… Miller is Ashland's all-time leader with 492 career assists and set an AU single-season record with 192 last year…Miller recorded a school-record 15 assists at Tiffin (Feb. 23, 2013)…the Eagles are 86-9 with Miller in the starting lineup and 1-3 this season without her.
Junior guard Taylor Woods is the third leading scorer in the GLIAC, averaging 18.3 ppg. She has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games and 27 of her last 31 dating back to last season. She has scored 20 or more points five times this year. Woods is seventh in the league in three-pointers (24) and 14th in three-point field goal percentage (38.1 percent). She is also third in the GLIAC in minutes (34.3 mpg.) and tied for 15th in assists (2.7 apg.)…against NYIT, Woods had her best shooting performance of the season, shooting 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the field en route to a 21-point performance…against Ferris State, Woods set a new career high with 34 points, 29 of those coming in the second half. She went 10-for-18 from the field and made five threes. She also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out a team-high six assists…against Indianapolis on Nov. 17, she set an Ashland single-game record with nine three-pointers, breaking the old record of eight set by Bridget Donovan in 1999 against Mercyhurst.
Junior guard Melanie Poorman is 15th in the GLIAC in rebounding (6.0 rpg.). She grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds in the win against Saginaw Valley State on Dec. 16, and has two double-digit rebounding games this year…against NYIT, she went 5-for-5 from the floor, scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds…Poorman set a career high, scoring 18 points against GVSU and recorded her first career double-double…in her last five games, Poorman is shooting 54.2 percent (13-for-24) from the field and averaging 6.8 rpg.
Sophomore guard McKenzie Miller is the team's fourth leading scorer, averaging 11.2 ppg. She has scored in double figures in four of her last six games. She scored a career-high 17 points in AU's last home win against Saginaw Valley State on Dec. 16.
Freshman forward Suzy Wollenhaupt is becoming one of the most consistent and dominant young post players in the GLIAC. She has been named the GLIAC South player of the week twice this season and is the team's top rebounder and second leading scorer. She ranks sixth in the GLIAC in scoring (17.4 ppg.), ninth in offensive rebounds (22), 13th in free-throw percentage (83.6 percent) and 18th in field goal percentage (47.8 percent). She is third in the conference in blocks (20) and fifth in rebounding (7.9 rpg.)…Wollenhaupt has scored in double figures in every game this season and has scored 20 or more points three times…Wollenhaupt is averaging 9.3 rpg., over her last six games…against GLIAC competition, she is averaging 21.7 ppg., 8.7 rpg., and shooting 48.1 percent (49-of-101) from the field…the rookie recorded her second career double-double against Lake Superior State, scoring 17 points and grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds.
Head Coach Sue Ramsey
Ramsey is in her 19th year at Ashland. Her record at Ashland is 330-203 (.619) and her career record as a college head is 425-331 (.562). Ramsey is the program's career leader in wins and has led AU to four postseason berths. She was named the 2012 GLIAC coach of the year and the WBCA NCAA Division II national coach of the year. She also received the WBCA's Carol Eckman Award in 2012 and in the fall, she was inducted into Miami's (Ohio) Cradle of Coaches. Ramsey has won 20 or more games five times and has two, 30-win seasons on her resume. AU has won the last two GLIAC Championships under Ramsey, the only two titles in program history. The 2011-12 team went 19-0 in the GLIAC, the only team in conference history to complete a conference schedule unblemished.
Ramsey vs. Northern Michigan: 10-16
Ramsey vs. Michigan Tech: 12-13
About Northern Michigan (9-1, 6-0 GLIAC)
Northern Michigan is off to a hot start in the GLIAC. The Wildcats are tied for the North Division lead with Wayne State and Michigan Tech. The Wildcats are coming off of two home wins where they beat Tiffin, 79-55 and escaped a scare against Ohio Dominican, 61-59…the Wildcats rank in the top half of nearly every major statistical category in the GLIAC and lead the conference in rebounding (42.6 rpg.) and field goal percentage defense (37.9 percent). Six players on their roster grab at least four rebounds per game and NMU has only been out-rebounded once this season, against Ohio Dominican. Offensively, the 'Cats also rank second in free throw percentage (77 percent) and three-point field goals made (7.9), while ranking third in scoring (77.2 ppg.). Defensively, they rank second in the league in rebounding margin (+7.3), points allowed (63.8 ppg.), and three-point field goal percentage defense (28.4 percent)…Northern Michigan is outscoring GLIAC opponents by 8.0 ppg., this year and has held five of their its conference opponents to under 70 points.
NMU's best player is junior guard Alyssa Colla, who leads the GLIAC in free throw percentage (95.8 percent). She has made 43 consecutive shots at the line and hasn't missed since Nov. 24 against Lewis. Colla also ranks sixth in the league in assists (3.7 apg.), eighth in three-point field goal percentage (43.3 percent), and ninth in scoring (15.3 ppg.)…she has scored in double figures in nine of 10 games this year and had a season-high 24 points against Hillsdale on Dec. 16.
Leading the Wildcats down low is junior forward Abbey DeBruin. She leads the team in field goal percentage and is fifth in the GLIAC, shooting 58.1 percent from the floor. Over her last seven games, she is shooting 60.5 percent (26-for-43) from the floor and scoring 10.1 ppg.
Troy Mattson is in his ninth year at Northern Michigan and won his 100th game as the NMU head coach on Nov. 16 against Findlandia, 102-40. Before accepting the women's head coaching job, Mattson was an associate head coach for the Wildcats men's program from 1994-2005 and was also Northern Michigan's tennis coach from 1994-2003.
Eagles-Wildcats
Northern Michigan leads the all-time series with Ashland, 16-10, but the Eagles have been fortunate enough to win the last four meetings. Last year, the Eagles went 2-0 against the Wildcats, winning their first-ever game at Northern Michigan, 63-46. In that game, Ashland allowed just 16 first half points and forced 19 turnovers in the game. The two teams also met in the first round of the GLIAC tournament for the second consecutive year and Ashland ended the Wildcats' season with a dominating defensive performance, winning 68-35. In each of the last two years, Ashland has ended the NMU season in the GLIAC quarterfinals. The Eagles held the Wildcats to 13-for-49 (26.5 percent) from the field in the game and forced 16 turnovers on their way to the best defensive effort they had all year. Alyssa Miller had 18 points and eight rebounds in the first round win while Woods scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out six assists.
About Michigan Tech (8-2, 6-0 GLIAC)
Michigan Tech has won seven straight games and is a perfect 3-0 on the road this season. MTU plays at Lake Erie on Thursday night. The Huskies have five seniors and three juniors on a team that made it to the semifinals of the Midwest Regional last year. Their top four scorers are all sophomores. The Huskies are coming off of wins against Ohio Dominican, 65-53 and Tiffin, 68-61. Their last loss came on Nov. 23 against Minnesota-Duluth, 84-80. Offensively, the Huskies are very good at taking care of the basketball and making shots. Michigan Tech is second in the GLIAC in fewest turnovers (13.9) and is third in both three-point field goal shooting (36 percent) and made three-pointers per game (7.3). The Huskies also rank third in free throw percentage (76.2 percent) and are seventh in scoring (72.2 ppg.). Defensively, they are second in the league in blocks (5.1 bpg.), third in three-point field goal percentage defense (38.1 percent) and eighth in scoring defense (66.8 ppg.).
The Huskies' top scorer is sophomore forward Kylie Moxley. She is 13th in the GLIAC, scoring 14.6 ppg., and is third in the conference, shooting 59.2 percent from the field. Moxley has scored in double figures in five consecutive games. She is 15th in the conference, grabbing 6.0 rpg.
Sophomore guard Mackenzie Perttu is one of the best three-point shooters in the GLIAC and leads the team with 21 triples. Perttu ranks ninth in three-pointers made and has made at least two in seven straight games. She is 17th in the league in three-point field goal percentage (36.8 percent) and is 15th in the GLIAC in scoring (13.8 ppg.).
Sophomore guard Danielle Blake is the team's leading rebounder and third leading scorer. Blake grabs 6.8 rpg., and averages 10.2 ppg. She is eighth in the GLIAC in rebounding and is second in blocks (23). Over the last three games, Blake is averaging 7.0 rpg., and 3.3 bpg.
Kim Cameron is in her fourth season as the head coach at Michigan Tech. She won the 2011 GLIAC and Midwest Region coach of the year awards after guiding the Huskies to a 31-3 record and a berth in the 2011 national championship game.
Eagles-Huskies
Ashland and Michigan Tech have been two of the top programs in the GLIAC over the last three seasons. The conference has been represented in the last three national title games - Michigan Tech in 2011 and Ashland in 2012 and 2013. Michigan Tech leads the all-time series with Ashland, 14-12. Ashland has won five in a row in the series, including three times last year. Ashland won on the road in the regular season, 76-66 on Jan. 5, 2013. AU shot 26-of-53 (49.1 percent) in that game and out-rebounded the Huskies, 37-30. In the GLIAC semifinals at Kates Gymnasium, the Eagles led 41-38 at halftime and outscored the Huskies by 10 in the second half on their way to an 81-68 victory. Kari Daugherty had 33 points and 16 rebounds in that game and Alyssa Miller had 10 points and eight assists. The final meeting between the two schools came in the Midwest Region semifinal, where Ashland prevailed, 67-54. The Eagles led, 32-12 in points in the paint and scored 17 points off of 11 Michigan Tech turnovers. The last time the Eagles lost to the Huskies was in the 2011 GLIAC Tournament championship game, 63-53 in Houghton, Mich.
Up Next
Ashland begins divisional play at home against the Walsh Cavaliers on Jan. 16 (5:30 p.m.), followed by the Malone Pioneers on Jan. 18 (1 p.m.).
AU
WBB/MB
