Thursday, Feb. 13, 5:30 p.m.
Findlay (10-11, 7-10 GLIAC) at Ashland (13-8, 11-6 GLIAC)
Kates Gymnasium, Ashland, Ohio
Saturday, Feb. 15, 1:00 p.m.
Hillsdale (10-11, 9-8 GLIAC) at Ashland (13-8, 11-6 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 also be on the air covering both games.)
Setting the Scene
Ashland returns home to Kates Gymnasium in sole possession of first place in the GLIAC South Division. Ashland defeated Walsh and Malone on the road last week, beating the Cavaliers, 85-75 then topping the Pioneers, 81-68. With five games remaining in the regular season, the Eagles are in good position to host a first round game in the upcoming eight-team GLIAC Tournament. Currently, the Eagles are tied for the third best record in the GLIAC and hold the tiebreaker with Northern Michigan (also tied for third) after their 74-60 win on Jan. 9. Ashland is 5-5 at home this season.
About the Eagles
Against Walsh, the Eagles never trailed and led by 20 points with 3:16 to play in the first half. Ashland shot 16-for-34 (47.1 percent) from the field in the half and held the Cavaliers to 26.5 percent (9-of-34) shooting. In the second half, the Cavaliers pulled within one point, 63-62 with 6:29 to play, but freshman guard, Rachelle Morrison connected on a corner three to end the threat. Morrison tied her career high in the game with 11 points and five players scored in double figures. Ashland's frontcourt of Suzy Wollenhaupt and Melanie Poorman combined for 32 points on 15-of-24 shooting from the field and pulled down nine rebounds…at Malone on Saturday, the Eagles and Pioneers traded leads for the first 4:33, then Ashland took over. The Eagles led, 37-26 at halftime and shot 15-of-30 (50 percent) from the field in the first half. AU had three players score in double figures and had five players grab at least four rebounds. The Eagles out-rebounded Malone, 40-38. Ashland is 5-0 when out-rebounding an opponent and all five of those games have been on the road. The Ashland bench outscored the Pioneer reserves, 28-6 and the team shot 26-for-32 (81.2 percent) at the free throw line. For the weekend, the Eagles outscored the opposition's second unit, 58-27 and shot 86 percent (43-of-50) at the foul line.
How They Rank
Category GLIAC
Free Throw Percentage --- 80.0% 1st (2nd in nation)
Assists/Game --- 14.6 2nd
Blocks/Game --- 4.6 2nd
Field Goal Percentage --- 44.0% 3rd
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage --- 35.9% 3rd
Points/Game --- 72.8 4th
Field Goals Made --- 25.9 4th
Turnovers/Game --- 14.4 4th
Opp. Field Goal Percentage --- 38.9% 6th
Points Allowed --- 69.8 11th
Rebounding Margin --- (-4.4) 13th
Opp. 3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage --- 34.8% 14th
Rebounds/Game --- 36.0 14th
Offensive Rebounds --- 8.4 16th
Eagles to Watch
Senior guard Alyssa Miller is one of the most highly decorated players in Ashland women's basketball history. Over the weekend, she won her 100th career game (at Malone). Because of a hand injury that sidelined her for six games, Miller's numbers don't rank among the GLIAC leaders, but she would lead the GLIAC in both minutes (35.7 mpg.) and assists (4.9 apg.)…Miller recorded her 500th career assist against Walsh on Jan. 16. She is Ashland's all-time leader with 536 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 92-12 with Miller in the starting lineup during her career…Miller is 19 points away from 1,000 in her career…last week against the Cavaliers and Pioneers, she averaged 8.5 ppg., 7.0 rpg., and 3.0 apg…Miller scored 23 points against Ohio Dominican on Jan. 30 and tied her career high with five three-pointers…she recorded a season-high nine assists against Tiffin on Feb. 1.
Junior guard Taylor Woods is the third best three-point shooter in the GLIAC, connecting on 50 this season and ranks sixth in three-point field goal percentage (40.7 percent). Last year, Woods made 41 treys through 21 games and finished the season shooting 41.6 percent (74-of-178) from deep. She ranks eighth in the league in free throw percentage (82.7 percent), 10th in scoring (15.9 ppg.) and 23rd in assists (2.3 apg.)…Woods made 6-of-9 shots from the three-point line last week and had 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals against Malone…she scored 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting and seven three-pointers against Findlay on Jan. 23…in the upset win against Northern Michigan on Jan. 9, Woods scored 26 points and had five steals, one shy of her career high set against Northwood on Dec. 19, 2011…on the road at 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…at 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 triples. She also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out a team-high six assists…against Indianapolis on Nov. 17, Woods set an Ashland single-game record with nine three-pointers, breaking the old record of eight set by Bridget Donovan in 1999 against Mercyhurst. Woods has scored in double figures in 18 of her 21 games this season and has scored 20 or more points seven times this year. She has made two or more three-pointers in a game 12 times.
Sophomore guard McKenzie Miller is the team's fourth leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 11.1 ppg., and 5.3 rpg. The sophomore ranks 20th in the GLIAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3), 25th in assists (2.2 apg.) and 27th in the conference in rebounding…Miller's best games this year have come off of the bench. She is averaging 11.8 ppg., 5.7 rpg., and 1.8 apg. in six games off the bench this season and is shooting 50 percent from the field. She scored a career-high 21 points (7-of-10 shooting from the field, 7-for-7 at the free throw line) in AU's win at Lake Erie on Feb. 3. At Malone, she scored 20 points and grabbed four rebounds on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 marksmanship from beyond the arc. She recorded her first career double-double against Walsh on Jan. 16, scoring 13 points and reeling in a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with five assists…this year in four games against Walsh and Malone, Miller averaged 12.5 ppg., 8.3 rpg., and 2.3 apg. In six games without Alyssa Miller, McKenzie Miller averaged 11.3 ppg., 4.8 rpg., and 3.3 apg.
Sophomore guard Jamie Sobczak has started the last five games and is averaging 19.2 mpg., and 6.6 rpg., in those contests. In four of her five starts, Sobczak has grabbed at least six rebounds…she dished out a career-high four assists against Ohio Dominican on Jan. 30, secured a career-high nine rebounds on the road at Lake Erie on Feb. 3 and posted a career-best nine points against Malone on Saturday.
Freshman forward Suzy Wollenhaupt is the team's top scorer and rebounder. She ranks third in the GLIAC in scoring (17.6 ppg.), eighth in free throw percentage (82.7 percent) and 11th in field goal percentage (50.6 percent). She has made 132 field goals this season, third most in the conference. Defensively, she is second in the GLIAC in blocks (53) and fifth in rebounding (8.2 rpg.)…in four games in the month of February, Wollenhaupt is scoring 19.2 ppg., on 55.3 percent shooting from the field and is averaging 9.8 rpg., and 2.8 bpg…in the home loss to Tiffin, Wollenhaupt tied her career high with 29 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 13-of-15 shooting from the free throw line. Against Findlay, Wollenhaupt nearly recorded the second-ever triple double in program history, scoring 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while grabbing 10 rebounds and recording a career-high seven blocks…at Malone, the freshman forward recorded her sixth double-double of the year, posting 22 points and 12 rebounds. She has recorded two or more blocks in 18 straight games.
Head Coach Sue Ramsey
Ramsey is in her 19th year at Ashland. Her record at Ashland is 337-207 (.619) and her career record as a college head is 432-335 (.563). 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. Findlay: 21-15
Ramsey vs. Hillsdale: 17-20
About Findlay (10-11, 7-10 GLIAC)
Findlay lost its top three scorers from a team that went 24-6 last season and made it to the NCAA Tournament before falling in the first round to Wayne State, 63-58. The Oilers were selected to finish second in the GLIAC South Division in the preseason. After starting the season 4-0, Findlay won three of its next 11 games, but has gone 3-3 over its last six games. The Oilers split their home games last weekend, losing to Ohio Dominican on Thursday, 69-51, then rebounding to beat Tiffin, 81-59…the Oilers are first in the GLIAC in steals (12.6 spg.) and three-point field goal attempts (24.2), second in made triples (6.9) and third in assists (14.4 apg.). Where Findlay has struggled this year falls back on efficiency. The Oilers rank 10th in field goal percentage (39.4 percent), 11th in scoring (69.1 ppg.), and 13th in three-point field goal percentage (28.5 percent).
Sophomore forward Margaret Wuebker is the team's top scorer and rebounder, averaging 12.9 ppg., and 5.5 rpg. Wuebker is eighth in the GLIAC in field goal percentage (52.1 percent), 14th in blocks (18), 18th in scoring, and 20th in rebounding…she has scored in double figures in 10 of her last 11 games. During that stretch, she has averaged 14.5 ppg., while shooting 53.2 percent from the field and grabbing 6.1 rpg…she has recorded two double-doubles this year with her best effort coming against Lake Erie on Jan. 25, when she scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds…Wuebker tied her season high against Ashland on Jan. 23, scoring 21 points.
Junior forward Lacey Kessler has played in 20 games off of the bench this year and has averaged 14.6 mpg., but is the team's third leading scorer and fifth best rebounder. She is scoring 8.5 ppg., and averaging 3.0 rpg. Kessler is 17th in the GLIAC with 29 steals. She also ranks 19th in the league in made free throws (66) and 32nd in offensive rebounds (31)…she put up 15 points and collected a season-high seven rebounds on Dec. 12 at home against Michigan Tech.
Head Coach Jim Wiedie is in his first season as the Findlay head coach. He spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the Oilers. Prior to his time at Findlay, he was the head coach at Indiana State from 2000-10, and he left there as the school's all-time leader in victories with 166.
Eagles-Oilers
Ashland leads the all-time series with Findlay, 23-15 and has gone 3-1 against the Oilers over the last two seasons. The Eagles won the first meeting this year between the two schools on Jan. 23, 80-55. Ashland posted season highs in rebounds (45) and assists (20) and overcame a season-worst 23 turnovers. AU led, 31-22 at halftime but went 18-for-28 (64.3 percent) from the floor and 8-for-12 from deep in the second half and outscored the Oilers by 16 points.
Ashland won both meetings at home last season, winning in the regular season, 72-41 and then in the GLIAC championship game, 68-49. In its regular season win, Ashland scored the game's first 20 points and led at halftime, 43-20. All five starters scored in double figures as Alyssa Miller scored 14 points and handed out six assists. In its 66-51 loss on the road, Ashland shot 20-of-59 (33.9 percent) from the field and was outscored in the paint, 40-22. Both Alyssa Miller and Woods scored eight points and dished out three assists.
About Hillsdale (11-10, 9-8 GLIAC)
Hillsdale comes into this weekend as one of the hottest teams in the GLIAC, winners of five of its last six games (HC plays at Lake Erie on Thursday). The only loss the Chargers suffered in that stretch came against Tiffin on Feb. 6, 76-73. The Chargers are 5-5 this season in games decided by five points or less and 3-1 in their last four games…the Chargers lead the GLIAC in rebounding (42.0 rpg.) and blocks (5.3 bpg.) and hold opponents to the second lowest shooting percentage in the league at 38.2 percent. Hillsdale has done a good job this year of getting to the free throw line, shooting 24 attempts per game and making 70.3 percent. The Chargers are fourth in three-point field goal percentage (35.4 percent), fifth in scoring (72.3 percent) and assists (13.7 apg.) and sixth in field goal percentage (42.6 percent). Hillsdale allows 72.1 ppg., this season, which is 15th in the GLIAC, and ranks 15th in the league, committing 22.6 fouls a game.
Junior forward Megan Fogt has become one of the best interior players in the nation and is this week's GLIAC South Player of the Week. Fogt has earned that honor five times this season and leads the country in rebounding, grabbing 16.1 rpg. She has recorded 17 double-doubles this season and had a career-high 27 boards against McKendree on Nov. 22. This year, Fogt has 338 rebounds in 21 games and has seven games of 20 or more boards. To compare these numbers to Ashland's Kari Daugherty, Daugherty had 295 rebounds in her first 21 games of last season and during her career, had six games of 20 or more rebounds, all coming in the 2011-12 season. Last year, Daugherty averaged 13.7 rpg., and led the GLIAC in rebounding. She was second in the country in rebounding. Fogt is second in the conference in scoring, putting up 20.1 ppg., and ranks fourth in field goal percentage (59.6 percent). Fogt has scored in double figures in every game this year and leads the conference in field goals (155) and free throws made (113). She also leads the GLIAC in blocks with 57 …Fogt had 16 points and 22 rebounds against Ashland in their first meeting and had 24 points and 23 rebounds in her last game against Ohio Dominican.
Fogt's partner down low is senior forward Angela Bisaro. She is averaging 6.9 ppg., and grabbing 4.9 rpg., while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor. Bisaro and Fogt are the only two Chargers to start in all 21 games this year. Bisaro ranks eighth in the GLIAC in blocks (27) and 16th in offensive rebounds (39)…Bisaro has scored a season-best 15 points twice and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds against both Saginaw Valley State (Jan. 11) and Walsh (Feb. 1).
Head coach Claudette Charney is in her 12th year at Hillsdale and is the GLIAC's all-time wins leader with 518 coming into this weekend. Last season, Charney became just the 11th women's basketball coach in NCAA Division II history to win 500 games and is the first coach in the history of the GLIAC to do so. She begins this season with a career winning percentage of .637.
Eagles-Chargers
Ashland and Hillsdale will play for the series lead on Saturday as the all-time series is tied, 22-22. Ashland has won five of the last seven meetings. In Hillsdale on Jan. 25, AU fell, 82-72. Ashland led once in the game, 8-7 at the 15:24 mark and trailed at the break, 36-27. The Eagles trailed, 42-31 with 17:14 to play, but over the next two minutes, AU went on an 8-0 run to cut it to three, but never got any closer. The Eagles were out-rebounded, 51-34 and outscored 40-24 in the paint while surrendering 20 second chance points. Five players scored in double figures for AU. Wollenhaupt led the way with 13 points. Alyssa Miller, McKenzie Miller, and Kelsey Peare each had 12 points and Morrison chipped in with 10 points off of the bench.
Last year, Ashland defeated the Chargers at home, 80-51 and then dominated them on the road, 83-57. In the home win, Ashland shot 46.8 percent from the field as all five starters scored in double figures. Daiva Gerbec led AU with 20 points and 15 rebounds and helped lead the Eagles to a 46-21 edge on the boards. On the road, Woods, Gerbec, and Alyssa Miller outscored the Chargers by themselves, 63-57. Woods led AU with 23 points and connected on 5-of-8 attempts from the three-point line. Gerbec finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, and Alyssa Miller finished with 20 points, going 4-of-4 from deep. In the two games against the Eagles last year, Hillsdale shot a perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line…the last time the Chargers got the best of Ashland came on Dec. 19, 2010, when Hillsdale won 80-77. Ashland hasn't lost to Hillsdale on the road since the 2008-09 season, falling 81-55.
Up Next
Ashland plays its final two road games of the regular season as it travels to Ohio Dominican on Feb. 20 (5:30 p.m.) and to Tiffin on Feb. 22 (1 p.m.). The Eagles defeated the Panthers, 75-61 on Jan. 30 at Kates Gymnasium and lost at home to Tiffin, 83-80 on Feb. 1.
AU
