Thursday, Feb. 20, 5:30 p.m.
Ashland (15-8, 13-6 GLIAC) at Ohio Dominican (10-13, 7-12 GLIAC)
Alumni Hall, Columbus, Ohio
Saturday, Feb. 22, 1 p.m.
Ashland (15-8, 13-6 GLIAC) at Tiffin (7-15, 4-14 GLIAC)
Gillmor Center, Tiffin, Ohio
(Both games will be broadcast live on WNCO-AM 1340 with Matt Brubaker describing the action.)
Setting the Scene
Ashland makes its last road trip of the season this week with visits to Ohio Dominican and Tiffin. Currently, the Eagles are tied for the third best overall record in the GLIAC with Northern Michigan and have clinched a berth in the GLIAC Tournament. Last week, the Eagles extended their winning streak to a season-high five games with wins against Findlay (88-80) and Hillsdale (83-63). Ashland lost to Tiffin earlier this season at home, 83-80. The Eagles are 2-0 this year against teams they lost to earlier this season.
About the Eagles
Against Findlay, the Eagles had one of their best offensive performances of the year, scoring their second most points of the season and connecting on their second most field goals, shooting 55 percent (33-of-60) from the field. Ashland had four players score in double figures with Taylor Woods leading the way with 25 points on a career-high 10 field goals. The Eagles out-rebounded Findlay for the second straight time, winning the battle on the boards, 34-29. It was the first time all season the Eagles out-rebounded an opponent at home. In two games against Findlay, Ashland shot 57.7 percent (64-of-111) from the field and held a 79-63 edge on the glass…in Saturday's game against Hillsdale, the Eagles arguably played their best half of the year in the second half after trailing at the break, 35-34. AU shot 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field and outscored the Chargers, 49-28 in the final 20 minutes. The team's success was credited to its defensive strategy against the nation's leading rebounder, Megan Fogt. Ashland held Fogt to season lows in points (eight) and rebounds (seven). Fogt picked up two personal fouls in the first 5:05 and never got into a rhythm, finishing the game 3-for-13 from the field. It was the first time this season Fogt scored in single digits and it was just her fifth time grabbing single-digit rebounds. The Eagles had their highest rebounding total of the year, out-rebounded the best rebounding team in the conference, 48-39. AU has grabbed 40 or more rebounds in four of its last five games and is 6-0 this season when recording at least 40. Freshman guard Kelsey Peare sparked the Eagles' second half rally. She played her best game of the season, posting career highs in points (16), rebounds (10), assists (7), field goals made (5), and free throws made (6). Ashland finished the game shooting 46.8 percent (29-for-62) from the field and shot 21-for-26 at the free throw line.
How They Rank
Category GLIAC
Free Throw Percentage --- 79.7% 1st (2nd in nation)
Assists/Game --- 14.8 1st
Points/Game --- 73.9 2nd
Field Goals Made --- 26.3 2nd
Field Goal Percentage --- 44.7% 3rd
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage --- 36.1% 3rd
Blocks/Game --- 4.5 4th
Turnovers/Game --- 14.3 4th
Opp. Field Goal Percentage --- 38.9% 6th
Points Allowed --- 70.0 11th
Rebounding Margin --- (-3.4) 12th
Rebounds/Game --- 36.4 14th
Opp. 3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage --- 35.4% 15th
Offensive Rebounds --- 8.5 16th
Eagles to Watch
Senior guard Alyssa Miller has been named this week's GLIAC South Division Player of the Week. A week after winning her 100th career game against Malone, the senior guard scored 20 points against Findlay, becoming the 16th player in program history to score 1,000 in her career. She has scored 1,018 career points and is the only player in program history to score 1,000 points and hand out over 500 assists. 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 (4.8 apg.)…Miller recorded her 500th career assist against Walsh on Jan. 16. She is Ashland's all-time leader with 544 in and set an AU single-season record with 192 last year…Miller recorded a school-record 15 assists at Tiffin (Feb. 23, 2013)…last week against the Oilers and Chargers, she averaged 18.5 ppg., 8.0 rpg., 4.0 apg., and 4.0 spg., all while shooting 60 percent (12-for-20) from the field…to go with her 20 points against Findlay, Miller pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds and added five assists and five steals…the Eagles are 94-12 with Miller in the starting lineup and have won 102 games during her career.
Junior guard Taylor Woods is the third best three-point shooter in the GLIAC, connecting on 54 this season. She ranks eighth in three-point field goal percentage (39.4 percent). Last year, Woods made 46 treys through 23 games and finished the season shooting 41.6 percent (74-of-178) from deep. She ranks ninth in the league in scoring (15.9 ppg.), 10th in free throw percentage (82.4 percent), and 21st in assists (2.4 apg.)…Woods scored 33 points last weekend and has scored 938 points in her career, 62 away from 1,000…in the 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 career high with 34 points, 29 of those coming in the second half. She went 10-for-18 from the field and made five three-pointers. She also secured 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. Woods has scored in double figures in 19 of her 23 games this season and has scored 20 or more points eight times this year. She has made two or more three-pointers in a game 14 times.
Sophomore guard McKenzie Miller is the team's fourth leading scorer and third best rebounder, averaging 11.1 ppg., and 5.2 rpg. The sophomore ranks 18th in the GLIAC in field goal percentage (44.7 percent), 19th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) and 30th in rebounding and assists (2.0 apg.)…last week, Miller averaged 11.0 ppg., and shot 66.7 percent (10-for-15) from the field…she scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting and went 7-for-7 at the free throw line in AU's win at Lake Erie on Feb. 3…Miller has continued to produce in her new role coming off the bench. She is averaging 11.6 ppg., 5.3 rpg., and 1.5 apg., in eight games off the bench this season and is shooting 54.2 percent from the field. In her last five games, she is averaging 14.8 ppg…at Malone on Feb. 8, Miller scored 20 points and collected four rebounds on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. She recorded her first career double-double against Walsh on Jan. 16, scoring 13 points and adding a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with five assists…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 seven games and is averaging 19.7 mpg., and 6.3 rpg., in those contests. In five of her seven starts, Sobczak has grabbed at least six rebounds…she dished out a career-high four assists against Ohio Dominican on Jan. 30, recorded a career-high nine rebounds on the road at Lake Erie on Feb. 3, and posted a career-best nine points against Malone on Feb. 8.
Freshman forward Suzy Wollenhaupt is the team's top scorer and rebounder. She ranks third in the GLIAC in scoring (17.4 ppg.), 11th in field goal percentage (50 percent) and 12th in free throw percentage (81.6 percent). She has made 143 field goals this season, third most in the conference. The freshman is second in the GLIAC in blocks (57) and fifth in rebounding (8.3 rpg.)…in six games in February, Wollenhaupt is scoring 18.2 ppg., on 51.4 percent shooting from the field and is averaging 9.5 rpg., and 2.5 bpg…against Hillsdale, Wollenhaupt posted a career-high 14 rebounds and added 20 points…in the home loss to Tiffin earlier this year, Wollenhaupt tied her career high with 29 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and made a career-high 13-of-15 shots 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…in two games this year against Ohio Dominican and Tiffin, Wollenhaupt averaged 27.0 ppg., 9.0 rpg., and 3.0 bpg., while shooting 63 percent (17-of-27) from the field. Before Saturday's game against Hillsdale, Wollenhaupt had recorded at least two blocks in 19 straight games…Wollenhaupt has scored in double figures in all 23 games this season.
Head Coach Sue Ramsey
Ramsey is in her 19th year at Ashland. Her record at Ashland is 339-207 (.621) and her career record as a college head is 434-335 (.564). 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. Ohio Dominican: 7-0
Ramsey vs. Tiffin: 15-2
About Ohio Dominican (10-13, 7-12 GLIAC)
The Panthers come into this meeting with a 6-4 home record and are 5-5 during their last 10 games. ODU has alternated wins and losses in the last four games as they defeated Walsh at home last Thursday, 72-68, but fell to Malone, 71-65 on Saturday. The Panthers are one of the younger teams in the conference and have already become one of the best defensive teams in the league. They are the second-best rebounding team in the GLIAC, grabbing 41.7 rpg., and are the best offensive rebounding team, pulling down 13.7 rpg. ODU also ranks second in the conference in opponent field goal percentage (38.2 percent) and opponent three-point field goal percentage (27.6 percent). The Panthers have collected 40 or more rebounds 15 times and 50 or more twice. They had a season-high 56 boards against Findlay on Jan. 16. They also rank third in the conference in scoring defense (65.1 ppg.).
Junior guard Kacee Hockenberry is making her 73rd consecutive start for the Panthers and leads the team in scoring, putting up 16.2 ppg. That figure ranks eighth in the GLIAC and she ranks 11th in free throw percentage (82.3 percent). The veteran guard is fifth in the conference in made field goals, connecting on 135 this season. In her last seven games, Hockenberry is averaging 16.7 ppg…Hockenberry scored a career-high 29 points against Findlay, making 8-of-15 shots from the field and 12-of-13 at the free throw line. She added five rebounds and dished out seven assists…Hockenberry has scored in double figures in 20 games this year and 48 times during her career. She has posted 20 or more points six times this season and 11 times in her career.
For the second consecutive game, the Eagles will have to go up against one of the best individual rebounders in the GLIAC. Sophomore forward Melissa Scherpenberg is third in the conference in rebounding (10.3 rpg.) and has grabbed 236 on the season. Over her last seven games, she is averaging 11.1 rpg. She ranks third in the league in offensive rebounds, pulling down 78…Scherpenberg has 11 double-digit rebound games this season and 24 in her career. Her career high is 18 rebounds, set twice last season, and her season high this year is 16, coming against Findlay on Jan. 16 and against Walsh last Thursday…she scored a season-high 21 points against Tiffin on Feb. 3. She has scored in double figures four times this season and 15 times over her career.
Ohio Dominican's head coach is Lynsey Warren, who is in her second year at the helm. She led the Panthers to an 11-15 record last year. The Panthers finished the season winning six of their last seven games. Warren excelled as a player in both basketball and volleyball at Ashland. As a member of the basketball team, she scored 803 points in her career and earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors as a senior. In volleyball, Warren was a two-time All-American and was a member of a team that made it to the Elite Eight in 2006.
Eagles-Panthers
Ashland leads the all-time series with Ohio Dominican, 15-1. The Eagles have won eight in a row in the series. ODU's only win in the series came back in the 1984-85 season, when the Panthers won, 72-58 in Columbus. Earlier this year at Kates Gymnasium, the Eagles won 75-61. Ashland never trailed in the game and led, 39-24 at the intermission. AU shot 27-of-59 (45.8 percent) from the field and forced 18 turnovers, which led to 22 Ashland points. Wollenhaupt led AU with 25 points and nine rebounds. She went 9-for-13 from the field. Alyssa Miller scored 23 points, grabbed six rebounds and had three assists and three steals. The Panthers out-rebounded the Eagles, 45-38 and had 14 offensive rebounds. Hockenberry had 19 points to pace the Panthers, while Scherpenberg had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Last year, the Eagles took two from the Panthers, winning 83-46 at Ohio Dominican and 62-49 at home. In the first game in Columbus, AU out-rebounded ODU, 48-22 and outscored them in the paint, 36-16. Alyssa Miller and Woods both scored 15 points in that game. At home, the Eagles saw the return of Kari Daugherty to the starting lineup. Daugherty finished the game with 18 points in 21 minutes. Ashland was out-rebounded for the second time all year by the Panthers, 37-35. The Panthers scored 32 of their 49 points in the paint. Woods had 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists for AU.
About Tiffin (7-15, 4-14 GLIAC)
The Dragons are a very young team, sporting a roster that has 10 underclassmen and two seniors. They don't have any players scoring in double figures, the only team in the conference without one. Tiffin has lost three straight games and is 5-4 at home this season. The Dragons lost last week to Malone, 60-52 on Thursday and to Walsh, 85-69 on Saturday. Tiffin leads the GLIAC in free throw attempts, getting to the line 25.5 times per game, and is second in the league, making 18.8 per game. The Dragons have struggled from the field, shooting 38.1 percent as a team, which ranks 14th in the GLIAC, and are scoring 65.8 ppg., which is 13th. They do a good job on the offensive glass, pulling down 13.0 rpg. Tiffin is 13th in scoring defense (71.9 ppg.) and 15th in opponent field goal percentage (43 percent). The Dragons rank seventh in the GLIAC in rebounding (38.5 rpg.) and rebounding margin (2.0).
Senior guard Karli Mast is Tiffin's best scorer, averaging 9.8 ppg. The senior ranks seventh in the GLIAC in three-pointers, connecting on 46 this season and is 16th in the league in three-point field goal percentage (35.4 percent)…Mast scored a season-high 25 points at Michigan Tech on Jan. 4, going 8-for-16 from the field and made a season-best six triples…against Ashland on Feb. 1, Mast scored 23 points on seven three-pointers…Mast has scored in double figures 10 times this season.
Down low is senior forward Jillian Adams, who is the team's third leading scorer and rebounder. Adams is grabbing 8.7 ppg., and 4.5 rpg., this season. Adams ranks 16th in the GLIAC in offensive rebounds (44)…Adams had season highs in points and rebounds in the last meeting with Ashland, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. It was her first double-double of the season.
Making a sudden impact in the post is freshman center Bre Nauman. The rookie post player is the team's second leading scorer (9.7 ppg.) and top rebounder (6.7 rpg.). Nauman is 12th in the GLIAC in rebounding…the freshman has scored in double figures eight times with a career-high 22 points coming against Northwood on Jan. 9 on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor. She connected on 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Nauman posted her second double-double of her career against Malone on Thursday, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Pam Oswald begins her seventh season as the head coach at Tiffin. She comes into this weekend with 80 career wins as the Tiffin head coach and is in sole possession of second place all-time. Oswald led the Dragons to a school-record 21-win season in 2011-12 and a second place finish in the GLIAC South Division. Oswald spent three years at Kent State as an assistant coach from 2001-04 and before that, was an assistant coach at her alma mater, Berlin Hiland High School, where she helped guide the program to a state title in 2000.
Eagles-Dragons
Ashland leads the all-time series with Tiffin, 15-2. Before Ashland's 83-80 loss to the Dragons on Feb. 1, AU's only other loss to Tiffin came on Feb. 5, 2011 at Tiffin, 71-54. In the game earlier this year, Tiffin connected on 10 triples, the last coming with 20 seconds left in regulation, giving the Dragons a 79-77 advantage. Tiffin out-rebounded the Eagles, 38-36 and had a 16-7 edge on second chance points. The Eagles shot 22-for-25 (88 percent) at the free throw line and 8-for-14 from deep in the loss. Woods scored 15 for the Eagles and Alyssa Miller pitched in with 14 points.
The Eagles dominated the Dragons last year, winning by an average margin of 35.5 ppg. Ashland won at home on Jan. 26, 87-47 then defeated the Dragons on their home floor, 77-46 on Feb. 23. In the home contest, AU committed just eight turnovers in the game as all five starters scored in double figures. The Eagles led 45-20 at halftime and didn't let up after the break as they shot 15-of-25 from the field in the second half. Woods led Ashland with 22 points and Alyssa Miller scored 13 points. At Tiffin, Alyssa Miller had 10 points and set a school record with 15 assists, two more than the entire Tiffin roster. The Eagles forced 23 turnovers in the game and held a 27-13 advantage in points off of turnovers. Daugherty had 28 points and Daiva Gerbec had 19 points and 18 rebounds.
Up Next
Ashland finishes the regular season at home for senior day as it welcomes Lake Erie to town on Thursday, Feb. 27 (5:30 p.m.). The Eagles defeated the Storm earlier this season on the road, 63-48. AU/WBB/MB
