Thursday, Feb. 27, 5:30 p.m.
Lake Erie (10-17, 6-15 GLIAC) at Ashland (17-8, 15-6 GLIAC)
Kates Gymnasium, Ashland, Ohio
(The game will be broadcast live on WNCO-AM 1340 with Matt Brubaker on the call. The campus radio station, WRDL, will also cover the game live.)
Setting the Scene
Ashland ends its regular season on Senior Day against Lake Erie looking to extend a season-high, seven-game winning streak. The Eagles are tied for the third best record in the GLIAC with Northern Michigan and have already clinched a berth in the GLIAC Tournament. The Eagles are 10-3 against the division this season and are 7-5 at home. With a win over the Storm, the Eagles would host a first round game in next week's eight-team GLIAC Tournament and would win the GLIAC South Division outright for the third consecutive year. The Eagles have won or shared the GLIAC South Division in each of the last four years and have won two consecutive conference crowns. Last week, the Eagles won in overtime at Ohio Dominican, 53-50 and then dominated Tiffin, winning 108-65. Ashland has won 11 consecutive games on Senior Day, with its last loss coming on Feb. 23, 2002 against Gannon, 83-52.
About the Eagles
Last week was a tale of two games for Ashland. In the first game Thursday at Ohio Dominican, the Eagles struggled against one of the best defensive teams in the conference, shooting 32.8 percent (20-for-61), their lowest shooting percentage in a win this season. The Eagles led, 21-20 at the break and had 13 turnovers. The deciding factor in this game was free throw shooting - the Eagles finished the game 11-of-15 from the line and connected on four of their last five. Ohio Dominican shot 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) from the stripe and missed six of its last seven, including all five attempts in overtime. AU held the Panthers to 28.6 percent shooting from the field (20-for-70) and out-rebounded the second-best team on the boards in the GLIAC, 50-49…at Tiffin, the Eagles simply didn't miss. AU won, 108-65 thanks to one of the best shooting displays in program history. In the first half, Ashland shot 22-for-27 (81.6 percent) from the field, 9-for-9 from three-point range and 13-for-13 at the foul line and led at the break, 66-31. The Eagles tied a school record for points in the first half, matching the point total they put up in the first half at Wayne State on Jan. 26, 2012, when they won 112-75. AU went on to outscore the Dragons in the second half, 42-34, finishing the game shooting 63.6 percent from the field (35-for-55), 73.3 percent from three-point range (11-for-15) and tying a season high, connecting on 27-of-29 free throws. The 108 points scored is tied for the second most in school history, matching the 1981-82 team that scored 108 against John Carroll. The 63.6 percent field goal percentage was the fourth highest in school history. The school record is 66 percent, set back on Jan. 5, 1991, against Saint Joseph's. The Eagles had six players score in double figures, the most they've had in a game since the Wayne State win in 2012. Both teams turned the ball over 15 times in the contest, but AU led in points off of turnovers, 18-6. Junior guard Melanie Poorman tied her career high with 18 points on a career-high eight field goals off of the AU bench. The Eagles led, 34-25 in bench production.
How They Rank
Category GLIAC
Free Throw Percentage --- 80.2% 1st (2nd in nation)
Assists/Game --- 15.0 1st
Points/Game --- 74.4 2nd
Field Goals Made --- 26.4 2nd
Defensive Rebounds/Game --- 28.8 2nd
Field Goal Percentage --- 44.9% 3rd
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage --- 37.3% 3rd
Opp. Field Goal Percentage --- 38.1% 3rd
Blocks/Game --- 4.5 3rd
Turnovers/Game --- 14.6 5th
Points Allowed --- 69.0 10th
Rebounding Margin --- (-2.8) 12th
Rebounds/Game --- 37.2 13th
Opp. 3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage --- 34.7% 14th
Offensive Rebounds --- 8.4 16th
Eagles to Watch
Senior guard Alyssa Miller is back among the GLIAC leaders as she leads the conference in minutes (35.9 mpg.) and is tied for the league lead in assists (4.8 apg.). She has scored 1,056 points in her career and is 15th all-time. Miller needs 26 points to tie DeAndria Bethune for 14th on the all-time scoring list. The senior from Zanesville is ninth in the GLIAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9), 10th in three-point field goal percentage (38.5 percent), 15th in scoring (13.9) and free throw percentage (81.2 percent), and 17th in rebounding (5.9 rpg.)…Miller is the only player in program history to score 1,000 points and hand out 500 assists. She recorded her 500th career assist against Walsh on Jan. 16. She is Ashland's all-time leader with 555 and set an AU single-season record with 192 last year…Miller recorded a school-record 15 assists at Tiffin (Feb. 23, 2013)…over her last four games, she is averaging 18.3 ppg., 7.0 rpg., and 4.8 apg., all while shooting 50 percent from the field (20-for-40). Last week against Tiffin, Miller scored a career-high 26 points and set a career high, making 10 free throws in the contest…the Eagles are 96-12 with Miller in the starting lineup and have won 104 games during her career.
Junior guard Taylor Woods is the third best three-point shooter in the GLIAC, connecting on 59. She ranks eighth in the league in three-point field goal percentage (39.9 percent). Last year, Woods finished the season shooting 41.6 percent (74-of-178) from deep. She ranks sixth in the league in scoring (16.1 ppg.), 11th in free throw percentage (82.4 percent), and 27th in assists (2.4 apg.)…Woods scored 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting and made four triples against Tiffin on Saturday. She has scored 974 points in her career and is 26 points away from 1,000…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 three-pointers. 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. Woods has scored in double figures in 21 of her 25 games this season and has scored 20 or more points nine times this year. She has made two or more treys in a game 15 times.
Sophomore guard McKenzie Miller is the team's fourth leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 10.7 ppg., and 5.1 rpg. The sophomore ranks 16th in the GLIAC in field goal percentage (44.9 percent) and 25th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2)…she scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 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 10.5 ppg., 4.9 rpg., and 1.4 apg., in 10 games off the bench this season and is shooting 53.6 percent from the field…at Malone on Feb. 8, she scored 20 points and secured 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 grabbing 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 nine games and is averaging 21.7 mpg., and 6.9 rpg., in those contests. In seven of her nine starts, Sobczak has grabbed at least six rebounds…Sobczak recorded her first career double-double in the win against Tiffin, registering career highs in points (10) and rebounds (10).
Freshman forward Suzy Wollenhaupt is the team's top scorer and rebounder. She ranks fifth in the GLIAC in scoring (16.4 ppg.), 12th in field goal percentage (48 percent), and 14th in free throw percentage (81.4 percent). Defensively, she is second in the GLIAC in blocks (59) and fifth in rebounding (8.0 rpg.)…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 collecting 10 rebounds and recording a career-high seven blocks.
Head Coach Sue Ramsey
Ramsey is in her 19th year at Ashland. Her record at Ashland is 341-207 (.622) and her career record as a college head is 436-335 (.565). 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. Lake Erie: 8-0
About Lake Erie (10-17, 5-16 GLIAC)
Lake Erie begins enters its season finale with six losses in its last seven games. The Storm's only win during the skid came last Thursday against Tiffin (72-69). Lake Erie is actually a better team on the road than at home this season, the Storm is 6-8 away from Painesville compared to 3-9 at home. The Storm have struggled on both sides of the floor this year as they are 15th in the GLIAC in scoring (61.7 ppg.) and three-point field goal percentage (27.3 percent) and are last in field goal percentage (35.2 percent). LEC has excelled on the offensive glass, leading the league with 13.9 offensive boards per game. LEC is second in the conference in steals (11.0 spg.).
Junior guard Jackie Murray is the team's leader in points and assists, averaging 11.1 ppg., and 2.7 apg. Murray has started 23 games this season and is the GLIAC leader in three-pointers, making 61. On Feb. 9 at Malone, Murray went 8-of-15 from the field and made seven three-pointers on her way to scoring a season-high 25 points…she has scored in double figures in seven of her last eight games and 12 times this season.
Sophomore center Kaeding Skelton has started in 26 of the 27 games this season, averaging 7.0 ppg., and is the team's leading rebounder, grabbing 5.3 rpg. Skelton is 29th in the GLIAC in rebounding and fifth in offensive rebounds (58)…Skelton posted a double-double against Ohio Valley on Nov. 21, scoring 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds…Skelton scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds against Ashland on Feb. 3.
Bob Booher is in his ninth season as Lake Erie's head coach. His 88 wins are first in program history. Before Lake Erie joined the GLIAC for the 2010-11 season, Booher was named the 2009-10 National Division II Independent Coach of the Year. Lake Erie finished third in the GLIAC South Division with a 10-9 record in 2011-12.
Eagles-Storm
Ashland leads the all-time series with Lake Erie, 8-0. In the first game this year at Painesville, both teams struggled in the first half as the game was tied at 23. AU shot 8-for-27 (29.6 percent) in the first half and committed 13 turnovers. In the second half, the Eagles outscored the Storm, 40-25 and committed six turnovers and shot 12-of-24 (50 percent). Ashland out-rebounded Lake Erie, 44-43 and held the Storm to just 17-for-67 (25.4 percent) from the field in the game. Ashland made 22-of-28 (78.6 percent) shots at the foul line.
In two games last season, Ashland won at home, 84-42 on Feb. 2 then concluded the regular season with an 80-54 triumph at Lake Erie. In the season's first meeting, the Eagles led 44-18 at halftime and held the Storm to 25.4 percent shooting. Ashland dominated the glass, out-rebounding Lake Erie, 57-30. Woods scored 16 points to lead the Eagles. Murray had 10 points for the Storm.
In the regular season finale a month later, Ashland won despite the two teams combining for 39 turnovers. The Eagles held a 12-5 edge in second chance points and outscored the Storm in the paint, 26-14. Two years ago, Daugherty set the school single game record for rebounds, grabbing 24 against the Storm while scoring 30 points.
Up Next
The Eagles will play in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament next Wednesday, but the opponent, location, and tip-off time have not been determined.
AU
WBKB/MB
