Box Score What's in a name? Fame? Game?
AU senior guard Alyssa Miller has all of that. She's started for four seasons and played in two national title games. She's an all-conference player, a potential Academic All-American and the program's career leader in assists.
AU sophomore guard McKenzie Miller probably aspires to those same things. Her career is in the early stages while Alyssa Miller's is in the stretch run. Monday (Feb. 3) at Lake Erie, McKenzie Miller helped the Eagles stay alive in the pennant chase as the regular season enters the final month.
McKenzie Miller scoreda career-best 21 points, 17 in the second half, as the Eagles pulled away from the Lake Erie Storm in Painesville, Ohio, 63-48. At halftime, the teams were tied, 23-23. Ashland outscored the Storm, 40-25 in the second half.
AU is 11-8 and 9-6 in GLIAC play. LEC is 9-12 and 4-11. AU is tied for first place in the GLIAC South. On Monday, Walsh upset Malone, 82-75. Ashland and Malone are tied for first place and resurgent Hillsdale, which downed Findlay on Monday, 66-61, is lurking a game back in third place at 8-7.
The first half played out much like AU head coach Sue Ramsey feared. The Storm has the ability to speed up the game and get teams out of their preferred stle of play. A helter-skelter game suits the Storm just fine. That was case on Monday. For the game, AU had 19 turnovers and LEC had 18. The Eagles gave the ball away 13 times in the first half.
McKenzie Miller, along with freshman forward Suzy Wollenhaupt, emerged in the second half to take control of the game. Wollenhaupt had 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. McKenzie Miller hit 7-of-10 shots from the floor and went 7-of-7 at the free throw line.
What was present all night for the Eagles was their defense. Lake Erie shot 25.4 percent (17-of-67) from the field and hit 2-of-12 tries (16.7 percent) from three-point range. The 48 points allowed is Ashland's second best effort of the season and it is the fewest points allowed to a GLIAC foe this season. On Nov. 30, Ashland allowed 47 points at Mercyhurst in a 60-47 triumph.
The outcome of this game remained in doubt until midway through the second half. With 13:54 left, LEC's Jodie Jinta scored and AU led, 36-32. The Storm went scoreless over the next 4:10. With 9:44 to go, Sami Narducci dropped in a layup for the Storm and AU led, 41-34.
Melanie Poorman's layup with 9:13 to play gave AU a 45-35 advantage. Ashland's lead never dropped below double figures the rest of the evening.
Narducci led Lake Erie with 12 points. Kaeding Skelton had 11 points and eight rebounds.
McKenize Miller and Wollenhaupt were the only AU players to reach twin figures in scoring. AU did get a solid game from Jamie Sobczak, who had nine rebounds.
AU will play at Walsh on Thursday (Feb. 6, 6 p.m.).
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