Box Score Basketball games are like children in one regard - they develop a personality. The last 20 minutes of Wednesday's Ashland-Malone women's basketball playoff game at Kates Gymnasium, had all the characteristics of a Malone Pioneer.
The game was half-court possession to possession. It was a game dominated by the defenses. Malone built a decided advantage on the boards and led in second chance points, 19-10. All of those factors added up to a 56-54 Malone victory.
You can say Malone likes to play it close to the vest offensively, or that the Pioneers thrive in close games. Their standard method of operation is to win with defense and wear teams down. On this night, the Pioneers needed that and an iron resolve because they had to beat the defending national champion. This has been quite an AU run - two straight trips to the national title game and 88 victories over the last three years.
The win sends Malone to the GLIAC semifinals for the first time. The Pioneers (20-9) will play the top seed - Wayne State - on the Warriors' home floor. The other semifinal game has Michigan Tech playing Northern Michigan.
Ashland won the last two GLIAC championships and had an eight-game winning streak entering this contest. The Eagles (18-9) are ranked 10th in the Midwest Region. Everything was looking up until the second half of this game when Malone prevented the Eagles from opening up the game and pulling away. When the Eagles defeated the Pioneers, 81-68 earlier this year, they had their running game on full display. In this game, there were six fastbreak points - combined.
This was expected to be a close game. The teams had split the two regular season games. AU was the GLIAC South Division champ and the fourth seed in the field. Malone was the runner-up in the GLIAC South and the fifth seed.
This was Malone's second win at Kates Gymnasium this season. The Pioneers out-rebounded the Eagles, 46-40 and forced 18 turnovers. Guard Sydnee Penn had 20 points and guard Selana Reale scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds. Forward Lindsy Snyder had seven points and 11 rebounds. Snyder gathered seven offensive boards. The Pioneers had 23 offensive rebounds.
AU received 14 points and 15 rebounds from freshman forward Suzy Wollenhaupt. Guard McKenzie Miller came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points and guard Jamie Sobczak had 10 points. The Pioneers did an outstanding job defensively on AU's guard tandem of Alyssa Miller and Taylor Woods. Alyssa Miller scored four points and Woods had two points.
Alyssa Miller had the game's final two shots. She missed a jumper in the key with just over two seconds to go. The senior got her own rebound and fired again. She missed again and Sarah Bardall pulled down the rebound to end any AU comeback hopes.
AU shot 22-for-57 (38.6 percent) from the floor. Ashland is one of the best teams in the GLIAC in using the three-point field goal but went 2-for-10 (20 percent) in this game. AU was 8-for-8 at the free throw line, but didn't get there enough.
Malone's offensive prowess wasn't any better. The Pioneers shot 31.4 percent (22-of-70) from the field and 7-of-19 (36.8 percent) at the free throw line.
Ashland led at halftime, 31-30. With 13:22 left in regulation the Eagles were ahead, 40-32. Malone scored the game's next six points to pull within 40-38 with 12:52 to play.
The Pioneers took their first lead of the second half, 44-42 on a Deborah Simmers layup with 10:53 to go. Malone never trailed again. A Penn jumper with 5:21 left in regulation made it, 53-48 Malone. Two Alyssa Miller free throws with 4:22 to play narrowed the Malone lead to 53-52. The Pioneers answered with three points around an Ashland turnover and led, 56-52 with 4:03 to play.
The Pioneers never scored again, but the Eagles couldn't do enough offensively to make the visitors pay. Coming into the game, Ashland was averaging 75.2 ppg. Malone is second in the conference in scoring defense. Back on Jan. 18 in Ashland, the Pioneers defeated the Eagles, 70-53.
AU
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