Box Score Ashland University's women's basketball team won its third Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship in the last five seasons on Sunday (March 6).
In doing so, the Eagles made some GLIAC history.
No. 5-ranked Ashland (30-1) defeated Grand Valley State (22-9), 70-53, in the GLIAC Tournament championship game on Sunday afternoon at Kates Gymnasium – and became the first GLIAC women's basketball team since tournament play began in 1991 to win both the conference's regular-season and tourney titles three times in a five-year period.
"It's unbelievable. I'm just so happy for the team," said Ashland head coach Robyn Fralick. "They've worked really hard, and these are some of the rewards they're getting. It was really special that we could be at Kates to celebrate."
The Eagles have won 29 consecutive games at home. Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Ashland is 87-10 (.897) at "The Kates," and 162-32 (.835) overall.
AU also is 19-1 (.950) in its last 20 home postseason (GLIAC Tournament and Midwest Regional tournament) games.
Sophomore forward Andi Daugherty posted her 14th career double-double – 17 points and 10 rebounds – en route to earning GLIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
"It was really special," Daugherty said of winning the title. "Like coach Fralick said in the locker room, we didn't just win the championship today. We won it through the course of the season. I'm just really blessed to have great teammates and a great coaching staff to lead me here, so it was special."
Daugherty ended the game with 900 career points.
Championship Celebration
Senior guard McKenzie Miller scored 12 points, and has 803 for her career – and conference titles as a freshman and a senior.
"It's really cool," Miller said. "I feel like not many people get to do that. Coming in and getting to go along for the ride and see how it's done, it's cool to be a part of it now."
Joining Daugherty on the all-tournament team are sophomore forward Laina Snyder (eight points, 10 boards, two steals on Sunday) and junior point guard Alex Henning (nine points, six rebounds, two assists, three steals).
Ashland finished the game 12-for-12 at the free-throw line, and with a decided 44-28 rebounding advantage. The Eagles kept GVSU to 29.6-percent shooting from the floor.
Ashland jumped out to a 14-3 lead, then led 23-13 after the first 10 minutes. The Eagles' first half-lead increased to 36-16, then the game remained that way for the next 3:48 before they took a 40-21 lead into the break.
The Eagles took their largest lead of the game at 24 points late in the third quarter, and didn't look back.
Ashland will await the call from the NCAA as to whether it will play host to the Division II Midwest Regional tournament. The Eagles have been the top-ranked team in the Midwest in each of the three rankings released prior to Sunday.
The NCAA.com selection show will be Sunday at 10 p.m.
THE NOTEBOOK: This is the third time the Eagles have won at least 30 games in a season (37 in 2012-13, 33 in 2011-12)…Ashland is 21-14 all-time in the GLIAC Tournament, with the three titles…Snyder, Daugherty and/or Julie Worley have led or co-led Ashland in rebounds in 64 of 65 career games.
Coach Fralick Post-Game Comments
AU
WBKB/DS
