OPENING TIP: Ashland University's women's basketball team will play in its 22nd and final Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, starting on Tuesday (March 2) at 6 p.m. at Kates Gymnasium. The Eagles enter the GLIAC Tournament on a three-game winning streak, and are 11-7 prior to the opener at home vs. Purdue Northwest (4-14), which has lost three in a row. Ashland is the five-time defending GLIAC Tournament champion, and has won seven conference tournament titles since 2012. The Eagles have won 15 consecutive GLIAC Tournament games, and 14 straight GLIAC Tournament home games, going into this week. After playing five straight games on the road, Ashland returns home to play the team it faced the last time out at "The Kates" on Feb. 12-13. This is the first time the Eagles and Pride will play each other in the GLIAC Tournament.
PIREU HEADING TOWARD THE TOP 20: Senior forward Karlee Pireu moved past 1,100 career points to finish the regular season, and with 1,109, is 21st on the program's all-time scoring list. No. 20 is Catherine Portyrata at 1,123.
PIREU SCORING, REBOUNDING AT HIGH RATE: Averaging 19.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, Pireu has the chance to become just the second player in program history to average 20 and 8 in a season. The other? Her head coach, Kari Pickens, in both 2011-12 and 2012-13.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OPPONENTS' CHARITY: The Eagles ended the month of February as the best free-throw-shooting team in NCAA Division II women's basketball at 82.9 percent. Ashland is one of only five D-II women's hoops teams hitting at least 80 percent from the foul line in 2020-21.
EAGLES LEADING THE LEAGUE IN...: Ashland comes into the GLIAC Tournament leading it in field-goal percentage (46.8), free-throw percentage, and turnovers forced per game (17.1).
DANIELS KEEPS DISHING: Junior guard Erin Daniels now leads the Eagles in assists this season with 61, and had a career-high nine in the regular-season finale at Lake Superior State. In the last seven games, Daniels has had 28 assists to just nine turnovers.
SANDERS STEPPED UP SCORING, DEFENSE IN THE SAULT: Junior forward Kayla Sanders scored a career-high 10 points and pilfered a career-high three steals in the next-to-last regular-season game at the Lakers. She also set new single-game collegiate bests in field goals made (five) and attempted (seven).
SCOUTING THE PRIDE: Ashland is 8-0 against Purdue Northwest since the Pride joined the GLIAC. Sophomore guard Savaya Brockington has been PNW's leading scorer at 15.6 ppg., and is making 81.3 percent from the free-throw line, while senior guard Danielle Nenning scores at a 11.9 ppg. clip, hits a team-high 81.8 percent from the charity stripe, and is the team's leading rebounder at 5.7 rpg.
FANS AND SPECTATORS: Based on the current COVID-19 climate, and in order to best protect institutions' ability to compete safely in GLIAC contests, the GLIAC COPC has adopted the COVID-19 Task Force recommendation that events will be held without spectators, bands, mascots, cheer teams and promotional activities. GLIAC administrators will continue to monitor and evaluate the COVID climate, and will make future determinations for fans and spectators at a later date.
