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AU Women Win Sixth
Straight Game, 82-75 Over GVSU |
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No matter how frantic the situation became in the second half of Thursday’s (Dec.4) Grand Valley State-Ashland women’s basketball game, no one on the Ashland sideline made a mad dash to Radio Shack to buy a surge protector. No piece of electronic equipment could work like Jackie Mason, Alanna Buurma or Isolina Brescia. Ahead 42-31 at halftime, the Eagles withstood a spirited GVSU comeback in the second half to win for the sixth consecutive time, 82-75. The game was the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference lid-lifter for both teams. AU is 6-1. GVSU is 2-4. Despite that record, the Lakers are considered one of the elite teams in the conference. A year ago, the Lakers were in the NCAA postseason field. There’s plenty of talent on this year’s team, including 6-2 senior center Julie Zeeff, who had 27 points, 16 rebounds and three rejections against the Eagles. For that reason, there was little surprise when the visitors scored the game’s first six points and led, 6-0 with 16:49 to go in the first half. With 15:10 to go before the intermission, GVSU led, 10-3. That’s when the Eagles came alive. AU was able to pretty much control everyone but Zeeff. GVSU turned the ball over 10 times in the first 20 minutes and AU made those miscues hurt. AU shot 61.5 percent (16-26) from the floor in the first half. Many of those shots came on breakaways. Ashland led in fast break points, 12-2. With the running game taking off, AU took a 42-31 halftime lead. Sophomore guard-forward Dee Bethune scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half to pace the Eagles. Yet even with that lead, no one on the AU bench was in a state of relaxation. No one was surprised when GVSU came out in the attack mode, leaving the half-court sets for a faster tempo. The change paid off – the Lakers sliced the AU lead to four points, 58-54 with 9:27 left in regulation and then to one, 65-64 with 5:41 to play. AU quickly regrouped. A free throw by freshman guard Amber Rall helped the Eagles catch their breath. Then junior guard Angie Heintz came up with a steal and Brescia followed with a jumper to give AU a 68-64 advantage. GVSU got within two points at 70-68 with 3:10 to play, but junior forward Beth Everman hit two free throws and Buurma added two more for a 74-68 AU lead. After that, there were no surges left for the Lakers. Brescia led Ashland with 22 points – 15 in the second half. Mason had 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. She had six points and seven rebounds over the last 20 minutes. Buurma finished with seven points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ashland shot 51.9 percent from the floor and won on the glass, 39-37. AU had 21 turnovers and GVSU gave the ball away 17 times. Grand Valley helped itself greatly at the free throw line where the Lakers hit 24 of 26 shots (92.3 percent). |