AU Women Claim Sixth Straight Win, Top SVSU, 91-80
January 15, 2004

Complete Box Score

With the temperature taking a nosedive toward zero in Ashland on Thursday evening (Jan. 15), it’s hard to imagine anything melting. Yet there was a 17-point first-half Ashland lead over Saginaw Valley State dripping away like an ice cream cone under siege from a Death Valley Days sun.

The AU women’s basketball team had the game in control until the final four minutes of the first half. Saginaw Valley bounced back off the deck to cut the AU lead to a single point, 46-45 at halftime. The good news for AU fans is that the Eagles didn’t wilt in the second half. AU outscored the much-improved Cardinals, 45-35 over the final 20 minutes to win, 91-80 at Kates Gymnasium.

The win was Ashland’s sixth straight and gives the Eagles a 13-3 record. In Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play AU is 4-2. SVSU is 12-4 and 4-3.

Ashland placed five players in double digits in scoring. Senior guard Isolina Brescia, junior forward Beth Everman and freshman guard Amber Rall all scored 19 points. Everman also had 10 rebounds and notched her second straight double-double. Brescia had eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 36 minutes.

Ashland also got 11 points, 11 rebounds and three assists from senior forward Alanna Buurma. Sophomore guard Dee Bethune had 16 points.

Ashland had an 18-0 edge in fastbreak points and was able to get deep inside the SVSU defense throughout the game. AU led in points in the paint, 52-30. Those shots close to the hoop helped the Eagles shoot 48.6 percent (36-74) from the field.

AU led by eight points four minutes into the second half, but the Cardinals had one last run to use. The Cardinals were in front, 66-62 with 8:52 left in regulation. AU went on a 12-2 sprint over the next 3:24 and led, 74-68 with 5:28 to play. Rall had six points in that surge and Brescia had a hoop and three assists. SVSU got to within a point, 74-73 with 4:33 to play, but a three-pointer by Everman with 3:18 to go put the lead back to four. The Cards never recovered from that triple.

Valerie Smith had 23 points and nine rebounds to lead the visitors. Jennifer Brogger had 19 points and Jennifer Hagstrom fired in 16 points. Both teams had 20 turnovers. Ashland abused the Cardinals on the glass, 53-34.

AU returns to action on Monday (Jan. 19), hosting another GLIAC North Division foe – Michigan Tech – at 5:30 p.m.