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Seventh Straight Win
Doesn’t Come Easy for AU Women |
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Like Sharon Stone in “The Quick and the Dead,” Michigan Tech’s Andrea Novak has a lightning-fast release and a gun that doesn’t misfire often. But on Monday night (Jan. 19) at Ashland’s Kates Gymnasium, Novak wasn’t quite as accurate as she needed to be. Novak, who averages 20.4 ppg., got an open look at a three-pointer from the left wing with four seconds left in regulation and Ashland holding onto a 70-68 lead. Novak was quick on the draw, but the shot was just off and when AU took control of the rebound, the Eagles had their seventh consecutive win by that same, 70-68 margin. This was a real test for an AU team that could very well be listed in the Top 25 in the country when this week’s NCAA Division II poll is released. This win will certainly help the Eagles’ case. Tech is always one of the top teams in the region and plays exceptional defense. The Huskies know how to protect the ball and work the clock like a Swiss timekeeper. All of those skills make wins over Tech few and far between. Monday’s victory gives the Eagles an overall card of 14-3. In the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference AU is 5-2. MTU is 9-6 and 4-3. Ashland was in front at the intermission, 35-31. With 9:02 to play in regulation the Eagles were up, 61-48. Tech slowly worked itself back in the contest thanks in large part to the three-point field goal. In the second half the visitors hit 5-of-9 treys (55.6 percent). Tech also rolled up a 40-30 edge on the boards and that led to numerous second chances. The Huskies never led in the second half but they drew even at 68-68 with 44 seconds left when Novak hit a jumper. No one scored again until two free throws by AU freshman guard Amber Rall with 23 ticks left gave AU that 70-68 edge. The freshman guard, as usual, gave AU a lift off the bench. Nine of her 15 points came in the second half. She also had four steals. Junior center Jackie Mason led AU with 17 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots. Rall had 15 points, sophomore guard Dee Bethune recorded 12 points and senior guard Isolina Brescia had 10 markers before fouling out late in the contest. Novak hit seven of 19 shots from the floor on the way to 15 points. Chelsey MacNeill had 13 points, all in the second half, to help fuel Tech’s comeback. The diminutive guard was 3-of-5 from three-point range. The Eagles face two more major tests this week. Thursday (Jan. 22), AU plays at Northern Michigan, a team it has never beaten. Saturday (Jan. 24) finds the Eagles at Lake Superior State. |