Rall, Eagles, Hand Lakers Women 91-87 Loss
January 24, 2004

Basketball teams take on various personalities.

A year ago, the Lake Superior State Lakers were dominated by Alice Duesing, an All-America who could control a game at both ends of the floor. With Duesing lost to graduation, this year’s Lake State team doesn’t rely so much on one dominating player, the Lakers are a multi-faceted outfit.

That hasn’t hurt the Lakers, who entered Saturday’s (Jan. 24) game against Ashland ranked second in the region. Speaking of personality, the Eagles are developing one of their own. It’s a little more aggressive than in years past and much of that has to do with freshman guard Amber Rall.

Rall had a career-high 27 points, 19 in the second half and overtime Saturday as AU upended the Lakers, 91-87 in overtime in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Ashland is 15-4, 6-3 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Lake Superior State is 14-3 and 7-2.

Rall’s play would make the Lakers wonder who they aree. After watching the rookie play for 45 minutes, they have no doubt who she is and what she can do. Rall shot 7-of-10 from the floor and 12-of-14 at the free throw line. She pulled down five rebounds.

Ashland scored the game’s first points four seconds into the contest to take a 2-0 lead and didn’t lead again until a jumper by Rall with seven seconds left in regulation gave the Eagles an 80-79 lead. The Lakers sent the game to overtime when Allyson Conaway made one of two free throws with no time left in regulation. Conaway was fouled by AU’s Angie Heintz. The LSSU senior made her first free throw and missed the second.

Up until that point, AU spent much of the game just trying to stay within shouting distance of the Lakers. Ashland trailed at halftime, 45-32. AU had 14 turnovers in the first half and over the first 20 minutes, Lake State had a 12-3 edge in points off of turnovers.

The Lakers’ largest lead came with 15:14 remaining in regulation, 54-40. Rall got the Eagles back on track with a jumper. She then made a steal, layup and free throw to cut the LSSU lead to nine, 54-45 with 14:04 to go. Slowly and surely the Eagles kept eating away at that lead. AU was down by six points with 3:42 to go and finally forced the third tie of the game, 78-78 with 1:47 left in regulation.

Lake State took the early lead in overtime when Monica Rehmann hit a jumper to give the home team an 82-80 lead. Sophomore guard Dee Bethune, who would finish with 22 points, tied the score with a pair of free throws moments later. The teams went back and forth until AU took the lead for good on a pair of Rall free throws with 40 seconds to play in the overtime period. That put the Eagles ahead, 87-85.

With 13 seconds left, senior guard Isolina Brescia hit two free throws and the AU lead expanded to 89-85. Ashland’s final points came on two free throws by Rall with four seconds left. The freshman from Bucyrus, OH, had six points in overtime. Ashland didn’t have a field goal in the extra session. AU outscored LSSU, 11-7 in overtime.

In addition to Rall and Bethune, AU received 11 points and eight rebounds from Heintz, 10 points and nine rebounds from junior center Jackie Mason and 10 points and four rebounds from senior forward Alanna Buurma.

The 6-0 Conaway had 21 points and 12 rebounds to pace Lake Superior State. Randi Johnson, a 5-7 junior guard, had 20 points. Rehmann and 5-9 senior guard Hillary Bultema had 14 points apiece.

Both teams got a workout at the free throw line. Ashland hit 30 of 36 tries (83.3 percent) and Lake Superior State connected on 28 of 38 attempts (73.7 percent). A total of 51 fouls were called. Bethune did major damage for AU at the stripe, burying nine of 10 attempts. Earlier this season, she set a school single-game record for made free throws when she hit 17 of 21 attempts. Bethune is shooting 70 percent from the free throw line this season.

LSSU outrebounded the Eagles, 42-39. The final tally in turnovers read 26 for AU and 23 for Lake Superior State. Ashland shot 48.3 percent (29-60) from the field for the game, but in the second half when AU outscored the Lakers, 48-35, Ashland shot 67.9 percent (19-28) from the floor. LSSU shot 38.6 percent (27-70) for the game.