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Victory Over WSU
Gives AU Playoff Berth |
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No one knows for sure if March will come in like a lamb or a lion in Ashland. One thing is for sure – the month will be ushered in with a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff game for the Ashland University women’s basketball team. The Eagles secured a playoff spot and a first-round home game with a 74-68 win over Wayne State on Thursday (Feb. 19) at Kates Gymnasium. The first round of the GLIAC tournament will be played on Tuesday, Mar. 2. This marks the first time AU has played host to a GLIAC postseason encounter. Eight teams qualify for the league’s tourney. Ashland is 19-6 overall, 10-5 in the GLIAC. AU is in first place in the GLIAC South Division. Wayne State, which is still in the hunt for one of those tourney berths, is 10-14 and 6-9. Wayne State pushed the Eagles to the limit. In the first meeting of the year, WSU prevailed in Detroit, 75-64. Early on, this game looked to be a carbon copy of that Jan. 29 matchup. Points were hard to come by early in the game and at halftime, WSU was in front, 32-26. What helped turn the tide for AU was defense. In the second half the Eagles held WSU to 29.3 percent shooting from the floor (12-41). The Eagles also outrebounded the Warriors, 26-21 over the final 20 minutes. Even with those numbers, this was a see-saw game from start to finish. The lead changed hands 12 times and the score was tied 10 times. The game was knotted at 65-65 with 1:56 to play in regulation when AU went on an 8-0 run to go ahead, 73-65 with 12 ticks left before the final horn. Freshman guard Amber Rall hit four free throws in that run and senior forward Alanna Buurma knocked down a critical trey from the right corner with 26 seconds to play. That triple gave the Eagles a 72-65 lead and put a dagger through the heart of the Warriors. Junior center Jackie Mason and Rall finished with 15 points each for the Eagles. Mason and Buurma had eight rebounds each and Mason rejected four shots. AU also got 11 points from sophomore guard Dee Bethune and 10 points from Buurma. Nine of Bethune’s points came in the second half. Jodi Young had 21 points for WSU. She’s the leading scorer in the league and began the week averaging just over 21.0 ppg. Ashland shot 40.4 percent from the field while WSU finished at 32.9 percent (25-76). AU made a living at the free throw line, nailing 24 of 33 tries (72.7 percent). The Warriors were an infrequent visitor to the charity stripe. WSU had 14 free throw attempts and made nine (64.3 percent). AU will play its final home game of the season on Saturday (Feb. 21) when it hosts Findlay at 1 p.m. |