AU Women Open GLIAC Basketball Tourney at Home
February 29, 2004

For the first time in school history, Ashland University will host a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference basketball postseason game when the Eagle women entertain Northern Michigan on Tuesday (Mar. 2) at 7 p.m.

Seniors, Isolina Brescia (left) and Alanna Buurma (right) will be leading the charge as the Eagles host Northern Michigan in GLIAC first-round action.

The Eagles enter the contest with a 21-6 record. Ashland went 12-5 in GLIAC play and is the GLIAC South Division champion. Northern Michigan is 19-7 and 11-7 in GLIAC action. The Wildcats, out of the GLIAC North Division, are one of two wild cards in the eight-team field.

Ashland has never beaten NMU. The ‘Cats lead the all-time series, 11-0 and earlier this year in Marquette, MI, downed the Eagles, 95-90.

These two teams are no strangers when it comes to GLIAC postseason play. Twice, the teams have met in the conference playoffs. Ashland’s last trip to the GLIAC tourney came in 2001-02 and the Eagles lost to the Wildcats in the first round of the tournament, 84-80 in overtime. The teams also collided in the GLIAC tournament championship game in 1998. NMU won that game, 94-74.

This is Ashland’s sixth trip to the conference tournament since joining the league in 1995-96. This AU team is the best balanced outfit of head coach Sue Ramsey’s nine-year AU tenure. Five players on this team are averaging in double digits in scoring. The Eagles average 81.0 ppg., and are outrebounding the opposition by nearly 5.0 rpg.

The other first-round matchups on Tuesday find Michigan Tech visiting Ferris State, Wayne State at Gannon and Saginaw Valley State at Lake Superior State. The four winners from Tuesday’s games will meet at the floor of the league’s top seed for the semifinals and finals, Friday and Saturday, Mar. 5-6. The teams will be reseeded after Tuesday’s games.

For ticket information on Tuesday’s NMU-AU game, call the Ashland University athletic department, 419-289-5441.