Rall Leads List of AU GLIAC Women's Basketball Honorees
March 4, 2004

Amber Rall has been selected as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference freshman of the year -- AU's first winner of this award.

Alanna Buurma has been named a first team All-GLIAC South Division all-star for the second consecutive season.

Isolina Brescia has been named All-GLIAC second team.

Jackie Mason is a member of this year’s GLIAC South Division All-Defensive Team.

So far in 2003-04, the Ashland University women’s basketball team has been a big believer in “Rock and Rall.”

That style of up-tempo basketball is attracting more fans. On Thursday (Mar. 4), AU freshman guard Amber Rall (Bucyrus, OH/Wynford) was selected as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference freshman of the year. The award is selected by the league coaches. The 5-7 Rall is the first AU player to be named the GLIAC freshman of the year.

It’s not difficult to see why Rall received the award. The rookie hasn’t started a game this season, but is AU’s leading scorer at 13.7 ppg. Over the past two weeks she has averaged 19.5 ppg. Rall is eighth in the conference in field goal percentage (.543) and 12th in scoring. Over her last two games, Rall has made 20 of 22 shots from the floor (91 percent). She’s fourth on the team in steals (29).

Rall wasn’t the only AU player to be honored among the GLIAC’s best. Senior forward Alanna Buurma (Willard, OH) was named a first team All-GLIAC South Division all-star for the second consecutive season. The 6-2 Buurma is averaging 11.7 ppg., and 7.8 rpg. She’s second on the team in rebounding and fourth in scoring. The senior has rejected 22 shots, second on the team. In AU’s 95-82 victory over Northern Michigan in the first round of the GLIAC tournament, Buurma had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Buurma has posted three double-doubles (points-rebounds) in AU’s last five games. Buurma is sixth in the league in rebounding, eighth in blocked shots and ninth in field goal percentage.

Senior guard Isolina Brescia (Lima, Peru/Sir Isaac Newton) has been named All-GLIAC second team. Brescia is the GLIAC leader in free throw percentage (.896). She’s averaging 13.0 ppg., and that puts her third on the team. Heading into the GLIAC playoffs, Brescia was third in the conference in steals, fourth in assists and 17th in scoring.

Junior center Jackie Mason (Olmsted Falls, OH) is a member of this year’s GLIAC South Division All-Defensive Team. Mason missed all of last season with a foot injury, but the 6-4 junior has come back to the Eagles in top form. This is the second time in her career she’s been named to the league’s defensive unit (she was also named in 2001-02). Mason is bringing down 9.0 rpg., and has blocked a school-record 84 shots. She’s averaging 10.8 ppg. Mason owns the two highest single-season rebound totals in school history. She’s also the school’s career leader in blocked shots. As the playoffs began she was the GLIAC leader in field goal percentage and was second in rebounding and blocked shots.