The Eagles Online

Ashland Women's Basketball Tournament Preview
March 2, 2006

By Paul Carmany, AU Sports Information

Inside the Paint -- GLIAC Final Four Edition

AU is 5-7 in its eight conference tournament appearances.

Three of the Eagles’ 12 conference tournament games have required overtime. AU is 1-2 in those matchups.

Ashland and Gannon are the only two GLIAC teams to make the conference tournament semifinals in each of the last three seasons.

The Eagles’ last win at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena was a 70-55 decision over the Lakers on Nov. 30, 2000. AU has lost each of its last three contests in Allendale.

2005-06 Eagles Women's Basketball
Schedule/Results        Roster        Stats

GLIAC Tournament Semifinals/Finals

Hosted by Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Friday, March 3—Lake Superior State (21-6) vs. Ashland (20-9)—1 p.m.
Friday, March 3—Gannon (14-14) at Grand Valley State (25-3)—6 p.m.
Saturday, March 4—GLIAC Championship Game—5:30 p.m.
Ashland’s game(s) will be broadcast on WNCO 1340 AM and Webcast

Opening Tip
The Ashland University Eagles are making their third straight trip to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Final Four. AU got there by defeating Wayne State, 88-79, at home in Tuesday’s (Feb. 28) quarterfinal matchup. The victory put the Eagles over the 20-win mark for the third consecutive season.

The Eagles will face Lake Superior State Friday afternoon (March 3) at 1 p.m. in the first of two semifinals. Ashland will look to avenge a 70-68 setback suffered at LSSU on Dec. 1. The second semifinal, scheduled for 6 p.m., will feature Gannon and Grand Valley State.

Ashland will be seeking its first GLIAC Tournament title in its eighth trip to the conference tournament. The Eagles have made the championship just once, in 1998. That season, AU was defeated, 94-74, by Northern Michigan in the championship tilt.

AU Head Coach Sue Ramsey
Sue Ramsey is in her 11th season at Ashland. She is the winningest coach in school history at 170-135 (.557) and has led the Eagles to three straight 20-win seasons. She has guided Ashland to five GLIAC South Division titles, including the last three in a row. AU made its first trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament in the 2003-04 season under Ramsey’s direction. She is 265-263 (.502) in 19 years as a collegiate head coach. Her first eight seasons were spent at Dayton.

Soaring Eagles
Junior guard Amber Rall (Bucyrus, OH/Wynford) has eclipsed AU’s single-season scoring record with 519 points. She has 1,454 career markers and needs 22 points to pass Vickie Schmitz (1987-90) for second place on Ashland’s career list. Rall leads the Eagles in minutes played (32.8), free throw percentage (.817), assists (3.2) and points (17.9). She is the GLIAC’s leading scorer and ranks seventh in free throw percentage.

Senior guard DeAndria Bethune (Akron, OH/Hoban) poured in a season-high 19 points against Wayne State on Tuesday, 14 of which came after halftime. She ranks 11th on Ashland’s career scoring ledger with 1,047 points. Bethune has made 76 career three-pointers and sits third in AU history in that category. She leads AU in three-pointers made this season with 31. Bethune also owns Ashland’s record for most career games played. Tuesday night’s appearance marked her 115th contest in an AU uniform.

Sophomore guard/forward Lisa Graue (Dayton, OH/Wayne) has grabbed 236 rebounds this season, the fifth-best single-season figure in AU history. With 11 more boards, she will pass Jackie Mason’s total from a season ago and move into fourth place. Graue is the team leader in rebounds (8.1), blocked shots (1.4) and steals (2.4). She ranks second in the GLIAC in rebounds and blocked shots, is third in steals and is 10th in both field goal percentage (.497) and free throw percentage (.809).

Freshman forward Betsy Morrison (Gahanna, OH/Lincoln) has made 21 appearances in the starting lineup as a freshman and has been coming on strong in recent weeks. In Tuesday’s game, she totaled seven points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals, leading the Eagles in the latter two categories.

Junior forward Catherine Portyrata (North Canton, OH/Hoover) scored a career-high 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds against Wayne State. She set Ashland’s single-season field goal percentage record a season ago (.640). This season, she is shooting .623 from the field. That would be the fourth-best single-season performance at AU. Portyrata’s field goal percentage is the second-best figure in the GLIAC and ranks sixth in the nation.

Freshman guard Alethea Lamberson (London, OH) enjoyed one of her best games of the season on Tuesday. She totaled eight points and three rebounds in 23 minutes and had four assists and zero turnovers.

Sophomore forward Lynsey Warren (Worthington, OH/Bishop Watterson), the record-breaking setter on Ashland’s volleyball team, is excelling in her first season on the hardwood. She totaled 18 points and four rebounds against Wayne State and is the Eagles’ top scorer (7.8 ppg.) and rebounder (5.2 rpg.) off the bench this season. Warren’s .503 field goal percentage puts her ninth among the GLIAC leaders.

As a team, Ashland leads the GLIAC and ranks fourth in the nation with a .480 field goal percentage. The Eagles are second in the conference in scoring (74.1 ppg.), free throw percentage (.752) and rebounding margin (+6.7).

Opponent Capsules

Lake Superior State University Lakers

  • Record/GLIAC Finish/Streak: 21-6, T 3rd GLIAC North, Won Three
  • Head Coach (Record at LSSU): Kris Dunbar (154-70 in eight seasons)
  • How They Got Here: Defeated Michigan Tech, 64-50
  • Point Leader: 6-0 senior center Becky Marquardt-King (17.8)
  • Rebound Leader: 5-10 junior forward Mandi Johnson (6.9)
  • Assist Leader: Johnson (3.5)
  • Last GLIAC Tournament Appearance: 2005, Lost in quarterfinals
  • GLIAC Tournament Championships: 2003, 2004
  • Series Record with Ashland: Lake Superior State leads, 10-4
  • Last Meeting: Lake Superior State 70, Ashland 68 (Dec. 1, 2005)
  • GLIAC Tournament Matchup: Lake Superior State 85, Ashland 65 (1996)

Gannon University Lady Knights

  • Record/GLIAC Finish/Streak: 14-14, 3rd GLIAC South, Won Two
  • Head Coach (Record at Gannon): Cleve Wright (63-50 in four seasons)
  • How They Got Here: Defeated Hillsdale, 84-78
  • Point Leader: 6-0 junior forward Christina Jackson (16.6)
  • Rebound Leader: Jackson (7.7)
  • Assist Leader: 5-9 sophomore guard Ashley Lowdermilk (3.5)
  • Last GLIAC Tournament Appearance: 2005, Lost in championship game
  • GLIAC Tournament Championships: None.
  • Series Record with Ashland: Gannon leads, 16-13
  • Last Meeting: Gannon 91, Ashland 89 (Feb. 16, 2006)
  • GLIAC Tournament Matchup: Gannon 64, Ashland 57 (March 4, 2005)

Grand Valley State University Lakers

  • Record/GLIAC Finish/Streak: 25-3, 1st GLIAC North, Won 14
  • Head Coach (Record at GVSU): Dawn Plitzuweit (88-31 in four seasons)
  • How They Got Here: Defeated Ferris State, 79-47
  • Point Leader: 5-10 senior guard/forward Niki Reams (16.0)
  • Rebound Leader: Reams (7.3)
  • Assist Leader: 5-10 sophomore guard Crystal Zick (4.1)
  • Last GLIAC Tournament Appearance: 2005, Won championship
  • GLIAC Tournament Championships: 2005
  • Series Record with Ashland: Series tied, 7-7
  • Last Meeting: Grand Valley State 74, Ashland 59 (Jan. 28, 2006)
  • GLIAC Tournament Matchup: None.