Slow Start Dooms AU Women’s Basketball; Grand Valley State Captures GLIAC Title
March 4, 2006

By Paul Carmany, AU Sports Information

Complete Box Score

It is true that history often repeats itself. Unfortunately, that cliché did not hold true for the Ashland University women’s basketball team in Saturday evening’s (March 4) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament championship game.

AU had overcome a slow start to defeat Lake Superior State in Friday’s semifinal contest. The Eagles were unable to do so against Grand Valley State, though. The Lakers jumped out to an 18-2 lead and went on to win their second straight GLIAC Tournament title, 76-58, in front of their home fans at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena.

GVSU was victorious for the 16th straight time, improving to 27-3. Ashland is now 21-10 after seeing its five-game winning streak come to an end.

Grand Valley State came out clicking at both ends of the floor, led by two-time conference player of the year Niki Reams. The senior scored 12 points in the first 6:23 of play. Ashland committed seven of its 15 turnovers in that same stretch and the home team was quickly staked to a 16-point advantage.

A three-point play by Reams gave GVSU its biggest lead of the first half, 34-13, 4:30 before the intermission. AU, not known for its three-point shooting, utilized that weapon to climb back into the contest.

DeAndria Bethune and Alethea Lamberson hit back-to-back shots from behind the arc, keying a 10-2 AU run to end the half. Amber Rall’s layup with 16 seconds left shaved the Lakers’ advantage to 13 at the break, 36-23.

Grand Valley State controlled the paint in the opening 20 minutes. The Lakers pulled down 20 rebounds to Ashland’s 10, outscored AU in points in the paint, 16-4 and tallied all seven of the half’s second-chance points.

Needing a quick start in the second half, coach Sue Ramsey’s troops accomplished just that. AU sank four of its first five shots in the half. Lisa Graue’s three-pointer from the corner in front of the Ashland bench at 17:34 cut the GVSU lead to 40-32.

The Eagles’ enthusiasm was soon curbed, however. Reams answered Graue’s shot with a three of her own, putting the Laker lead back to double digits. Ashland was unable to get any closer than 11 points the rest of the evening and took home the GLIAC Tournament runnerup trophy for the second time in program history. GVSU got to cut down the nets in front of 1,054 enthusiastic fans after defeating the Eagles for the second time this year.

A pair of Eagles, Bethune and Graue, made the all-tournament team. The two starters finished Saturday’s game with 10 points apiece and Graue nabbed five boards. Lamberson paced the Eagles with a dozen markers, Rall added 11 and Lynsey Warren came off the bench to corral a team-best six rebounds.

Reams, who led all players with 27 points, nailing five three-pointers, was named the GLIAC Tournament MVP. Erin Cyplik (14 points, eight rebounds) and Erika Ryskamp (eight points, three assists) also earned all-tournament laurels.

GVSU shot 51.8 percent from the field in the game, as compared with Ashland’s 39.2 percent figure. Both teams were effective from long distance. The Lakers made 9 of 18 three-pointers while the Eagles were 6 of 11. Grand Valley State outrebounded AU, 37-26.

While the Lakers earned the GLIAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament with the victory, Ashland will have to wait until late Sunday night (March 5) to learn its fate. The eight-team regional competition will begin Friday, March 10.