ASHLAND – With five minutes left in the third quarter, the Ashland University women’s basketball team was ahead by just six points over Michigan Tech in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference semifinal game in Kates Gymnasium.
Then the Eagles flipped a switch and the defensive pressure they had been applying all game long got ratcheted up to a new level.
The resulting 10-0 run left Ashland ahead 53-39 at the end of the third quarter. That run grew into a 25-6 run and they rode that momentum to an 81-59 at home as Ashland University advanced to Sunday’s GLIAC final game.
“It’s hard to handle pressure for 40 minutes, if it’s good pressure,” Ashland coach Robyn Fralick said. “If you’re doing it well and you’re geting disciplined trap and disciplined rotations. The trick is to stick with it and to stick with it and do it right for 40 minutes. Over the course of the game, the hope is that it opens up the game.”
Ashland improved to 30-0 with the win as they continue their drive to become the first GLIAC women’s basketball program to win both four regular-season and four tournament championships in a six-year span.
“Things with that team happen so fast, and you just can’t recover,” Michigan Tech coach Kim Cameron said. “The first time we played them, we handled it. Everytime they made a run, we kept it pretty even. Unfortunately this time, it came too fast and furious and we just couldn’t catch up with ourselves and that was the beginning of the end for us.”
Freshman Jodi Johnson swiped 6 steals during that 25-6 stretch and her teammates added 2 more as the Ashland pressure completely shut down any offensive game plan the Huskies had. Michigan Tech turned the ball over 25 times in the game.
“Our pressure increased throughout the game,” Johnson said. “We knew that our pressure would disrupt and throughout the game it just got even better so we were able to get steals.”
“In the second half we exploded with energy, Jodi especially. She had 9 steals. She was all over the place,” said Kelsey Peare. “Everyone played so hard in our trap and that just led to easy points.”
When AU and Michigan Tech clashed in January, the Eagles won a hard-fought game 82-75, the Eagles’ only single-digit win in GLIAC play. In that contest, Michigan Tech shot 45 percent from the floor and 45 percent from behind the arc. The shooting Saturday was a very different story – 38.6 percent from the floor and just 20 percent from behind three-point territory.
“We watched films and saw what we needed to do better,” Fralick said. “Our pressure in the first game we played them was poor. Film doesn’t lie. With the way we play, it only works if you play hard. If you don’t play hard, it’s just kind of a mess. And we saw that on film that we just needed to play much harder.”
Michigan Tech opened the game Saturday with a 6-1 run as Ashland missed 4 of their first 5 shots. Ashland continued to struggle shooting through the first quarter as they went 5-of-14 from the floor, but they still managed to eek out a 14-12 lead to end the quarter.
Three-pointers by Peare and Maddie Dackin to open the second quarter gave the Eagles a 21-12 lead. The two teams traded baskets through the rest of the quarter, leaving Ashland up 37-28 at the half.
After missing three games with an injury, GLIAC Player of the Year Laina Snyder was back on the court for the Eagles. Snyder scored 14 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, dished 3 assists and swiped 2 steals.
“I thought she played great. It’s great having her back on the court. She’s a really dynamic player and she had a great game tonight,” Fralick said.
Peare led the way for Ashland with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-3 from behind the arc. Andi Daugherty scored 16 and grabbed 4 rebounds.
Senior guard Morgan Anderson paced Michigan Tech with 15 points. Junior Lindsay Winter also scored 15 and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Huskies and Hannah Stoll added 14 points off the bench.
The Eagles will play against Grand Valley State (23-6, 17-5) in the GLIAC Championship Game Sunday at 3 p.m. in Kates Gymnasium. Ashland beat the Lakers 75-61 on the road in December.
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