EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published at the Ashland University sports information website.
ALLENDALE, Mich. — In almost any other Division II regional final, the Ashland University women’s basketball team would be wearing a crown.
Alas, the fifth-ranked Eagles landed in perhaps the toughest regional in the country. On Monday night, second-ranked Grand Valley State showed why they are considered one of the best teams in the nation, if not the best.
The host Lakers, the top-seed in the Midwest Regional, knocked off the second-seeded Eagles 62-50 to advance to the Elite Eight in Pittsburgh.
The Eagles’ 2024-25 season ends at 32-4, and the Lakers will move on to the Elite Eight in Pittsburgh, Pa., at 35-2. This loss also halted Ashland’s 26-game winning streak.
“Ton of credit to Grand Valley,” said Ashland head coach Kari Pickens. “They’re a really good team. I’m disappointed, because I thought we could get them. I thought that our team was really good, too.
“We just didn’t shoot the ball well enough.”
Coming into the regional final, Ashland (32-4) was second in Division II in scoring defense (49.9 ppg. allowed), and Grand Valley State seventh (52.9 ppg. allowed). So it wasn’t a surprise that the score was low halfway through the first quarter – with the Eagles leading 6-4.
Six points off six Eagle turnovers helped the Lakers to an 11-9 lead through the first period, but AU did keep GVSU to 5-for-14 (35.7 percent) from the floor.
Three free throws from sophomore guard Gia Casalinova put the Eagles up 12-11 early in the second stanza, then Grand Valley followed with eight consecutive points to force an Ashland timeout.
The Lakers led by as many as 11 points (27-16) in the frame, but by halftime, a late spurt punctuated by a jumper from senior guard Morgan Yoder cut the Eagle deficit to 29-23.
Halfway through the third quarter, Grand Valley led 38-29, but freshman point guard Ashley Mullet‘s 3-point field goal cut the Laker lead to six points. GVSU, however, took a game-high 12-point lead at 44-32 later in the frame, and had a 46-37 advantage heading to the final 10 minutes.
The Lakers were kept off the scoreboard for the first 4½ minutes of the final quarter, but that only got the Eagles to within five points at 46-41. Five straight Grand Valley State points, however, put it back on top by 10.
Final notes
- In her last collegiate game, senior forward Zoe Miller finished with a double-double – 15 points and 10 rebounds. She was the only Eagle in double figures.
- The Lakers were kept to 40.0 percent from the field and 2-of-10 from 3-point range.
- This was Ashland’s eighth all-time Division II Sweet 16 appearance.
- The Eagles will go into the 2025-26 season with 998 all-time wins, needing two more to become the 13th Division II women’s basketball program with 1,000.
- Over the last 14 seasons (2011-12 to 2024-25), Ashland is 422-45 (.904) with three NCAA Division II national titles, two national runner-up finishes, three undefeated seasons, a D-II-record 73-game winning streak, nine 30-win seasons, 13 NCAA postseason qualifications, 10 conference regular-season championships, 11 conference tournament titles, and a mark of 227-14 (.942) at the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium.
- This game was a marked improvement for the Eagles, who lost 67-42 at Grand Valley State earlier in the first meeting between these teams on Nov. 21.