ASHLAND, Ohio β This past Friday, Ashland battled Malone in the semifinals of the Great Midwest Women's Basketball Tournament, rolling to an 80-56 win on their way to eventually winning the conference championship.
This week, the two Northeast Ohio rivals will meet again, only this time the stakes will be much higher.
The Eagles, the top seed in the Midwest Region, will host the eighth-seeded Pioneers Friday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. The pair are the only schools from the area to make the 64-team bracket, which was revealed on Sunday.
Simply put, Ashland is one of the best basketball programs in D-II today, having previously won national championships in 2013 under Sue Ramsey and again in '17 under Robyn Fralick. That success has continued under current head coach Kari Pickens (National Player of the year on the first title squad), who has posted a record of 136-15 in five seasons.
In 2020, AU was 31-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation, but the NCAA Tournament was canceled by COVID-19. Three years later, the Eagles are unbeaten again and this time ranked No. 1, and are led by G-MAC Player of the year Annie Roshak. The North Canton native is averaging 14.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game along with a nation-best 66.8 field-goal percentage.
Malone (21-9) is making its first tourney appearance since 2017, when it lost to Ashland 72-40. First-team all-conference honoree Alexis Hutchison leads the squad with 17.6 points per game along with a league-leading 60 steals, and G-MAC Freshman of the Year Erin Kaufman has hauled in 6.8 rebounds per contest.
After bowing out in the second round last season, the Eagles seem primed for a run at a third national title, while the Pioneers are looking to pull off the upset and secure their first-ever tourney win. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. this Friday at Kates Gym, which will host the first three rounds.