The Ashland University women’s basketball team will have a chance at repeating as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Champions after taking down the Malone Pioneers in the semi-final round of the conference tournament.

The Eagles, who have been far too familiar with the Pioneers this season, waltzed into Kates Gymnasium and showed little signs of struggling in a dominating 80-56 victory.

In the first half, both teams tussled back and forth with the Eagles barely taking the edge through two quarters. In the first, the Eagles led by just one, 17-16, with the Pioneers showing a lot of promise at handing the undefeated Eagles the team’s first loss of the season. In the second, the Pioneer offense became stagnant as they were outscored by six heading into halftime.

With the lead just at seven points, 39-32, there was room for the Pioneers to close the gap between the two parties.

In the second half, stagnant would be an understatement for the offensive production from the Pioneers. In the third quarter alone they recorded just 10 points while going 4-of-13 from the field and 0-of-2 from beyond the arc. The Eagles were able to continue to produce as they added 20 points to their total, putting the lead at 17 heading into the fourth and final quarter.

The Pioneers attempted to crawl back into the contest as they pieced together some nice offensive possessions that led to some good stops defensively, but they were unable to bring the contest back inside single digits. Ultimately, the final buzzer sounded securing a 30-0 record for the Eagles.

The undefeated Eagles were led by the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year Annie Roshak who secured a season-high 26 points while hauling in seven rebounds. Guard Savaya Brockington also was outstanding with 15 points. Outside of Roshak, the Eagles got key contributions from their bench who scored 30 of their 80 points.

The Pioneers, look to potentially get a bid in the NCAA Division II women’s basketball regional selection, but for now, the teams season comes to a close at a 21-9 record.

The Eagles will look to play in the conference title game on Saturday, March 4, at 3 p.m. in Kates Gymnasium against the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans.