Preview: The Eagles look to complete undefeated season vs. Bulldogs
The D-II national championship will be on Saturday, April 1
March 31, 2023
The Ashland University women’s basketball team is set to play in the national championship game vs the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Saturday, April 1.
The Eagles look to remain undefeated and go the distance, currently sitting at a record of 36-0.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have only lost three contests this season with 32 wins.
Minnesota Duluth lost games to Missouri Southern, Michigan Tech and Augustana. The loss to Michigan Tech was the worst of the season with a final score of 46-61. The other two losses for the Bulldogs came by a combined five points.
The Eagles won all 36 of their games and won by an average of 24 points per game.
Both teams bring in bigger lineups with two players five feet 11 inches tall or taller in the starting lineups.
The matchup in the paint will be one to watch because the Division II national player of the year will be matched up with one of the strongest parts of the Eagles team.
Standing at six foot two inches tall, graduate student forward Brooke Olson won the player of the year honors averaging over 23 points and snagging 7.4 rebounds per contest for the Bulldogs.
Then at the power forward position is senior Madelyn Granica, who adds presence in the paint with five points and 3.4 rebounds.
The Eagles will have All-American Annie Roshak and Hayley Smith down in the paint. Roshak is the Eagles leading scorer at 14.4 points per game and Smith is coming off her best performance of the season in the Final Four tallying a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
At the point guard position for the Bulldogs is graduate student Maesyn Thiesen. Thiesen is the team leader in assists this season and has started all 35 games this year.
The starting one for the Eagles is still up in the air, as Morgan Yoder, the starting point guard on the team may need to come off the bench because of her hamstring injury.
In the case she comes off the bench, sophomore Savaya Brockington, who stepped up big in the Final Four with 16 points, will have to once again start in her place.
The Eagles have a big advantage at the shooting guard position with graduate student guard Hallie Heidemann matching up with Madelyn Granica. Granica averages 5.2 points per contest, while Heidemann averages nearly 13 points a game, and over 5 rebounds.
Then finally at the small forward position, Maddie Maloney matches up with Kaylee Nelson in a battle of the three and d players on both rosters.
There are even matchups on both sides with the Eagles having the statistical advantages at the wing positions.
Tip-off between the Eagles and Bulldogs is set for April 1, 2023 at 3:30 pm EST. The game will be broadcast on 88.9 WRDL and wrdlfm.com.