Michigan Tech to Host GLIAC Women's Basketball Final Four This Weekend

BAY CITY, Mich. - Michigan Technological University will serve as the host for the 2011 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Women's Basketball semifinals and final this weekend.  Semifinal action will take place on Saturday, Mar. 5 in the SDC Gymnasium, with the tournament final on Sunday, Mar. 6.

Click here to visit the 2011 GLIAC Women's Basketball Tournament page

The tournament's No. 1 seed, Michigan Tech, held serve in the opening round of the GLIAC Women's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday night, defeating Tiffin 58-40 at the SDC Gym.  Senior center Lisa Staehlin (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) led the way for the Huskies with a 20-point, six-rebound performance.

Seventh-seeded Hillsdale College pulled an upset at the No. 2 seed, Lake Superior State University.  The Chargers posted an 81-79 double-overtime victory to knock the Lakers out of the tournament. Hillsdale sophomore guard Lea Jones (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford II) put together one of the best performances of her career, playing all 50 minutes, a single-game school record, and scoring a career-high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists and five steals.

No. 6 seed Northwood University also pulled an upset as the Timberwolves downed third-seeded Grand Valley State University, 63-39, in Allendale (Mich.) on Wednesday night.  Junior forward Savanah Stedman (Ortonville, Mich. (Brandon/Northwestern) led Northwood by scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, coming off the bench.

The final upset of the evening happened in Ohio, where GLIAC South Division co-champions Ashland University and the University of Findlay met, in Findlay.  The fifth-seeded Eagles avenged a pair of overtime loses in the regular season by downing the Oilers, 75-50. Ashland sophomore forward Daiva Gerbec (Dublin, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) posted a career-high 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the triumph.

Michigan Tech will play No. 7-seeded Hillsdale on Saturday (Mar. 5) in the first GLIAC Tournament semifinal game at 1 p.m. The other semifinal will feature No. 6-seeded Northwood vs. No. 5-seeded Ashland at 3 p.m. The GLIAC Championship game will be played Sunday (Mar. 6) at 2 p.m.

Below are Wednesday's quarterfinal-round results:

#1 Michigan Tech def. #8 Tiffin, 58-40
#7 Hillsdale def. #2 Lake Superior State, 81-79 (2OT)
#6 Northwood def. #3 Grand Valley State, 63-39
#5 Ashland def. #4 Findlay, 75-50

Below are Saturday's semifinal games:
Hosted by Michigan Technological University - SDC Gymnasium

1 p.m. - #1 Michigan Tech vs. #4 Hillsdale
3 p.m. - #2 Ashland vs. #3 Northwood

The two winners meet in Sunday's championship game at 2 p.m. (ET)

Note: Teams were reseeded after the quarterfinals