LSSU's Blazejewski and HC's Jones Chosen As GLIAC Women's Basketball North and South Division "Players of the Week", Respectively

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BAY CITY, Mich. - Lake Superior State University junior forward Maria Blazejewski (Beulah, Mich./Benzie Central) and Hillsdale College junior guard Lea Jones (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford) have been chosen as the GLIAC Women's Basketball North and South Division "Players of the Week", respectively.

GLIAC North Division Player of the Week:
Maria Blazejewski
Lake Superior State
6-0, Junior, Forward
Beulah, Mich./Benzie Central  

Junior forward Maria Blazejewski scored a career-high tying 27 points to lead Lake Superior State to a six-point victory over Ohio Dominican and score her 1,000th career point. Blazejewski also scored 23 points and totaled a career-high seven blocked shots as the Lakers beat Tiffin 71-67. For the week, she averaged 25 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 blocks per game. Blazejewski shot 60 percent from the field and 76.9 percent at the free-throw line. She currently is second in the conference averaging 17.1 ppg.

North Division Weekly Honor Roll:  Sarah DeShone - FS, Briauna Taylor - GV, Lindsey Lindstrom - MT, Chelsea Lyons - NM, Savannah Stedman - NU Grace Herzog - SV.

2010-11 North Division "Players of the Week":  (11/15) R. Church - NU; (11/21) M. Blazejewski - LS; (11/28) S. Hoyt - MT; (12/5) S. DeShone - FS; (12/12) L. Lindstrom - MT; (12/20) S. DeShone - FS; (1/3) R. Church - NU; (1/9) B. Taylor - GV; (1/17) S. Hoyt - MT; (1/23) T. Principe - FS; (1/30) M. Blazejewski - LS.

GLIAC South Division Player of the Week:
Lea Jones
Hillsdale
5-6, Junior, Guard
Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford

Junior guard Lea Jones was the driving force behind two wins for the Hillsdale women’s basketball team last week. In victories over Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech, Jones averaged 20.5 points, 7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game, while shooting 58 percent from the field, 89 percent from the free throw line and 56 percent from 3-point territory. She played all but four minutes in the two games during the week, and led the team in scoring both games. Jones currently has 50 steals which makes her tops in the league.

South Division Weekly Honor Roll:  Kari Daugherty - AU, Saira House - UF, Stephanie Rogers - LE, Kacee Hockenberry - OD, Jessica Harris - UF, Paige Sickmiller - WS.

2010-11 South Division "Players of the Week":  (11/15) K. Daugherty - AU; (11/21) S. Rogers - LE; (11/28) M. DeMott - HC; (12/5) J. Stutzman - AU; (12/12) C. Harrison - HC; (12/20) K. Daugherty - AU; (1/3) K. Brown - UF; (1/9) M. Jaeb - TU; (1/17) A. Dorner - AU; (1/23) J. Harris - TU; (2/30) L. Jones - HC.

Ashland Eagles

The Eagles were ranked ninth last  week – that’s the highest ranking in the program’s history…AU set a school, single-game record for points in a 112-75 win at Wayne State last Thursday. Ashland also established a school single-game mark for three-point field goals made (12). The Eagles shot 64.4 percent from the field and that figure is tied for the second best single-game percentage in school history…at Findlay, junior forward Kari Daugherty (Fresno, Ohio/Dayton) equaled the school single-game record for rebounds (21).  Daugherty had 11 offensive rebounds against the Oilers. She tied the rebound record set by Daiva Gerbec (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) a year ago against Central State.  Daugherty and sophomore Ashley Dorner continue to form one of the most productive forward tandems in the conference. At Wayne State, Dorner had 22 points and six rebounds. Against the Warriors, Dorner and Daugherty combined to make 18-of-23 field goal attempts (.783)…sophomore guard Alyssa Miller (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri-Valley) scored a career-high 19 points at Findlay. Miller also equaled her career high in rebounds (eight) against the Oilers…the Eagles host Tiffin this week. In the first meeting this year, on Jan. 12, AU won, 77-75 in overtime. That’s the lone game this year AU has played that has been decided by three points or less.

Ferris State Bulldogs

The Ferris State University women’s basketball squad held off an inspired Grand Valley State squad to win their seventh consecutive game this season with a 58-50 triumph in the West Michigan rivalry game on Saturday (Jan. 28) at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena to improve to 13-4 on the year and 10-1 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play.  FSU holds a commanding lead in the GLIAC North Division standings. The win was the Bulldogs’ 14th versus the Lakers all-time under head coach Tracey Dorow and the two teams have now split the last 10 series’ matchups. FSU’s women’s basketball win combined with the Bulldogs’ 65-57 triumph in the men’s game gave Ferris State a sweep over Grand Valley State in the doubleheader.  It marks the first time the Bulldogs have swept FSU in a doubleheader since doing it twice during the 2003-04 season.  Both Bulldog teams currently reside in first place in the GLIAC North Division standings. The Bulldogs continue their five-game league homestand by hosting Lake Superior State on Thursday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. (ET) inside Jim Wink Arena.  FSU then hosts Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, Feb. 4, starting at 1 p.m. (ET).

Findlay Oilers

The Oilers lost a pair of GLIAC games at home last week, falling 70-62 against Lake Erie and 71-55 against #9 Ashland.  In the loss to the Storm, senior guard Clare Aubry had 18 points while junior forward Kayla Brown contributed 11.  In the loss to the Eagles, senior forward Kaitlyn Nelson had 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks.  Sophomore guard Saira House also reached double figures with ten points.  Brown leads the team with a 12.8 points per game average on the season.

Grand Valley State Lakers

Grand Valley State closed out January with a loss to the top team in the North Division, Ferris State.  The Lakers kept in step with the Bulldogs for much of the game, but were not able to make a successful push in the final minutes.  Briauna Taylor continues to lead the Lakers with 14.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.  The junior forward/guard combo is also just 77 points away from 1,000 with a total of 923 in her three seasons.  She has six more games to accomplish the feat.  Senior Kara Crawford has also been helping out with the point total, averaging 8.4 points in the last five contests, while shooting 44 percent from the floor.  The Lakers return to the friendly confines of GVSU Fieldhouse for its next four games, first hosting Saginaw Valley State in a Thursday-night match up at 6 p.m.  Alex Stelfox hit a buzzer-beater to give Grand Valley State a 50-48 victory against the Cardinals when the two teams met in early January.

Hillsdale Chargers

The Hillsdale College women’s basketball team is on a season-high three-game winning streak after a pair of impressive wins over Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech at home last week…The Chargers’ 82 points scored vs. Michigan Tech were 27 more than the Huskies average allowing per game this season…Lea Jones, Chelsea Harrison and Marissa DeMott all played all 40 minutes in Saturday’s win over the Huskies…Harrison has played every minute of every game on nine occasions this season, one of those coming in an overtime loss to Tiffin, where she played 45 minutes…DeMott’s 20 points Saturday were the most she’s had in a game since November…As a team, Hillsdale went 41-for-46 from the free throw line in the two games last week, an .891 percentage…Hillsdale’s senior class is 4-4 vs. Michigan Tech, a three-time regional champion…The Chargers have won each of the last two home meetings with the Huskies…The team shot 50 percent from 3-point land in the two games combined (17-for-34)…Harrison hasn’t missed a free throw in six games and has made 27 in a row from the line dating back to Jan. 12…The Chargers wrap up their four game homestand Wednesday against Lake Erie College before visiting Northwood University Saturday.

Lake Erie Storm

Lake Erie went 1-1 last week, including a 70-62 win at Findlay Thursday night for the program’s first win ever over the Oilers. The Storm then lost at Wayne State Saturday, 67-64… in the win at Findlay, Stephanie Rogers posted her fifth double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds while Britt Busson hit a career-high six three-pointers and scored a game-high 20 points… at Wayne State, Alyssa Wagers scored 12 points and became the eighth player in school history – and third this season – to score 1,000 career points. Wagers (1,002) joined teammates Rogers (1,261) and Jen Caiola (1,080) in the 1,000-point club… Rogers scored 20 points and had nine rebounds in the loss at Wayne State, the fourth time this season she has missed a double-double by a single rebound. She has scored in double figures in nine straight games and in 16-of-18 games this season… Busson averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the two games last week… Cate Cianchetti had 15 points at Findlay and then grabbed a career-best six rebounds (9 points) at Wayne State… the win Thursday against Findlay clinched a .500 or better season for the fourth time in school history – third time in the last five seasons under Bob Booher.

Lake Superior State Lakers

Junior forward Maria Blazejewski (Beulah, Mich.) scored a career-high tying 27 points to lead LSSU to a six-point victory over Ohio Dominican and score her 1,000th career point. She also scored 23 points and totaled a career-high seven blocked shots as the Lakers beat Tiffin, 71-67. Seven blocked shots ties the second-best single-game high in the GLIAC this season. For the week, Blazejewski averaged 25 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 blocks per game. Blazejewski averages 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and is ranked fourth in GLIAC scoring at 16.4 ppg. Senior forward Sarah Cubr (Riverview, Mich.) scored 11 points against ODU and 10 against Tiffin for her first career back-to-back double-figure scoring performance. Senior center Cassy Schemberger averaged 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and is ranked fourth in the GLIAC in rebounding at 8.3 rpg.

Michigan Tech Huskies

Michigan Tech split a pair of games last week defeating Northwood and falling at Hillsdale. Senior Lindsey Lindstrom scored a combined 50 points on the week, including a career-high 26 points against Northwood. Tech ranks second in the league in points allowed (56.6 ppg). Tech has three players ranked in the top-30 in the league in scoring, Sam Hoyt is seventh (15.0), Lynn Giesler is 16th (12.8) and Lindsey Lindstrom is 27th (10.9). Tech will host Findlay Thursday and Wayne State Saturday.

Northern Michigan Wildcats

The Northern Michigan women’s basketball team is now 8-11, 4-8 on the season following two straight conference defeats on the road… The Wildcats dropped two close contests to Hillsdale (68-62) and Northwood (63-58)…In both games, the ‘Cats struggled to shot in the first half before making sizable rallies in the second half…Senior guard Chelsea Lyons led the ‘Cats in scoring over the week with 17 points against the Chargers and 21 against the Timberwolves…Freshman guard Alyssa Colla also tied a career-high with 17 points against the Chargers during her stellar first season…The ‘Cats return home to the Berry Events Center this week, hosting Wayne State (Feb. 2) and Findlay (Feb. 4).

Northwood Timberwolves

Northwood split a pair of games last week, falling to No. 25 Michigan Tech 73-66 before earning a 63-55 win over Northern Michigan … the Timberwolves are now 8-11 overall, 3-9 in the GLIAC … senior center Savannah Stedman (Ortonville, Mich./Brandon/Northwestern) had a strong week for the Timberwolves, averaging 22.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.0 assists per game … against Michigan Tech, Stedman matched her career-high by scoring 29 points … she also grabbed six rebounds against the Huskies … in the game versus Northern Michigan, Stedman finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and four assists … it was Stedman’s eighth double-double of the season … freshman Sarah Susan (Grand Rapids, Mich./Byron Center) had a career-day in the win over NMU, scoring 21 points … she went 5-6 from 3-point range in the game after entering the day 1-16 from beyond the arc on the season … NU has one game this week, hosting Hillsdale Saturday.

Ohio Dominican Panthers

ODU held a pair of halftime leads on its Michigan road trip last week, however could not close the door in the second half, falling to Lake Superior State 67-61 on Thursday and Saginaw Valley State 62-49 on Saturday. The games marked the first times this season the Panthers have lost when holding a lead at the break. ODU led 61-58 with 2:38 left at LSSU, but would miss their final five shots and a free throw in the closing minutes, while the Lakers scored on each of its final five possessions, sinking 5-of-6 free throws in the last 38 seconds. On Saturday, the Panthers took a 35-31 lead with 12:48 left, however Cardinal runs of 14-2 and 13-0 put the game out of reach over the final minutes. Freshman Kacee Hockenberry (Haviland, OH) averaged 14.5 points per game over the week to lead ODU, shooting .455 (10-of-12) from the field and .417 (5-of-12) on threes. Senior Abby Glover (Centerville, OH) added 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds, while freshman Paige Stought (Pickerington, OH) led the Panthers bench with 6.5 points and team-high 6.0 rebounds over the two contests. ODU returns to South Division play this week, beginning Thursday as GLIAC leader and current No. 9 Ashland brings an 18-game winning streak to Alumni Hall for a 5:30 p.m. tip. The Panthers than head to Lake Erie on Saturday for the series finale and second to last road game of the season, starting at 1 p.m.

Saginaw Valley State Cardinals

The Cardinals spilt their two contests this week, falling to Tiffin 57-35, before snapping a 10-game GLIAC losing streak with a 62-49 win over Ohio Dominican. SVSU is now 4-15 overall on the season and 2-10 in the GLIAC. Grace Herzog had a big week defensively for the Cardinals, swatting away 17 shots in two games, breaking her own record (9) for blocks in a game with 10. She currently ranks first in the NCAA/GLIAC in blocked shots (71) and second in the NCAA in blocks per game (3.7). Herzog also recorded just the ninth triple-double in the NCAA DII this season with an 11 point, 11 rebound and 10 blocked shot performance against Tiffin (Jan. 26). Kristen Greene is leading Saginaw Valley in scoring at 9.2 ppg, while Herzog is pulling down a team-high 7.1 rebounds. Freshman Samantha Zirzow is second on the team at 8.1 per game. As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 51.3 points per contest this season. SVSU is also shooting .708 (225-for-318) from the free throw line this season. Saginaw Valley will hit the road this week, traveling to Grand Valley on Thursday (Feb. 2) and Ferris State on Saturday (Feb. 4).

Tiffin Dragons

Jessica Harris averaged 14 ppg with 11 rpg in the Dragons 1-1 week. She had 11 points and 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes of work with 4 steals, and 3 blocks against Saginaw Valley State, then turned around and had 17 points with 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in a close loss at Lake Superior State…Karli Mast now has 855 career points, 18th on TU’s career scoring list. She trails Tracy Almanson-Murphy by 51 points for 17th…Mandy Jaeb now has 1475 career points, second all-time for TU. She passed Susan Miller with 1448 points and trails only Angie Shardo Nunn (1820 points) in TU history. Jaeb also has 138 career treys, fourth all-time for TU. She trails third-place Leanne Lucius’s total of 148. She also has 355 career free throws, just 2 out of 2nd place and 12 from TU’s all-time record held by Lois Collins Conrad. Jaeb is also now 4th in career steals with 180 and trails 3rd-place Laura Goins by just 3 steals and 2nd-place Nicki King by 5…Jessica Harris is second all-time for the Dragons in per game rebounding average with 8.6. She has 621 rebounds in 72 career games.

Wayne State Warriors

Wayne State split its two home games last week falling to Ashland before rebounding for a three-point win over Lake Erie.  The win over LEC improved the WSU record to 11-9, the most wins in a season since the 2007-08 squad went 15-12.  Junior forward Deanna Crumpton (Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) scored a season-high 21 points off the bench vs. the Storm.  It was her highest scoring output since tallying 22 points on Dec. 4, 2010, in a win versus Ashland.  WSU tied a season-high with 19 made free throws in the LEC contest.  Junior guard Paige Sickmiller (Romeo, Mich.) scored in double figures in both contests and has double-digit marks in 10 of the last 12 games.  Junior forward Phaebre Colbert (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern) had her fourth double-double of the season on Saturday with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  WSU will play two conference road games this week, where the Warriors have compiled a 3-3 mark.  Junior center Juanita Cochran (Saginaw, Mich./Arthur Hill) needs three blocked shots to move into fourth place on the WSU single-season chart.