ASHLAND, OHIO – For the second consecutive season the Grand Valley women's basketball team will take part in the Midwest Regional Championship game. After defeating Kentucky Wesleyan on Friday and Drury Saturday, the Lakers moved on to Monday's championship game where they will take on top-ranked Ashland at 7:00pm.
 
The Lakers topped Kentucky Wesleyan on Friday in an come from behind overtime thriller behind 25 points from Ellie Droste, 15 of those points came in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Lakers trailed by double-digits late in the third quarter but rallied to take down the Panthers and move on to the semifinals. In the semifinals, the Lakers once again matched up with the second ranked team, both nationally and regionally, in Drury. The game was very low scoring to start, as it was only 19-19 at the half, but the two teams started to find their rhythm in the second half. GVSU once again trailed late, this time by six early in the fourth quarter. Again, it was Droste coming up clutch, as she hit back-to-back triples to tie the game and spark a 24-10 run to end that game for the Lakers and move them past Drury for the second consecutive season.
 
Under Mike Williams, the Lakers are 14-6 in the NCAA Tournament, and in the Regional Championship game, they hold a 2-1 record, winning the region in 2015-16 and again last season. With the two wins in the tournament, the Lakers moved to 31-2 this year, marking just the third time in program history they have reached 30 wins in a season, as they previously did it in the 2005-06 season and last season.
 
Ashland is the top-ranked team in the country, coming in at 33-0, only playing four games in which they won by less than 10 points. One of those games came in the quarterfinal round, as Malone took them to the brink, but the Eagles survived 72-65, getting 18 points from Hallie Heidemann and 16 from Annie Roshak. In their semifinal matchup, they took on Trevecca Nazarene. The game was tight at the half, as Ashland only led by three, but a big second half, in which they outscored the Trojans by 21 led them to a 73-49 victory. Heidemann and Roshak combined for 32 points and 14 rebounds in the win. This will be the 46^th all-time meeting between these two Midwest Region powerhouses, with Ashland leading the series 25-20.
 
UP NEXT
The game will be available to follow via livestream and live stats. You can also listen along on 106.1 theticket with Bryan Fongers on the call. For all updates, follow along on social media @gvsuwbb or check gvsulakers.com.