ALLENDALE, MICH. – The GVSU women's basketball team won the 2025 NCAA Midwest Regional Championship with a victory over Ashland in the title game, winning 62-50. The win was the third in the tenure of Mike Williams and moves GVSU on next week's Elite Eight in Pittsburgh.
 
It was a defensive battle to start the game, with only five points being scored in the first four and a half minutes of action. With the Lakers trailing 6-4, Ellie Droste hit an and-1 to give the Lakers a 7-6 lead. The Eagles tied it up at nine, but a Rylie Bisballe layup put them up 11-9 at the end of the first.
 
After Ashland went up 12-11, the Lakers went on an 8-0 run, going up 19-12. They would never relinquish the lead the rest of the way. The lead grew to 11 at 27-16 following a Bisballe steal and layup. Ashland went on a 7-2 run to end the half, cutting their deficit to 29-23.
 
Three and a half minutes into the third quarter the Lakers pushed their lead back up to 10 points at 36-26. The pushed the lead up to 12 at 44-32 off two Bisballe free throws. Ashland made it a nine-point game heading to the fourth, down 46-37.
 
The Eagles cut it to five early in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers responded with a MacKenzie Bisballe layup and Paige Vanstee triple, pushing their lead back to 10 points. Ashland could not recover from that, never getting within seven points the rest of the way. Ellie Droste hit five free throws in the final 40 seconds to seal the win and punch the Lakers ticket to Pittsburgh.
 
Tournament Most Outstanding Player Paige Vanstee led the way with 15 points, adding six boards and three blocks. Rylie Bisballe earned All-Tournament team honors, scoring 10 points, with four steals and four rebounds. Ellie Droste scored 12 points, while MacKenzie Bisballe added 12 points and seven rebounds. Nicole Kamin posted 10 points, six boards, three steals, and two blocks.
 
Up Next
The Lakers advance to next week's Elite Eight in Pittsburgh. Matchups will be announced later this week.