D2 women's basketball national championship recap: Ashland wins third title

The NCAA Division II women's basketball season ends today with Ashland University at a familiar place — the national championship game.

The top-ranked Eagles will square off with No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth for the title at 3:30 p.m. in Dallas. Ashland enters with an impeccable 36-0 record. Minnesota-Duluth is 32-3.

This will be the Eagles' fifth championship game appearance — all since 2012. They won the title in 2013 and 2017.

Ashland wins third national championship

The perfect season is complete. Ashland wins its third national championship with a 78-67 victory over Minnesota-Duluth.

Annie Roshak led Ashland with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Zoe Miller finished with 16 points. Hallie Heidemann scored 11 points. Hayley Smith had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Eagles finish 37-0.

Ashland looking to hold on

Minnesota-Duluth has outscored Ashland 22-11 in the fourth quarter, but the Eagles still lead 70-62 with 1:06 left.

Heidemann, Yoder answer Minnesota-Duluth run

Minnesota-Duluth was threatening to cut its deficit under double digits by the end of the third quarter.

Then Ashland's Hallie Heidemann splashed in a 3-pointer. Morgan Yoder followed with another to give the Eagles a 19-point lead.

Ashland carries a 59-40 lead into the fourth quarter.

Brooke Olson sets tournament scoring record

Minnesota-Duluth's Brooke Olson scored her 150th point of the tournament in the third quarter. She broke the NCAA Division II postseason record set by Franklin Pierce's Johannah Leedham in 2009.

Duluth was able to get within 13, but a Hallie Heidemann 3-pointer extended Ashland's lead back out to 49-33. It was Heidemann's first basket of the game.

Ashland halfway home to third national title

What a second quarter for Ashland. The Eagles outscored Minnesota-Duluth 26-11 in the quarter and lead 40-22 at halftime.

Annie Roshak leads Ashland with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. She is 4 of 5 from the field and 6 of 6 from the line.

Minnesota-Duluth's Brooke Olson has been held to four points. The NCAA Division II Player of the Year picked up her third foul midway through the second quarter.

Eagles up 28-15 after big run

Just like that, Ashland has its biggest lead thanks to a 10-0 run.

There's more bad news for Minnesota-Duluth. NCAA Division II Player of the Year Brooke Olson is on the bench with three years.

Annie Roshak leading Ashland through one quarter

Ashland leads 14-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Annie Roshak scored eight points in the quarter for the Eagles. She hit all three of her field goal attempts.

Minnesota-Duluth grabs early advantage

Minnesota-Duluth leads 7-5 at the first quarter media timeout.

Ashland starting guard Savaya Brockington picked up two quick fouls and will likely be out the rest of the quarter.

Is the Ashland basketball game on TV?

The NCAA Division II women's championship game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network, starting at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 1.

Is the Ashland basketball game at the site of the Division I Women's Final Four?

The Eagles are playing for their national championship Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, the same arena hosting the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four. Ashland and Minnesota-Duluth will play one day ahead of Sunday night's Division I championship game.

ASHLAND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Stark County natives Annie Roshak, Hayley Smith sets sights on leading Ashland to title

Who are Ashland basketball's projected starters?

• Annie Roshak, F, 6-1, sr.

• Hallie Heidemann, G, 5-8, gr.

• Hayley Smith, F, 6-1, soph.

• Maddie Maloney, G, 5-8, gr.

• Savaya Brockington, G, 5-4, jr.

Who are Minnesota-Duluth basketball's projected starters?

• Brooke Olson, F, 6-2, gr.

• Maesyn Thiesen, G, 5-7, gr.

• Madelyn Granica, G-F, 5-11, sr.

• Kaylee Nelson, G, 5-8, sr.

• Taytum Rhoades, G, 5-9, sr.

How did Ashland and Minnesota-Duluth get here?

Ashland beat Malone 72-65, Trevecca Nazarene 73-49 and Grand Valley State 61-58 in the Midwest Regional, UT Tyler 81-82 in the Elite Eight and Glenville State 76-67 in the Final Four.

Minnesota-Duluth beat Southern Nazarene 66-50, Minnesota State 86-70 and Missouri Southern 77-76 in the Central Regional, Assumption 61-41 in the Elite Eight and Catawba 70-59 in the Final Four.

Who is Ashland's top player?

Annie Roshak was named a first team All-American by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and a second team All-American by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association.

A 6-foot-1 senior forward out of Hoover High School, Roshak averages a team-leading 14.4 points a game. She is shooting 62.7% from the field (49.2% from 3-point range) and 91.9% from the line.

Roshak was voted the 2022-23 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year. She ranks fifth on Ashland's career scoring list with 1,841 points.

ASHLAND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Hoover graduate Annie Roshak named G-MAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year

Who is Minnesota-Duluth's top player?

Brooke Olson was voted the WBCA Division II Player of the Year.

A 6-1 forward, Olson averages a team-leading 23.1 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. She also leads the Bulldogs in blocks with 42.

Olson needs just five points against Ashland to break the NCAA Division II Tournament single-season record of 149 points set by Franklin Pierce's Johannah Leedham in 2009. She is averaging 29.0 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 61.1% from the field and 95.6% from the line in this year's tournament.

What's notable about Ashland head coach Kari Pickens?

Pickens has a shot to become the first person to win an NCAA Division II women's basketball national championship as a player, assistant coach and head coach.

Pickens played on the Eagles' 2013 championship team. She transferred to Ashland from Dayton and scored 1,414 points in her two seasons with the Eagles.

As Robyn Fralick's assistant in 2017, Pickens named WBCA NCAA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year. She became head coach in 2018 after Fralick moved on to Bowling Green.

Pickens is 141-15 in five seasons at Ashland.

ASHLAND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: 'She just gets the best out of everyone': Kari Pickens just keeps winning at Ashland

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Ashland score vs. Minnesota-Duluth NCAA D2 basketball updates