It was fun while it lasted.

Grand Valley State’s improbable GLIAC tournament run came to an end on March 6, as No. 1 seed Ashland (30-1, 21-1 GLIAC) took down the Lakers (22-9, 15-7 GLIAC) on the Eagles’ home court, 70-53.

“You always think you can beat everybody,” said GVSU coach Mike Williams. “But man, you never know. It was one-and-done today. I thought our kids did a good job taking the first two, and I thought we battled today. We missed some assignments defensively, but as a whole, I thought we did a good job.

“They gave it everything they had, and you know what, that’s just the way it is. Sometimes you’re just not quite good enough.”

The loss in the final round came after GVSU knocked off No. 3 seed Michigan Tech in overtime on March 1, and No. 2 seed Saginaw Valley State on March 5.

Ashland, the No. 5-ranked team in NCAA Division II, opened the game on a 14-3 run, and never slowed down. The Lakers, after shooting 50 percent from the field a day before against SVSU, only made two field goals in the entire first quarter. Solid free throw shooting helped the 23-13 first quarter disadvantage from being worse for the Lakers.

Enter the second quarter, and things continued at a steady pace for the Eagles. The tandem of Alex Henning and Andi Daugherty combined for 19 first half points as the Eagles built a 40-21 halftime lead. The Eagles had 12 team assists at the half, compared to the Lakers’ three.

While Ashland had continuity, GVSU was disjointed. The Lakers, whose inside presence has been stretched thin since backup center Korynn Hincka tore her ACL on Jan. 23, struggled to get open looks against the lengthy Eagles’ forwards.

By halftime, the Lakers were only shooting 17.9 percent as a team (5-of-28) and only 18.2 percent from 3-point range (2-of-11).

“We really believed we could win today,” said GVSU guard Lindsay Baker. “We still battled, and I think overall the feeling is frustrated, because we knew we had that.”

In the third quarter, the Lakers flirted with a minor comeback attempt, cutting the lead to 44-32 with six minutes left in the game. An ankle injury to Kayla Dawson, however, left her sidelined for the rest of the game, and took yet another weapon away from the Lakers,. Ashland outscored GVSU 14-4 the remainder of the third quarter.

The Lakers, who lost Hincka and point guard Brionna Barnett earlier in the year, sustained injuries to Dawson (ankle) and Bailey Cairnduff (knee) during the bout against the Eagles.

The injuries to the Lakers and Ashland’s big lead essentially made the fourth quarter garbage time.

“We have our seniors, and even though they aren’t playing, we wanted to go out on a high note,” Baker said. “Emotionally, we have to prepare ourselves because our season may not be over, and that’s something we have to focus on now.”

Daugherty paced the Eagles with 17 points and 10 boards. For GVSU, Janae Langs and Dawson both had 11 points.

With the GLIAC tournament now in the books, the Lakers will look to the NCAA selection show on March 6, which will air online at www.NCAA.com starting at 10 p.m.. The top eight teams from each region get a spot in the big dance, and this week’s wins over the Huskies and Cardinals bode well for GVSU’s NCAA tournament hopes..

While Ashland is guaranteed the top spot in the Midwest region, the Lakers will most likely get a No. 6-No. 8 seed in their region. Despite the injuries, Williams said at this time of year, anything’s possible.

“Who knows,” Williams said. “You never know. The players have surprised us before, and maybe they can surprise us again.”