Wednesday, March 9
Cleveland, Ohio
12:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
66
vs
57
Ohio (Quarterfinals)
Redshirt soph Danielle Havel gave the Falcons a spark off the bench during the key second-half run (Brad Phalin photo)
BGSU Survives & Advances Past Ohio, 66-57, in MAC Tournament
March 09, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Falcons use second-half run to surge past Bobcats
The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team survived a sluggish first half, using a second-half run to surge past a spirited Ohio University club Wednesday afternoon (March 9). BGSU posted a 66-57 win over the Bobcats in quarterfinal-round action at the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The game was the first of the day at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.
FINAL STATS - HTML | BOXSCORE - PDF
POSTGAME VIDEO: BGSU Coach Curt Miller
POSTGAME AUDIO: Miller, Havel & Steffen
BGSU-OHIO PHOTO GALLERY
With the win, the Falcons improve to 26-4 on the year, and BGSU advances to Friday's (March 11) semifinal round. BG, the tournament's number-two seed, will face third-seeded Central Michigan in the semis. CMU downed Buffalo, 90-69, in Wednesday's second game.
Ohio, the 10th seed, sees the season come to an end at 9-22. The Bobcats, after posting a double-digit road win over Northern Illinois in the tournament's first round, held a 28-27 lead over the Falcons at the half. But, BGSU went on the aforementioned second-half surge to take the lead for good.
Senior Tracy Pontius had 15 points to lead three BGSU players in double digits. The point guard also had a game-high five assists and tied for game honors with three steals.
Sophomore Chrissy Steffen scored 13 points, including a team-leading three three-point field goals, while senior Lauren Prochaska had 10 points on the day.
Ohio led, 34-30, early in the second half, before the Falcons went on a 20-4 run over a span of six-plus minutes. BG made 7-of-9 shots to start that run, and sank four-straight three-point tries during that time.
The run began when Pontius drove the lane and bounced a pass to senior Jen Uhl for an easy layup. Then, Prochaska blocked a shot at the other end, rebounded the ball after a follow-up shot did not drop, and got the ball ahead to Pontius. The senior found Steffen for a three-pointer from the right elbow, giving the Brown and Orange a 35-34 advantage.
Tenisha Benson answered with a layup for the Bobcats, but Steffen came right back with another three-ball. This triple try came from the corner, in front of the BGSU bench, and gave the Falcons the lead for good with 14:09 left.
Senior Maggie Hennegan, who had kicked the ball out to Steffen for that shot, got free for a layup, as redshirt sophomore Danielle Havel spotted her sliding along the baseline. Havel's nifty pass led to the Hennegan shot that gave the Falcons a 40-36 lead.
Then, Pontius fired a long three-point try from the left wing, and the shot found nothing but net. Benson made a pair of free throws, but Havel drove inside and kicked the ball back out to junior Jessica Slagle. Slagle buried a three-point try of her own at the 12:11 mark, giving the Brown and Orange a 46-38 lead.
Havel, after dishing out assists on two of BGSU's previous three hoops, scored four-straight points to give the Falcons a 12-point advantage. First, she hit a floater from the foul line extended with 10:34 left. Then, the redshirt soph took a pass from Prochaska and knocked down a slightly longer jumper, and BG's lead was 50-38 midway through the half.
The Falcons shot just 34.5 percent from the field in the first half, but held the Bobcats to only a 32.0% conversion rate in the opening 20 minutes. Still, the Bobcats took that one-point halftime lead after going 9-of-12 from the free-throw line in the period. BGSU went just 3-of-4 from the stripe in the initial half.
BGSU scored the game's first five points, holding the Bobcats without a point on four-straight possessions to start the day. The Bobcats turned the ball over on their first two trips down the court, then missed shots on each of the next two possessions.
Meanwhile, Hennegan hit a jumper in the paint, and Uhl knocked down a three-point ball from the left corner after Prochaska made the 'extra pass' with just over two minutes gone.
Ashley Fowler answered Uhl's shot with a jumper, and a few moments later, Erin Bailes hit a trey to tie the game at 5-5. Hennegan banked home a shot to give the Falcons a two-point lead at the first media timeout.
But, the 'Cats scored six-straight points, capped by Bailes' second three-pointer of the game, to take an 11-7 lead with 13:04 left before halftime as BGSU coach Curt Miller used a timeout.
Out of that timeout, Steffen took a pass from Havel and knocked down a shot from beyond the arc. Then, Pontius fired a long pass ahead to Hennegan for a layup in transition, and BG had a 12-11 lead.
Again, though, the Bobcats would respond with five consecutive points. Shavon Robinson came up with a steal, was fouled and made a pair of free throws, and she then hit a triple for a 16-12 Ohio lead.
Uhl converted a layup, but Kamille Buckner answered with a layup of her own. When Benson scored inside, the 'Cats had a 20-14 lead, and the Falcons used another timeout with 8:54 on the clock.
Prochaska cut the Falcons' deficit in half with a three-pointer, and the three-time All-MAC First-Team performer split a pair of free throws to get BG within 20-18 with seven minutes left in the half. Pontius came up with steals on back-to-back Bobcat possessions, but the Falcons could get just that one free throw on the ensuing BG trips down the floor.
Three-straight possessions -- two for Ohio, one for BGSU -- resulted in a pair of charity tosses, before Slagle knocked down a jumper to cut the Bobcats' lead to 24-22 with four minutes left in the period.
Robinson's layup restored the four-point Bobcat lead, but Prochaska connected from beyond the arc with 3:26 left before the break. Benson knocked down a pair of tosses with 1:17 left, but Pontius answered with a nifty pull-up jumper with a minute left, putting the Falcons within 28-27. The score remained that way until the half.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well to begin the half. The Falcons scored only three points over the first 3:52 of the period, with all three coming at the free-throw line. Robinson broke a 30-30 tie with back-to-back hoops, beginning with a driving layup at the 16:47 mark. Then, the freshman converted a layup in transition after BG threw an inbounds pass away at the other end of the court.
Then, as mentioned, the Falcons went on the aforementioned 20-4 run to take control of the game. That surge gave BG a 50-38 advantage with 8:55 left. Buckner's layup stopped that run, but Pontius took a pass from Steffen and hit a long three-point try, giving BG a 13-point lead, the largest margin of the game, with 8:08 remaining.
The Bobcats got as close as six points with four-and-a-half minutes left, but could draw no closer. The Brown and Orange made 6-of-8 free throws over the final 2:25 to maintain a multiple-possession lead.
Robinson had a game-high 16 points to pace Ohio, while Benson and Bailes added 13 apiece.
BGSU shot 38.9% from the field for the game, but held Ohio to just a 34.0% rate. The Falcons hit nine three-pointers on the afternoon, with Steffen knocking down three and Pontius and Prochaska two apiece.
Benson had a double-double for the Bobcats, with a game-high 10 rebounds. Ohio held a narrow 39-36 margin on the glass.
Hennegan had eight points and seven rebounds for the Brown and Orange, topping the team in rebounding, while Uhl scored nine points and added six rebounds.
Slagle scored five points and Havel four off the bench. Havel also dished out three assists in her 14 minutes of work.
BG had 10 turnovers, tying a season low, in Wednesday's win. The Falcons had a 1.50 assist-to-turnover ratio for the game, with 15 assists on 21 baskets.
The Falcons will face Central Michigan, as mentioned, in semifinal action on Friday (March 11). That game, the first semifinal of the day, will begin at noon at Quicken Loans Arena.
FINAL STATS - HTML | BOXSCORE - PDF
POSTGAME VIDEO: BGSU Coach Curt Miller
POSTGAME AUDIO: Miller, Havel & Steffen
BGSU-OHIO PHOTO GALLERY
With the win, the Falcons improve to 26-4 on the year, and BGSU advances to Friday's (March 11) semifinal round. BG, the tournament's number-two seed, will face third-seeded Central Michigan in the semis. CMU downed Buffalo, 90-69, in Wednesday's second game.
Ohio, the 10th seed, sees the season come to an end at 9-22. The Bobcats, after posting a double-digit road win over Northern Illinois in the tournament's first round, held a 28-27 lead over the Falcons at the half. But, BGSU went on the aforementioned second-half surge to take the lead for good.
Senior Tracy Pontius had 15 points to lead three BGSU players in double digits. The point guard also had a game-high five assists and tied for game honors with three steals.
Sophomore Chrissy Steffen scored 13 points, including a team-leading three three-point field goals, while senior Lauren Prochaska had 10 points on the day.
Ohio led, 34-30, early in the second half, before the Falcons went on a 20-4 run over a span of six-plus minutes. BG made 7-of-9 shots to start that run, and sank four-straight three-point tries during that time.
| MAC TOURN. QUARTERFINALS - Wed., March 9 |
| Bowling Green 66, Ohio 57 |
| Central Michigan 90, Buffalo 69 |
| Toledo 73, Akron 65 |
| Eastern Michigan 69, Kent State 65 |
| MAC TOURN. SEMIFINALS - Fri., March 11 |
| Bowling Green vs. Central Michigan, Noon |
| Toledo vs. Eastern Michigan, 2:30 |
Tenisha Benson answered with a layup for the Bobcats, but Steffen came right back with another three-ball. This triple try came from the corner, in front of the BGSU bench, and gave the Falcons the lead for good with 14:09 left.
Senior Maggie Hennegan, who had kicked the ball out to Steffen for that shot, got free for a layup, as redshirt sophomore Danielle Havel spotted her sliding along the baseline. Havel's nifty pass led to the Hennegan shot that gave the Falcons a 40-36 lead.
Then, Pontius fired a long three-point try from the left wing, and the shot found nothing but net. Benson made a pair of free throws, but Havel drove inside and kicked the ball back out to junior Jessica Slagle. Slagle buried a three-point try of her own at the 12:11 mark, giving the Brown and Orange a 46-38 lead.
Havel, after dishing out assists on two of BGSU's previous three hoops, scored four-straight points to give the Falcons a 12-point advantage. First, she hit a floater from the foul line extended with 10:34 left. Then, the redshirt soph took a pass from Prochaska and knocked down a slightly longer jumper, and BG's lead was 50-38 midway through the half.
The Falcons shot just 34.5 percent from the field in the first half, but held the Bobcats to only a 32.0% conversion rate in the opening 20 minutes. Still, the Bobcats took that one-point halftime lead after going 9-of-12 from the free-throw line in the period. BGSU went just 3-of-4 from the stripe in the initial half.
BGSU scored the game's first five points, holding the Bobcats without a point on four-straight possessions to start the day. The Bobcats turned the ball over on their first two trips down the court, then missed shots on each of the next two possessions.
Meanwhile, Hennegan hit a jumper in the paint, and Uhl knocked down a three-point ball from the left corner after Prochaska made the 'extra pass' with just over two minutes gone.
Ashley Fowler answered Uhl's shot with a jumper, and a few moments later, Erin Bailes hit a trey to tie the game at 5-5. Hennegan banked home a shot to give the Falcons a two-point lead at the first media timeout.
But, the 'Cats scored six-straight points, capped by Bailes' second three-pointer of the game, to take an 11-7 lead with 13:04 left before halftime as BGSU coach Curt Miller used a timeout.
Out of that timeout, Steffen took a pass from Havel and knocked down a shot from beyond the arc. Then, Pontius fired a long pass ahead to Hennegan for a layup in transition, and BG had a 12-11 lead.
Again, though, the Bobcats would respond with five consecutive points. Shavon Robinson came up with a steal, was fouled and made a pair of free throws, and she then hit a triple for a 16-12 Ohio lead.
Uhl converted a layup, but Kamille Buckner answered with a layup of her own. When Benson scored inside, the 'Cats had a 20-14 lead, and the Falcons used another timeout with 8:54 on the clock.
Prochaska cut the Falcons' deficit in half with a three-pointer, and the three-time All-MAC First-Team performer split a pair of free throws to get BG within 20-18 with seven minutes left in the half. Pontius came up with steals on back-to-back Bobcat possessions, but the Falcons could get just that one free throw on the ensuing BG trips down the floor.
Three-straight possessions -- two for Ohio, one for BGSU -- resulted in a pair of charity tosses, before Slagle knocked down a jumper to cut the Bobcats' lead to 24-22 with four minutes left in the period.
Robinson's layup restored the four-point Bobcat lead, but Prochaska connected from beyond the arc with 3:26 left before the break. Benson knocked down a pair of tosses with 1:17 left, but Pontius answered with a nifty pull-up jumper with a minute left, putting the Falcons within 28-27. The score remained that way until the half.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well to begin the half. The Falcons scored only three points over the first 3:52 of the period, with all three coming at the free-throw line. Robinson broke a 30-30 tie with back-to-back hoops, beginning with a driving layup at the 16:47 mark. Then, the freshman converted a layup in transition after BG threw an inbounds pass away at the other end of the court.
Then, as mentioned, the Falcons went on the aforementioned 20-4 run to take control of the game. That surge gave BG a 50-38 advantage with 8:55 left. Buckner's layup stopped that run, but Pontius took a pass from Steffen and hit a long three-point try, giving BG a 13-point lead, the largest margin of the game, with 8:08 remaining.
The Bobcats got as close as six points with four-and-a-half minutes left, but could draw no closer. The Brown and Orange made 6-of-8 free throws over the final 2:25 to maintain a multiple-possession lead.
Robinson had a game-high 16 points to pace Ohio, while Benson and Bailes added 13 apiece.
BGSU shot 38.9% from the field for the game, but held Ohio to just a 34.0% rate. The Falcons hit nine three-pointers on the afternoon, with Steffen knocking down three and Pontius and Prochaska two apiece.
Benson had a double-double for the Bobcats, with a game-high 10 rebounds. Ohio held a narrow 39-36 margin on the glass.
Hennegan had eight points and seven rebounds for the Brown and Orange, topping the team in rebounding, while Uhl scored nine points and added six rebounds.
Slagle scored five points and Havel four off the bench. Havel also dished out three assists in her 14 minutes of work.
BG had 10 turnovers, tying a season low, in Wednesday's win. The Falcons had a 1.50 assist-to-turnover ratio for the game, with 15 assists on 21 baskets.
The Falcons will face Central Michigan, as mentioned, in semifinal action on Friday (March 11). That game, the first semifinal of the day, will begin at noon at Quicken Loans Arena.
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