Saturday, February 25
Bowling Green, Ohio
1:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
64
vs
55
Miami
On 'Senior Day' at the Stroh, fourth-year Falcon Jessica Slagle & her teammates clinched the MAC East Division title with a win over Miami (Craig Bell photo)
Falcons Clinch East Division Crown with 64-55 win over Miami
February 25, 2012 | Women's Basketball
BGSU hits 34 free throws en route to 'Senior Day' victory at the Stroh
The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team clinched the Mid-American Conference's East Divison title with a 64-55 win over Miami University Saturday afternoon (Feb. 25) at the Stroh Center.
With the win, BGSU is 23-5 overall, and the Falcons improve to 13-2 in the MAC. The RedHawks drop to 20-8 and 10-5, respectively.
FINAL STATS: HTML | PDF
BGSU-MIAMI PHOTO GALLERY - Craig Bell, BGSU Mkt. & Comm.
BGSU-MIAMI PHOTO GALLERY 2 - Dave Kielmeyer, BGSU Mkt. & Comm.
POSTGAME AUDIO: Jessica Slagle | Curt Miller
Scroll down for video of the postgame interviews
With one game remaining in the regular season, the Falcons are tied for the overall MAC lead. Eastern Michigan, like BGSU, has a 13-2 league record, with Toledo at 12-3.
A BGSU win in the team's final regular-season game -- Tuesday (Feb. 28) at Kent State -- would clinch a tie for the MAC's overall regular-season crown. The Falcons hold the tiebreaker with EMU, and BG would clinch the number-one seed for the MAC Tournament with a victory over KSU. A loss to the Golden Flashes, however, could drop BGSU as low as the third seed, in the event of Tuesday wins by both EMU and UT.
BG went to the foul line early and often against Miami, shooting over 82 percent from the stripe on the afternoon. The Falcons' totals of 34 free throws made and 41 attempted were season highs.
On 'Senior Day' at the Stroh Center, the Falcons' lone fourth-year player on the court, Jessica Slagle, had 14 points. Junior Chrissy Steffen also scored 14, while redshirt junior Danielle Havel had 11.
Courtney Osborn led the RedHawks with a game-high 21 points, with Rachael Hencke scoring 13 off the bench. Kirsten Olowinski had a double-double for the visitors, with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
There was not a great disparity in the turnover column, as Miami turned the ball over 16 times to the Falcons' 12. But, BGSU had an 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers on the day.
The Falcons never trailed on Saturday, but BGSU could not pull away from the RedHawks. The hosts got out to an early 5-0 lead on a pair of Steffen free throws and a three-point play by Havel. MU's Lillian Pitts was called for a foul in each instance, and the two fouls sent her to the bench with just 2:05 gone.
The 'Hawks got on the board with a jumper from Haley Robertson, but Steffen hit a three-pointer after an impressive play by redshirt sophomore Alexis Rogers. After Robertson's bucket, a long pass ahead found Rogers in heavy traffic in the paint. Rogers, facing away from the hoop, tipped the ball out to an open Steffen on the right side, and the junior's triple gave BG an 8-2 advantage.
Rogers then proceeded to score the next five BG points. She split a pair of free throws, and after an Erica Almady layup, Rogers put back a teammate's layup. Olowinski answered with a layup of her own, but Rogers then took a lob pass from Havel and converted again.
Back came Olowinski, however, knocking down a three-point try to cut BG's lead to 13-9. That was the last hoop by either team for three minutes, and it was Olowinski scoring again to cut the Falcons' advantage to just two points.
Steffen answered, however, with a jumper to spark a 7-0 run. Havel scored the next five points, as she hit a pair of charity tosses, then cut to the hoop and received a nice pass from Rogers for a layup. Moments later, another nifty Rogers pass found the redshirt junior, who was fouled on her way to the hoop. Havel split her throws for a 20-11 BG lead with 6:05 left before the half.
Osborn, MU's leading scorer who had been held without a point for the first 14-plus minutes, knocked down a jumper in the paint, but two free throws by sophomore Noelle Yoder restored BG's nine-point advantage.
Hencke, however, scored five points in a row, with a pair of shots at the stripe and a three-pointer. BGSU's lead was down to just four points, 22-18, as head coach Curt Miller took a timeout with 2:38 on the clock.
Out of that timeout, though, Slagle drove for an easy layup as Rogers cleared the lane. Slagle would score again on a tough jumper in the waning seconds of the half, giving the Brown and Orange a 26-18 lead.
BG had a 10-0 advantage in points off turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, after forcing MU into nine miscues.
Three Slagle free throws to start the second half gave the Falcons a double-digit lead for the first time. The RedHawks responded with four-straight points, but BG came back with two Steffen tosses at the 15:21 mark.
Then, Rogers poked the ball away from Almady at the defensive end, and the ensuing possession saw Havel find Matthews for a three-point try that found nothing but net. BGSU's lead was 34-22 as the RedHawks took time with 14:43 left.
The lead stayed around double digits for the next few minutes, as the teams traded points. Almady hit a layup for the visitors, but Havel answered with a hoop inside, off of a feed by junior Allison Papenfuss. Hencke's trey cut BG's lead to nine, but Slagle found Papenfuss for an 'and-one' jumper off glass. The junior hit the ensuing free throw out of the 11:54 media timeout, and the Falcons had a 39-27 lead.
Several minutes later, Slagle's driving layup, with Papenfuss sealing off the paint, gave the Brown and Orange a 13-point advantage, at 42-29. Osborn scored four-straight points for the RedHawks, but BG answered each time, as Papenfuss took a Matthews pass and scored, and Slagle got back to the line for a pair of tosses and a 46-33 lead out of the second-to-last media break of the day.
Two Yoder free throws gave the Falcons a game-high 15-point advantage with 6:49 remaining. Hencke hit a jumper, but Yoder drew another Miami foul, went back to the line and hit two more tosses for a 50-35 lead with 6:01 left. The latter trip to the stripe came after Robertson's fifth foul of the game.
Miami, however, rallied back, scoring 10 of the game's next 13 points to cut BG's lead to eight. Osborn hit a three-pointer, then made two shots at the line. Steffen converted a transition layup off of a crowd-pleasing bounce pass along the baseline from Matthews, with a foul giving Steffen a three-point play. But, Osborn came back with another three-ball, and a steal and layup by Hencke cut BG's lead to 53-45 with 3:47 left.
Steffen's 'and-one' layup at the 4:12 mark would prove to be BGSU's last field goal of the game, but the hosts maintained the lead at the free-throw line. The Falcons made 11 charity tosses in the game's final three minutes, never letting Miami get closer than seven points.
After starting that stretch by going 3-of-6 at the line, the Falcons went 8-of-8 to end the game. Matthews made four of those tries, with Rogers and Steffen hitting two apiece.
The Falcons, who had not made more than 23 free throws in a game this season, went 25-of-30 from the stripe in the second half alone on Saturday. For the game, Slagle was 8-of-10 from the stripe, while Steffen and Yoder were perfect in seven and six attempts, respectively.
Matthews made all four of her free-throw tries, while Havel was 5-of-7 on the afternoon.
Rogers and Steffen had six rebounds each as BGSU held a narrow 32-31 advantage in that category. Rogers had a game-high three of the Falcons' eight steals.
Saturday's win gave BGSU a 14-1 record at the Stroh Center, tying the school record for home wins in a season. The Falcons also went 14-1 in 2008-09 and again last season. BG has won 14 consecutive games at the Stroh after a one-point loss to nationally-ranked Purdue in the first home regular-season game in arena history.
The Falcons are now a perfect 11-0 in 'Senior Day/Night games in the Miller Era, and BGSU has won 16 of the last 17 such games. The lone loss came to Miami in February of 2001.
Tuesday's game at Kent State begins at 7:00 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center. Should BG win, the Falcons would secure the number-one seed for the the MAC Tournament, and BGSU would earn a 'triple-bye' into the tourney's semifinal round on March 9. A loss, as mentioned, could drop the Falcons to the number-three seed and a game in the quarterfinal round on March 8.
With the win, BGSU is 23-5 overall, and the Falcons improve to 13-2 in the MAC. The RedHawks drop to 20-8 and 10-5, respectively.
FINAL STATS: HTML | PDF
BGSU-MIAMI PHOTO GALLERY - Craig Bell, BGSU Mkt. & Comm.
BGSU-MIAMI PHOTO GALLERY 2 - Dave Kielmeyer, BGSU Mkt. & Comm.
POSTGAME AUDIO: Jessica Slagle | Curt Miller
Scroll down for video of the postgame interviews
With one game remaining in the regular season, the Falcons are tied for the overall MAC lead. Eastern Michigan, like BGSU, has a 13-2 league record, with Toledo at 12-3.
A BGSU win in the team's final regular-season game -- Tuesday (Feb. 28) at Kent State -- would clinch a tie for the MAC's overall regular-season crown. The Falcons hold the tiebreaker with EMU, and BG would clinch the number-one seed for the MAC Tournament with a victory over KSU. A loss to the Golden Flashes, however, could drop BGSU as low as the third seed, in the event of Tuesday wins by both EMU and UT.
BG went to the foul line early and often against Miami, shooting over 82 percent from the stripe on the afternoon. The Falcons' totals of 34 free throws made and 41 attempted were season highs.
On 'Senior Day' at the Stroh Center, the Falcons' lone fourth-year player on the court, Jessica Slagle, had 14 points. Junior Chrissy Steffen also scored 14, while redshirt junior Danielle Havel had 11.
Courtney Osborn led the RedHawks with a game-high 21 points, with Rachael Hencke scoring 13 off the bench. Kirsten Olowinski had a double-double for the visitors, with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
There was not a great disparity in the turnover column, as Miami turned the ball over 16 times to the Falcons' 12. But, BGSU had an 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers on the day.
The Falcons never trailed on Saturday, but BGSU could not pull away from the RedHawks. The hosts got out to an early 5-0 lead on a pair of Steffen free throws and a three-point play by Havel. MU's Lillian Pitts was called for a foul in each instance, and the two fouls sent her to the bench with just 2:05 gone.
The 'Hawks got on the board with a jumper from Haley Robertson, but Steffen hit a three-pointer after an impressive play by redshirt sophomore Alexis Rogers. After Robertson's bucket, a long pass ahead found Rogers in heavy traffic in the paint. Rogers, facing away from the hoop, tipped the ball out to an open Steffen on the right side, and the junior's triple gave BG an 8-2 advantage.
Rogers then proceeded to score the next five BG points. She split a pair of free throws, and after an Erica Almady layup, Rogers put back a teammate's layup. Olowinski answered with a layup of her own, but Rogers then took a lob pass from Havel and converted again.
Back came Olowinski, however, knocking down a three-point try to cut BG's lead to 13-9. That was the last hoop by either team for three minutes, and it was Olowinski scoring again to cut the Falcons' advantage to just two points.
Steffen answered, however, with a jumper to spark a 7-0 run. Havel scored the next five points, as she hit a pair of charity tosses, then cut to the hoop and received a nice pass from Rogers for a layup. Moments later, another nifty Rogers pass found the redshirt junior, who was fouled on her way to the hoop. Havel split her throws for a 20-11 BG lead with 6:05 left before the half.
Osborn, MU's leading scorer who had been held without a point for the first 14-plus minutes, knocked down a jumper in the paint, but two free throws by sophomore Noelle Yoder restored BG's nine-point advantage.
Hencke, however, scored five points in a row, with a pair of shots at the stripe and a three-pointer. BGSU's lead was down to just four points, 22-18, as head coach Curt Miller took a timeout with 2:38 on the clock.
Out of that timeout, though, Slagle drove for an easy layup as Rogers cleared the lane. Slagle would score again on a tough jumper in the waning seconds of the half, giving the Brown and Orange a 26-18 lead.
BG had a 10-0 advantage in points off turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, after forcing MU into nine miscues.
Three Slagle free throws to start the second half gave the Falcons a double-digit lead for the first time. The RedHawks responded with four-straight points, but BG came back with two Steffen tosses at the 15:21 mark.
Then, Rogers poked the ball away from Almady at the defensive end, and the ensuing possession saw Havel find Matthews for a three-point try that found nothing but net. BGSU's lead was 34-22 as the RedHawks took time with 14:43 left.
The lead stayed around double digits for the next few minutes, as the teams traded points. Almady hit a layup for the visitors, but Havel answered with a hoop inside, off of a feed by junior Allison Papenfuss. Hencke's trey cut BG's lead to nine, but Slagle found Papenfuss for an 'and-one' jumper off glass. The junior hit the ensuing free throw out of the 11:54 media timeout, and the Falcons had a 39-27 lead.
Several minutes later, Slagle's driving layup, with Papenfuss sealing off the paint, gave the Brown and Orange a 13-point advantage, at 42-29. Osborn scored four-straight points for the RedHawks, but BG answered each time, as Papenfuss took a Matthews pass and scored, and Slagle got back to the line for a pair of tosses and a 46-33 lead out of the second-to-last media break of the day.
Two Yoder free throws gave the Falcons a game-high 15-point advantage with 6:49 remaining. Hencke hit a jumper, but Yoder drew another Miami foul, went back to the line and hit two more tosses for a 50-35 lead with 6:01 left. The latter trip to the stripe came after Robertson's fifth foul of the game.
Miami, however, rallied back, scoring 10 of the game's next 13 points to cut BG's lead to eight. Osborn hit a three-pointer, then made two shots at the line. Steffen converted a transition layup off of a crowd-pleasing bounce pass along the baseline from Matthews, with a foul giving Steffen a three-point play. But, Osborn came back with another three-ball, and a steal and layup by Hencke cut BG's lead to 53-45 with 3:47 left.
Steffen's 'and-one' layup at the 4:12 mark would prove to be BGSU's last field goal of the game, but the hosts maintained the lead at the free-throw line. The Falcons made 11 charity tosses in the game's final three minutes, never letting Miami get closer than seven points.
After starting that stretch by going 3-of-6 at the line, the Falcons went 8-of-8 to end the game. Matthews made four of those tries, with Rogers and Steffen hitting two apiece.
The Falcons, who had not made more than 23 free throws in a game this season, went 25-of-30 from the stripe in the second half alone on Saturday. For the game, Slagle was 8-of-10 from the stripe, while Steffen and Yoder were perfect in seven and six attempts, respectively.
Matthews made all four of her free-throw tries, while Havel was 5-of-7 on the afternoon.
Rogers and Steffen had six rebounds each as BGSU held a narrow 32-31 advantage in that category. Rogers had a game-high three of the Falcons' eight steals.
Saturday's win gave BGSU a 14-1 record at the Stroh Center, tying the school record for home wins in a season. The Falcons also went 14-1 in 2008-09 and again last season. BG has won 14 consecutive games at the Stroh after a one-point loss to nationally-ranked Purdue in the first home regular-season game in arena history.
The Falcons are now a perfect 11-0 in 'Senior Day/Night games in the Miller Era, and BGSU has won 16 of the last 17 such games. The lone loss came to Miami in February of 2001.
Tuesday's game at Kent State begins at 7:00 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center. Should BG win, the Falcons would secure the number-one seed for the the MAC Tournament, and BGSU would earn a 'triple-bye' into the tourney's semifinal round on March 9. A loss, as mentioned, could drop the Falcons to the number-three seed and a game in the quarterfinal round on March 8.
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