Bowling Green State University Athletics
2006-07 Sweet Sixteen Team: BGSU Goes Where No MAC Team Has Gone Before (or Since)
February 01, 2018 | Women's Basketball
BGSU will recognize the '06-07 team as part of the program's Alumnae Day on Saturday
Just over a decade ago, the Bowling Green State University women's basketball program had a season for the ages.  The 2006-07 Falcons became the first Mid-American Conference team ever to advance to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Championships, and BGSU also became the first-ever MAC basketball team -- men or women -- to win more than 30 games. The Falcons went 31-4 overall and 15-1 in MAC regular-season play. Then, after a regular season to remember, BGSU treated the Falcon faithful to an unforgettable postseason run..
TOURNEY TIME
After going 10-2 in non-conference play, with the only losses coming to Notre Dame and Duke by a combined 13 points, the Falcons rolled through the MAC schedule, going 15-1 to win the regular-season crown for the third consecutive year.
On the eve of the MAC Tournament, several Falcons picked up conference awards. Senior Ali Mann was named the MAC co-Player of the Year, while classmate Amber Flynn captured the league's Sixth Man of the Year award. Curt Miller was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the third-straight season.
Mann, not surprisingly, was named to the All-MAC First Team, while junior Kate Achter took home second-team honors, senior Carin Horne was chosen to the third team, and senior Liz Honegger earned all-conference honorable mention.
Toledo defeated Buffalo in the first round of the conference tourney, earning the right to face the Falcons in the quarterfinal round.
THE MAC TOURNAMENT
Horne scored a game-high 22 points to pace three double-digit scorers, as the Falcons dispatched the arch-rival Rockets, 71-62, at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland. Achter scored 15 points, while Mann added 10 for the Brown and Orange. Mann had a game-high nine rebounds, and also dished out four assists to tie Achter for game honors.
The win marked the Falcons' ninth-straight victory against the Rockets. The 2006-07 senior class never lost to Toledo in their four years, going a perfect 8-0 in that time.
March 6, 2007 - Quarterfinal Round - #18/20 BGSU 71, Toledo 62
Three days later, Horne again led all players in scoring, registering 18 points as the Falcons downed Eastern Michigan, 71-57, to advance to the league tourney championship game for the fourth consecutive season. The win was the 100th since BG's senior class -- Horne, Flynn, Honegger, Mann, Julie Gompers and Megan Thorburn -- arrived on campus.
Mann had 13 points, while Achter added 12 and sophomore Lindsey Goldsberry 11. Goldsberry and Mann keyed a 7-0 run to end the first half, giving the Brown and Orange a 35-24 lead at the break. The Eagles hung tough, and Eastern was within five points late in the game, but BGSU used a five-point possession to seal the deal. Mann dished the ball to Horne for a right-elbow three-pointer, and Goldsberry was fouled away from the ball while the shot was in the air. Horne's triple try was good, and 'Golds' hit both free throws for a 64-53 lead.
March 9, 2007 - Semifinal Round - #18/20 BGSUÂ 71, Eastern Michigan 57
The next day, Horne and the Falcons shot the lights out (figuratively) at the Q, shooting 60.9 percent from the field (14-for-23) in each half en route to a 67-53 win over Ball State and a third consecutive MAC Tournament title.
Horne was named the MAC Tournament MVP, while Achter and Mann -- who had earned league tourney MVP honors in 2005 and '06, respectively -- joined her on the '07 all-tournament team. Mann led all players with 20 points in the win over the Cardinals, while Achter had 18.
Ball State scored on the opening possession of the game, but then, the Cards would go more than 13 minutes without hitting another field goal. BG built an early 18-5 lead, but Ball State went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to six. Flynn, however, scored six points during an 8-0 BG run late in the half, giving the mighty Falcons a 31-18 lead at the break.
BGSU hit the first four field-goal attempts of the second half, and the Falcons went 8-for-11 from the field over the first eight-plus minutes to open up a 21-point lead.
Horne averaged 17.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in the three MAC Tournament wins, shooting 60.6% from the field including an 8-for-17 (47.1%) performance from three-point range during the Falcons' run in Cleveland.
Horne remains the only player in school history to score in double digits in the MAC Tournament's championship game in all four of her seasons. The Falcons won the MAC's regular-season AND the league tourney crown in each of three consecutive seasons for only the second time in league history, joining the 1987 through '89 BGSUÂ teams.
March 10, 2007 - Championship Game -- #18/20 BGSUÂ 67, Ball State 53
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
On Monday, March 12, the Falcons gathered for the NCAA Selection Show. BGSU was named a No. 7 seed in the Greensboro Regional, and the Falcons' first-round foe was 10th-seeded Oklahoma State.
BGSU headed to East Lansing, Mich., but things did not start out well for the Falcons inside the Breslin Center. The game featured five ties and eight lead changes, but after an Achter steal and layup cut BG's deficit to three points, the Cowgirls went on an 11-0 run to take a 26-12 lead. BG, however, answered with a 10-0 run, and OSU's lead was only four points, 32-28, at the intermission.
The Falcons spotted the Cowgirls the first three points of the second half before an 8-0 run gave BG a 36-35 lead and prompted an OSU timeout. Back and forth the game went, and OSU took a 58-55 lead on Andrea Riley's three-point play with under five minutes to go. The teams traded points before Honegger knocked down a three-pointer to tie the score with 2:13 on the clock.
Mann's layup at the 1:53 mark gave BG the lead, and BG got a stop. On the next possession, Mann backed her defender down, then shoveled a pass to a cutting Achter for a layup and a four-point lead with under a minute to go.
Achter was called for a foul on the next possession, but Riley was whistled for a technical foul after the play was over. Both players hit two free throws, BG's lead remained four points, and the Falcons got the ball back.
Then, the Falcons ran some time off the clock as OSU chose not to foul, but rather to try and get a stop. With the shot clock winding down, Mann received a pass, took a few dribbles and knocked down a crucial foul-line jumper as the shot-clock buzzer sounded. BG's lead was six points, 68-62, with just 22.5 seconds remaining, and moments later, the Falcons were celebrating a victory.
Mann had 16 points to lead four double-digit scorers as the Falcons advanced to the second round of the NCAA tourney for the first time in 18 years and the second time ever. She added game-high 13 rebounds, while Honegger had 15 points, Achter 14 and Flynn 10.
The victory made BGSU the first 30-win team in MAC history.
March 18 - First Round - #19/20 BGSUÂ 70, Oklahoma State 66
The Falcons were pitted against Vanderbilt in the second round. The Commodores were seeded second in the Greensboro regional, and VU was ranked in the top-10 in the nation in both of the major polls.
The final game of the tournament's opening weekend tipped off at 9:49 p.m. Eastern Time, and the final horn sounded at 11:55 p.m. But, for the Falcon fans who made the trip to East Lansing or stayed up late to watch on ESPN, the late night was well worth it.
Flynn scored a game-high 19 points off the bench as the Falcons posted a 59-56 win to advance to the Round of 16. Horne added 12 points, while Mann and Achter had 10 apiece. Two days after her late-game heroics vs. OSU, Mann hit one of the biggest shots in program history, with a three-point dagger in the game's final minute.
Against the No. 7/8 'Dores, BGSUÂ led from wire to wire. The Falcons shot a stellar 53.8% from the field in the first half en route to a 13-point lead at the intermission. Vandy battled back to get within three points, 52-49, with under two minutes remaining, before Mann hit her killer three-pointer with 55.3 seconds left, giving the Orange and Brown a six-point lead.
Achter had a game-high eight assists in addition to her 10 points. For the third-straight contest, she played all 40 minutes.
Vanderbilt entered the game leading the nation in three-point field-goal percentage, but the Commodores went just 2-for-10 from long distance on the night. Just five minutes before the stroke of midnight, the clock ran out on the 'Dores, and the Falcons celebrated the MAC's first-ever trip to the 'Sweet Sixteen.'
March 20 - Second Round - #19/20 BGSU 59, #7/8Â Vanderbilt 56
After playing the final game of the tournament's second round, the Falcons played one of the first contests of the third round. BGSU headed to the Greensboro Coliseum to face third-seeded Arizona State. The game was broadcast nationally by ESPN, with Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Doris Burke (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline) on the call.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, the incredible season-long run finally came to an end. ASU shot over 50% from the field and put the clamps on the BGSU offense on a Saturday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Falcons saw arguably the greatest season in Mid-American Conference history conclude with a record of 31-4.
In her final game as a Falcon, Mann scored a team-leading 15 points, going 6-for-9 from the field. Two other seniors, Horne and Flynn, had 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Sun Devils shot a blistering 60.7% in the first half, and had three double-figure scorers led by Danielle Orsillo's 16 points.
BG trailed by a 40-24 score at the half, but battled back to within single digits after a pair of Flynn free throws. Goldsberry came up with a steal, but the Falcons were unable to cut into the deficit any further, and after a BG foul, ASU's Emily Westerberg made a pair of charity tosses, and the lead would not fall below double digits again.
Not surprisingly, there were a large number of media folks on hand for the games. The list of credentialed media included the New York Times, USA Today, Associated Press, Boston Globe, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Kansas City Star, Philadelphia Inquirer and ESPN.com, just to name a few. Rutgers upset Duke by one point in the day's second game.
March 24Â - Third Round -- #9/10Â Arizona State 67, #19/20Â BGSUÂ 49
The Falcons, obviously, enjoyed a record-setting season in 2006-07. In early April, BGSU added yet another record to the lengthy list. BGÂ was ranked 15th in the nation in the final USA Today/ESPN Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll of the season. The 15th-place standing was -- and still is -- the best in school and MAC history.
The Falcons, uber-successful on the court, were equally successful in the classroom. BGSU was ranked in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25, ranking 23rd with a team GPA of 3300. BG was one of just three programs to be ranked in the top 25 in both the national polls and the academic listing.
THE 2006-07 FALCONS
SENIORS (6)
Amber Flynn
Julie Gompers
Liz Honegger
Carin Horne
Ali Mann
Megan Thorburn
JUNIORS (2)
Kate Achter
Whitney Taylor
SOPHOMORES (1)
Lindsey Goldsberry
FRESHMEN (3)
Tara Breske
Laura Bugher
Sarah Clapper
STAFF
Curt Miller, Head Coach
Jennifer Roos, Associate Head Coach
Brandi Poole, Assistant Coach
Kevin Eckert, Assistant Coach
Heather Grine, Trainer
Amanda Gibson, Student Manager
Randall Clark, Student Manager
ALUMNAE DAY / 2006-07 TEAM RECOGNITION
The current edition of the Falcons will face Miami this Saturday (Feb. 3)Â with tipoff set for 1:00 p.m. The Sweet Sixteen team will be recognized as part of BGSU Women's Basketball Alumnae Day festivities on that date. Ticket information follows.
General Ticketing Information
>> Will Call: Located at the Main Ticket Office (Entrance by the Falcon Statue)
>> Parking: Gameday Parking $5
>> Buy Tickets Today: CLICK HERE
(Note: Ticket prices increase by $2 on gameday)
SWEET SIXTEEN TEAM RECOGNITION STORIES
Jan. 4 - Sweet Sixteen Team Recognition set for Feb. 3
Jan. 11 - Falcons Shatter School, MAC Win Records
Jan. 19 - BGSUÂ Rolls Along During Non-Conference Play
Jan. 25 - Falcons Win MAC Regular-Season Crown, Again
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