Bowling Green State University
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Women's Basketball Explodes For 86-50 Win
February 07, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2000
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Sometimes, everything seems to fall into place. That was certainly the case for the Bowling Green women's basketball team in Monday's (Feb. 7) contest vs. Northern Illinois.
The Falcons (6-15 overall, 4-7 Mid-American Conference) shot .556 from three-point range and forced 31 turnovers en route to an 86-50 win over the Huskies at Anderson Arena. BG's total of 15 three-point shots was just one shy of the school and MAC record amassed in the last home game.
The visitors, depleted by injuries and illness, dressed just eight players for the game. NIU (5-17, 4-7) hung with the host Falcons for the game's first six minutes, and led 13-12 after a Charbea Haller three-pointer. A Dana Western jumper at the 14:02 mark, however, gave the Falcons the lead for good.
That shot ignited a 22-5 run over the next 10 minutes, and the Falcons led by 13 points, 37-24, at the intermission. The Brown and Orange forced 19 NIU turnovers in the first half and 31 for the game.
The visitors cut the BGSU lead to 10 points on several occasions, the last at 46-36 with 14:30 to go. A Megan Jerome layup off a Kim Griech inbounds pass, though, sparked a 22-2 run over the next 4:10. Griech scored eight points during that span. Francine Miller scored the last five points during that stretch to complete a 14-0 run.
The Falcons led by as many as 40 points before the Huskies scored the last four points of the evening. The 36-point margin of victory was BG's largest since a 76-38 win over Youngstown State in the 1994-95 home opener (Dec. 1, 1994), and the Falcons' most decisive MAC win since a 103-53 win at Akron on Feb. 26, 1994.
Miller had a team-high 17 points to lead four Falcons in double digits. Jaymee Wappes, in the 100th game of her BGSU tenure, had a career-high 16 points. She made six of her eight shots from the floor, including a 4-of-5 performance from three-point land.
Griech had a career-best 15 points, matching Wappes' three-point effort for a 4-for-5 rate of her own from beyond the arc. Afra Smith had 11 points, while Sherry Kahle and Angie Farmer each had eight points.
A total of six different Falcons hit at least one three-pointer, with five of those players -- Wappes, Griech, Miller, Kahle and Farmer -- hitting two or more triples.
BGSU shot an even 50 percent from the floor, and went 15-of-27 from long distance (.556). The Falcons had 15 steals, tying the season high, with Miller's game-high five thefts matching her career best in that department.
The Falcons held the Huskies to a 39.6% night, shooting-wise, and BGSU had not held an opponent below 69 points all year prior to NIU's 50-point night.
Haller led the visitors with 17 points, while Michelle Johnson had 12 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
The Falcons will continue a season-long, four-game homestand with a Saturday (Feb. 12) afternoon contest against Eastern Michigan. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at venerable Anderson Arena.
