Bowling Green State University
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Western Michigan (Quarterfinal)
Women's Basketball Falls To Western Michigan
March 02, 2000 | Women's Basketball
March 2, 2000
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Bowling Green women's basketball team lived by the three-point shot for most of the 1999-2000 season. On Thursday (March 2), the Falcons died by the three-point shot.
Second-seeded Western Michigan University (18-10) canned a Mid-American Conference record 17 treys en route to an 87-63 win over the seventh-seeded Falcons in league tourney quarterfinal action at Public Hall in Cleveland. BGSU ends the season with an overall record of 11-17.
The Broncos shot 17-of-39 from three-point range, breaking the previous MAC mark of 16 (owned by five teams including the 1999-2000 Falcons) and shattering the MAC Tournament record of 11. WMU's Shelsea Erving and Dionne Lassila each drilled five three-pointers for WMU to tie the MAC Tournament individual record.
Erving paced the Broncos with 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. She did much of her damage in the first half, with 16 points and nine boards as WMU took a 43-28 lead into the break.
Lassila added 15 points and Kristin Koetsier had 14 for the Broncos.
For the Falcons, senior Sherry Kahle had team-high totals of 16 points and eight rebounds in her last game, while junior Afra Smith added 14 points. Kahle hit four three-pointers as the Falcons made 10 as a team.
The Falcons' 10 treys on the night lifted the team's seasonal total to 259, shattering the old MAC record of 234. BGSU averaged 9.25 treys per game to set a new NCAA single-season record. The old record of 9.19 three-pointers per contest was held by the 1993-94 South Carolina squad.
The Broncos built upon their 15-point halftime lead, making three-pointers on three of four possessions in one second-half stretch. WMU's biggest edge was 78-47 with 7:05 remaining, and the Falcons could not get any closer than 22 points.
WMU heated up after starting slowly. The Falcons held the Broncos scoreless for the first 3:35 of the game, but could score just two points themselves, on a Smith bucket. That left the door open for the MAC West Division champions to regroup, and the Broncos surged to a 17-6 lead over the next four-plus minutes.
In addition to Kahle, Jaymee Wappes played her last game as a Falcon. Wappes scored five points and tied for game honors with seven assists.
Sophomore Dana Western scored nine points off the bench, while classmate Francine Miller was held to eight points. Miller, an All-MAC First-Team selection, suffered a back injury late in the first half and was limited to just 24 minutes of action on the night.
WMU advances to Friday's (March 3) semifinal round to face Toledo. The other semifinal will pit Kent against Eastern Michigan.
