Bowling Green State University
Purdue Fort Wayne
Wenzel Leads Women's Basketball Over IPFW, 73-57
November 29, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2001
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Sophomore Stefanie Wenzel came off the bench to score a career-high 23 points and lead the host Bowling Green State University women's basketball team to a 73-57 victory over IPFW Thursday night (Nov. 29). The non-conference game was held in Anderson Arena.
With the victory, the Falcons improved to 2-4 on the season. The visiting Mastodons fell to 1-4.
Wenzel, a native of Sussex, Wis., made six of her 13 shots from the floor, including a 2-of-3 effort from three-point range. She was a perfect nine-for-nine from the free-throw line, and also had a career-best eight rebounds.
Another Falcon sophomore, Kelly Kapferer, matched her career-best effort with 15 points, while junior Kim Griech also had 15 points.
BGSU took control early and led by a 36-17 count at the half. The Falcons held the visitors to just a 20.7 percent field-goal percentage in the first 20 minutes. The Mastodons began the game by making just four of their first 25 shots (16.0%) before splitting the last four attempts of the half.
Kapferer scored just 10 seconds into the game, but the Mastodons scored the next three points of the contest. Kapferer was fouled and sank both free throws at the 17:12 mark, giving the Falcons the lead for good.
An 11-0 BGSU run midway through the half gave the Brown and Orange a commanding 30-11 lead. The visitors never got closer than 15 points the rest of the night.
Wenzel more than tripled her previous career-best scoring effort. She scored a total of 36 points during all of last season, and had 12 points through five games this season, prior to her 23-point effort Thursday. Her previous best had been a seven-point game vs. Ohio State last Dec. 12.
Wenzel also shattered her career bests in a mere eight additional categories -- rebounds (eight), field goals made (six) and attempted (13), free throws made (nine) and attempted (nine), assists (two), three-point field goals made (two) and minutes played (28).
Kapferer had 15 points for the second time this season, going 6-of-8 from the field on the night. Griech, held scoreless at the half, had all 15 of her markers after the intermission. She made a team-high three three-point field goals on the night.
As a team, the Brown and Orange went 5-of-9 (.556) from three-point land in the second half. The Falcons, paced by Wenzel, went 19-of-21 (.905) from the free-throw line. For the first time this season, BGSU won the battle of the boards, 47-33.
IPFW was led by junior Hilary Kulik who had 13 points and freshman Courtney Nicley who chipped in 11 points.
BGSU played without a pair of starters, senior Francine Miller and redshirt sophomore Pam Brown. Both players are nursing knee injuries.
The IPFW contest marked BGSU's fourth game in seven days, and concluded a season-opening stretch which saw the Falcons play six times in a 13-day span. BGSU now enjoys a few days off, and will next venture onto the court on Tuesday, Dec. 4, for a 7:00 p.m. contest at Butler.
