Bowling Green State University Athletics
Kent State 74, Bowling Green 60
January 02, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2002
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
BGSU COACH CURT MILLER:
"We played hard, and for three games in a row now, we've really executed a defensive game plan. That team (KSU) is the MAC champion, year in and year out, in the East for a reason. I don't care that they only (play) eight people, their group of eight is still the best collective eight in the East. You have to play a 40-minute game to beat the champion. They're never going to quit believing in their system. I felt we played hard for 40 minutes and, for the most part, executed our game plan defensively."
"Obviously, the return of Francine (Miller) is a huge boost to the Falcons. It's amazing to have her back. She scores 26 against Youngstown and she scores 29 against Kent State, in her two full games. You can see what a talented kid she is and, frankly, I don't think she played tremendous in either game. She played well in both games, and still would be among the (scoring) leaders in the nation at the end of the year."
"The concern, when Francine comes back, is that you have a tendency to stand and watch her. There were times when the continuity in our offense suffered, because we were running things through Fran and trying to get her opportunities. But, the other four players on the floor just can't stand and watch her. We had a tendency to do that tonight ... we've got to continue to run our patterns and our plays, and have other people look for shots. Because, what Francine will do is create easier shot opportunities for other people, if they will keep working without the ball."
"We have to be a little bit more aggressive off the dribble. We have to be able to score going to the basket, and help get us to the foul line. ... We just can't have our wings settle for three-pointers."
(On KSU's second-half run, while Francine Miller was out of the game:) "I think it was a confidence boost for Kent, to know that Francine had picked up four fouls. You could see our heads drop a little bit, and they took advantage of that. They did a good job of taking away our offenses. We ran multiple sets at them, and they played disciplined defense, and really forced us to work to get good shots. ... Without a go-to player, we didn't know where our points were coming from. No one stepped up to give us that hot hand that we needed."
"The last thing we talked about at halftime was that the winner of the first five minutes of the second half would win that game. Clearly, Kent's run to start the second half was a big part of the game. Now, all of a sudden, you've thrown everything you worked for in the first 20 minutes, and are playing an even game. And, they just gradually pulled away."
"Regardless of our 3-9 record, I'm as confident as I've been all year. We understand the system more, we got a lot in, and -- if Francine and Pam (Brown) can play pain-free and we can stay injury-free -- I like our chances. There are a lot of rebuilding programs in the East. There are a lot of teams that are trying to find identities, with new coaches or due to graduation. With the exception of Kent State and Miami, the East is wide open. I still say the winner of the conference is going to be the team that is lucky enough to stay healthy."
BGSU SENIOR FRANCINE MILLER:
"I'm definitely not in the best shape of my life right now. It makes it really hard to move laterally, because I feel about 30 pounds heavier. I'm definitely a lot slower than I have been. I'm working on getting up to speed and being able to play defense."
"I'm just so happy to be back. I thought I'd be playing at Miami, but didn't get a chance to get on the floor, and it was very hard for me. It feels great to be back, it's definitely been too long."
KENT STATE COACH BOB LINDSAY:
"They (BGSU) came out and were ready to play. They got an extra boost from Francine (Miller) and Pam Brown coming back, and they were ready to go. Obviously, it was a game of halves. We played catch-up in the first half, missed a lot of shots and didn't really defend the way we needed to. Then, in the second half, we were a lot better team."
"This is not a rap on anybody else in the league, but we've played far and away the toughest non-conference schedule of anybody in the league. I told our players that we would benefit from that, and I think we did tonight. I mean, we're coming off playing an NBA team in Florida, and I think we benefitted from that."
"We've had to overcome a lot of stuff, but we've bounced back from that. We could very easily be 5-2 over the last seven games. I think we'll be competitive in the league, I don't know how competitive, based on the numbers that we have, but we'll be competitive. And, I think Curt will be, too."
(On Francine Miller:) "What Francine does is give them an ability to match it score-for-score. So, when you're making a run, she'll come down and make a tough shot, which she did several times. But, she's a little bit out of shape, her timing's not quite back and, defensively, she was just a little bit behind. But, as far as making tough shots, I don't know anybody in the league that can make tougher ones than she does. ... We didn't have any answers for her."
(On Bowling Green:) "This team is head-and-shoulders better, defensively, than they ever were last year. They're playing pretty good defense, and they've got a pretty good scheme going. They're going to be tough, they're going to be a tough team ... That's a very well-coached team."
