Bowling Green State University
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Huskies Edge Falcons, 56-52
January 09, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2002
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Sophomore Lindsay Secrest hit a pair of free throws with 14.9 seconds left as visiting Northern Illinois University held off the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, 56-52, Wednesday night (Jan. 9). The Mid-American Conference game was held at BGSU's Anderson Arena.
With the win, the visiting Huskies improve to 7-7 overall and 2-1 in MAC play. BGSU drops to 3-11 and 0-3, respectively.
The Huskies had a nine-point lead (54-45) and the ball with 2:14 remaining in the contest. But back-to-back steals and layups by sophomore Lindsay Austin cut the lead to five points, and a three-pointer by junior Kim Griech with 48 seconds left made it a 54-52 game. Sechrist missed a free throw with 42 seconds left, and the Falcons had a chance to tie or take the lead. But, BGSU turned the ball over on the ensuing possession.
Then, the Falcons were forced to foul, and Secrest's two charity tosses gave the Huskies the final margin of victory.
The teams combined for 47 turnovers in the game, including 25 in the first half. That first 20 minutes was close all the way, as neither team led by more than six points. Griech, who tied her career high with 19 points in the game, had a three-pointer to give the hosts a 16-10 lead at the 13:11 mark of the half.
Griech made all four of her field-goal attempts in the first half, including three from beyond the arc. For the game, she was 5-of-9 from the floor, including a 4-of-6 effort from three-point range.
The Huskies battled back to take a five-point lead of their own (29-24) with just over five minutes left in the half. But, BG held the visitors scoreless over the final 5:08 of the half, forcing NIU to go 0-for-5 and commit four turnovers during that time. Griech scored four of BG's points during a 7-0 run that ended the half, and sophomore Pam Brown made a pair of free throws to break a 29-all tie and give BG the two-point advantage at the break.
BG held NIU off the scoreboard for nearly two minutes of the second half, extending the shutout streak to 7:04. The game was tied three times over the next few minutes before an Austin layup gave BG a 39-37 edge with 14:27 remaining.
That Austin bucket was the last field goal the Falcons would get for more than 10 minutes. BG was held without a single point for a span of 7:48. But, during that time, NIU could score only eight points, as both teams were ice-cold from the field.
The Huskies led by as many as nine points on three occasions, the last being the 54-45 advantage with 2:14 remaining.
BGSU shot just 23.3 percent in the second half and 29.1 for the game. NIU shot 36.8 percent from the floor.
In addition to Griech, sophomore Stefanie Wenzel was in double digits for the Falcons, with 10 points and seven boards in the contest. Austin had eight points, six assists and four steals to lead the Falcons in the latter two categories.
Senior Dana Western-Schuka had eight rebounds to lead the Falcons.
NIU had just one player score in double digits, as Jennifer Youngblood had 11 points. Both Kristan Knake and Secrest had nine points. Jessica Shattuck, who came into the game averaging 10.2 points, was held to just four markers, but had a game-high nine rebounds. NIU held a 44-35 advantage on the boards, including a 29-16 margin in the second half.
The Falcons played without senior Francine Miller, who has announced her intentions to apply for a medical hardship waiver. Miller, a Preseason All-MAC selection and the team's top scorer, will miss the remainder of the season. She has been hampered by a knee injury, and played in just four games this year.
BGSU will continue a three-game homestand with a Saturday (Jan. 12) contest against the University at Buffalo. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Anderson Arena.
