Bowling Green State University Athletics
Francine Miller To Miss Remainder Of Season
January 09, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2002
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Bowling Green State University women's basketball senior Francine Miller will appeal to the Mid-American Conference office for a medical hardship, and will miss the remainder of the 2001-02 season. If the appeal is accepted, Miller will be granted an additional year of eligibility, and will return to the Falcon team for the 2002-03 season. Miller has missed nine games to date this season due to a knee injury.
The MAC office will not rule on the appeal before the end of the 2001-02 season. For Miller to be eligible to receive the hardship waiver, she can not play in any of the Falcons' remaining games.
Miller, who was named to the Preseason All-Mid-American Conference Team by the MAC News Media Association in October, has played in four of the Falcons' 13 games this season. She scored 26 points in the season-opening win at Youngstown State (Nov. 17), before suffering a knee injury less than four minutes into the Detroit game three days later.
Miller missed the remainder of the UDM contest, as well as the next nine games, with a knee injury. She had surgery on Dec. 8 to remove loose cartilage from her kneecap, and returned for the Kent State game on Jan. 2. In that contest, she came off the bench to score a game-high 29 points.
On Saturday (Jan. 5) at Central Michigan, Miller scored a team-high 15 points off the bench. Miller, who had a slight limp in the KSU game, was noticeably hobbling during the CMU contest. She collided with CMU players several times during the course of that game.
"It is disappointing that Francine has not been able to return from her injury as quickly as we all hoped," said BGSU head coach Curt Miller. "But, in her best interests, and in the interests of the Falcon basketball program, we are ecstatic to have the opportunity to apply for a hardship waiver.
"We will miss Francine's leadership on the court this season, but we look forward to her appeal being granted and her returning to the lineup next year."
Miller, a native of Kalida, Ohio, is averaging 17.5 points per game this year. When the Detroit game is factored out -- she attempted only one shot in her four minutes of action -- Miller is averaging 23.3 points per contest.
Miller has a career total of 1,149 points to rank 13th in school history. She has averaged 14.01 points per game over the first 82 contests of her career, the third-best average in BGSU annals.
Miller played in every game over her first two years at BGSU, but missed five games last season due to a meniscus injury. She was an All-MAC Second-Team selection a year ago after earning first-team honors as a sophomore.
The Falcons have an overall record of 3-10 and a MAC mark of 0-2 heading into Wednesday's (Jan. 9) home game vs. Northern Illinois University. That contest will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Anderson Arena.
