Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Purdue Fort Wayne
Falcons Win At IPFW, 76-58
December 11, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 11, 2002
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Junior Lindsay Austin scored a career-high 20 points as the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team recorded a 76-58 win at IPFW Wednesday night (Dec. 11). The non-conference game was held at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center.
With the victory, the Falcons improve to 3-3 on the season, while the host Mastodons fall to 2-6.
Junior Stefanie Wenzel was the only other Falcon in double digits, with 14 points, while senior Francine Miller added nine.
IPFW was led by Verea Bibbs, who had 12 points off the bench. Hillary O'Connell added 10 points, also off the bench, for the hosts.
The Falcons outscored the Mastodons by nine points in each half en route to the win.
The game started slowly for the Falcons. IPFW did not trail for the first eight minutes, and the hosts led by as many as five points, 14-9. Two BGSU starters, Miller and senior Kim Griech, each picked up two fouls within the first 6:03 of the contest and went to the bench.
The Falcons rallied, however, holding the hosts scoreless for a span of 6:02. Trailing by that 14-9 score, the Brown and Orange got a steal and a layup from Austin at the 12:35 mark. Then, after an IPFW timeout, the Falcons forced a turnover, and sophomore Tene Lewis converted on a nifty baseline drive. Austin scored at the 11:43 juncture to give BGSU the lead for good.
BG upped the lead to nine points on three occasions, the last coming on Austin's steal and layup off an IPFW inbounds pass. That hoop gave the visitors a 29-20 lead at halftime.
The Falcons held the Mastodons to just seven field goals and a field-goal percentage of .212 in the first 20 minutes.
BG scored the first four points of the second half on baskets by Wenzel and Miller, and the lead never fell to single digits thereafter. Wenzel had a steal and layup, drawing a foul in the process, for a three-point play at the 17:32 mark. Then, Austin hit a jumper for a 15-point lead.
The lead fluctuated between 10 and 15 points for the next six minutes before the visitors went on an 8-0 run to take a 52-34 advantage. The Falcons' points in that run included a coast-to-coast layup by Miller, who then hit a three-point field goal after a solid possession by the Brown and Orange.
That play started when freshman Jill Lause blocked an IPFW shot, grabbed the rebound and started a fast break the other way. Freshman Molly Martin found senior Megan Jerome underneath the basket in traffic, and Jerome kicked the ball out to Miller for the back-breaking trey.
The Falcons never let the lead drop below 14 points again. BGSU shot a season-high .515 in the second half, making 17-of-33 shots in the final 20 minutes. For the game, the Falcons shot .439 to the Mastodons' .295.
Austin made nine of her 16 shots from the field on the night, scoring 10 points in each half. Wenzel was 5-of-8 from the floor, including a 3-for-5 effort from three-point range. IPFW held a 45-41 advantage on the boards, with Pam Brown leading the Falcons and tying for game honors with seven rebounds. IPFW's O'Connell also had seven boards in the game.
Francine Miller's nine-point night moved her into BGSU's all-time top-10 with a total of 1,227 career points. Miller moved past Melissa Chase (1,223 pts. from 1979-83) and is just six points behind ninth-place Michelle Shade (1,233 pts. from 1991-95).
Austin broke her previous career high of 17 points, which came in the Falcons' last non-conference game in the state of Indiana. The point guard scored 17 in BG's trip to Butler last season.
BGSU continues a six-game road swing with a Saturday (Dec. 14) game at Cleveland State. Start time is 4:30 p.m.
