Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Florida Atlantic
Falcons Use Team Effort To Down FAU, 77-62
December 06, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2002
BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team used stingy defense and a balanced scoring effort to post a 77-62 win over host Florida Atlantic University Friday night (Dec. 6). The game was a first-round contest in Radisson Suites Roundball Classic at the FAU Gymnasium.
The Falcons, now 2-2 on the season, will face undefeated UNC-Wilmington in Saturday's (Dec. 7) championship game. UNCW defeated Pittsburgh, 79-59, in Friday's first game.
The Falcons advance to the championship game of a regular-season tournament for the first time in two years, and only the second time since the 1992-93 season. BG has not won an in-season tourney since the 1988-89 campaign (the Illini Classic in Champaign, Ill.).
Senior Francine Miller led the Falcons with 11 points in the win over FAU, while three teammates -- seniors Megan Jerome and Karen Stocz and junior Pam Brown -- had 10 points apiece.
The 15-point margin of victory was the largest by the Falcons on an opponent's home court in almost six years (since a 68-44 win at Western Michigan on Feb. 1, 1997). BGSU led by as many as 32 points in the second half.
The host Lady Owls (0-5), predicted to win their division of the Atlantic Sun Conference this year, did not trail for the first 10 minutes of the contest. FAU took its largest lead of the night at 14-9 on a layup by Trineca McCleod. Then, a basket by Falcon freshman Jill Lause at the 10:25 mark sparked a BG run.
Sophomore Tene Lewis then made a steal and fed Jerome, who eluded one defender and went in all alone for a layup. Seconds leter, Jerome hit another hoop to give the Falcons the lead for good. Brown capped the 10-0 run with a basket of her own.
The BG lead grew as large as 12 points after a three-point field goal by freshman Marisa Smith, the first of her brief collegiate career. That gave the Brown and Orange a 35-23 advantage with 1:16 left in the half. The hosts cut the lead to single digits, but Stocz followed her own missed shot with a rebound and putback with only two seconds left before halftime, giving the Falcons a 37-26 lead at the break.
BGSU put the game away in efficient fashion in the second half. The Falcons started the half on a 21-5 run, allowing the Lady Owls just one basket over the first 6:58.
With the Falcons leading, 40-29, early in the half, a Miller three-point basket started an 11-0 run. Miller followed her trey by making a steal and going coast-to-coast for a conventional three-point play. After junior Stefanie Wenzel scored on a pretty back-door layup off a feed by classmate Lindsay Austin, Griech hit a three-pointer to put BG up by 22 points.
The lead reached 30 points on a Brown rebound and basket with 9:08 left in the game, and when Jerome made a pair of free throws just under a minute later, BG had a 32-point lead (67-35), the largest of the game.
The hosts made a late rally, as Miller made numerous substitions. The Falcons played the last six-plus minutes with lineups comprised of freshmen and sophomores. FAU did not cut the lead to under 20 points until just 1:07 remained in the contest, and the Lady Owls got as close as 15 points on a three-point field goal at the final buzzer.
Wenzel (22 minutes) and Miller (20) were the only Falcons to play as many as 20 minutes in the game. A total of 10 of their teammates saw playing time ranging from 12 to 18 minutes.
No fewer than 12 Falcons found the scoresheet in the win. In addition to her 11 points, Miller tied her career best with five steals. Brown had her aforementioned 10 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in only 15 minutes of action. Jerome had five boards to go with her 10 points in just 16 minutes of work. The 10 points from Stocz fell just one point shy of her career best.
The Brown and Orange got 43 points from the bench on the night, as Marisa Smith had eight points. Wenzel had six points in the game, while Austin had five points, three assists and four steals in 15 minutes. Sophomore Tene Lewis had five rebounds and four assists, setting a career best in the latter category.
Lewis, who had 38 rebounds all of last year, now has 12 over the last two games.
Freshman Britt Anderson had seven rebounds for the second time in the last three games, and also hit her first collegiate three-pointer. Marisa Smith also hit her first trey, and was 2-for-2 from long range on the night.
The Brown and Orange shot .452 from the field, while holding FAU to just a .300 clip. The hosts held a slim 47-46 edge in rebounding. Despite grabbing 21 offensive boards on the night, FAU had just 11 second-chance points to the Falcons' 17.
BGSU had six three-point field goals in 16 attempts (.375), while the Lady Owls went 4-of-14 from behind the arc (.267). FAU did not make a trey until just eight minutes remained.
The Falcons and UNCW are scheduled to play a 7:00 p.m. game Saturday night. The Seahawks are a perfect 4-0 on the year after the win over Pitt. Pitt and FAU will face off in the consolation contest at 5:00 p.m. Saturday.
