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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
EASTERN KENTUCKY
Honegger Has A Night; Falcons Win At EKU, 70-57
December 29, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2003
RICHMOND, Ky. - Freshman Liz Honegger had the most points of her brief Bowling Green State University career, and had the most blocked shots of any Falcon in history, as BGSU picked up one of the biggest wins in recent memory. The Falcons topped host Eastern Kentucky University, 70-57, on day one of the EKU Comfort Suites Classic at McBrayer Arena Monday night (Dec. 29).
With the win, the Falcons improve to 5-4 on the season, while the Lady Colonels drop to 4-5.
Honegger had 24 points and a school-record seven blocks in the win, leading four Falcon double-digit scorers. Senior Stefanie Wenzel had 12 points, while classmate Lindsay Austin and freshman Megan Thorburn scored 10 apiece.
Austin and Honegger each had double-doubles, and flirted with triple-doubles. Austin had a game-high 11 rebounds, while Honegger added 10. Austin set a career high in that category, while Honegger matched her season rebounding best.
Austin also added seven assists and three steals, while Honegger, of course, had her seven blocked shots.
The Falcons trailed only once, at 2-0. Honegger had a rebound and putback to tie the score with just over a minute elapsed, and a Wenzel field goal with 1:39 gone gave the Falcons the lead for good.
A 4-0 run by the Lady Colonels cut BG's lead to 11-8 several minutes later, but an Austin hoop began a 12-0 run that gave the Brown and Orange a 23-8 margin. The Falcon defense held the host school without a point for nearly six minutes, as the Colonels missed seven shots and committed three turnovers during that stretch.
The first-half lead grew as large as 19, as Austin kicked the ball out to classmate Wenzel for a three-pointer to make the score 32-13 at the 5:30 mark. The Falcons held an 18-point lead, 36-18, at the intermission.
In that first half, the Falcons shot .459 from the field while holding EKU to just a .286 success rate (8-for-28).
In the second half, Eastern's Pam Garrett scored the first hoop, but back-to-back baskets by Austin and freshman Ali Mann enabled the Falcons to double up the hosts, 40-20, for the biggest lead of the game. But, the Lady Colonels were not finished.
Katie Kelly, EKU's top scorer, almost singlehandedly mounted an 8-0 run, with a pair of conventional three-point plays and an assist on the next basket. Suddenly, the Falcon lead was down to 12 points, 40-28, with over 16 minutes remaining.
The hosts cut the margin to nine points on two occasions, but a Honegger triple -- one of four on the night for the freshman -- restored the lead to 14 points, 55-41, with just under 10 minutes left. A 6-0 run, with Kelly scoring the last four points, cut the advantage to eight points, but Wenzel began to close the door on the hosts, and Honegger slammed it shut.
With the lead still at eight points, Wenzel scored on a driving layup, drew a foul and sank the free throw with 6:24 left. Then, Honegger made three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, giving the Falcons a 64-49 advantage with 4:39 remaining. The lead fluctuated between 13 and 15 points over the final few minutes.
The Falcons held an edge in the rebounding department, 42-41, and BGSU had a sizable advantage in points in the paint, 42-22.
For the game, BGSU shot .444 from the floor to the Colonels' .390.
Kelly led the home team with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Miranda Eckerle had 12 points, with eight coming in the game's final 4:19. Candis Cook added eight points, seven rebounds and tied Kelly for team honors with four assists.
For the Falcons, junior Kelly Kapferer had eight points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks off the bench, while sophomore Casey McDowell had seven assists (and no turnovers) to tie Austin for game honors.
BGSU returns to McBrayer Arena Tuesday (Dec. 30) to face a second-straight Ohio Valley Conference team. The Falcons will face Morehead State University in a 4:00 p.m. start. The Eagles suffered a 92-42 loss to nationally-ranked Georgia in Monday's first game. (The tournament's matchups were predetermined.)
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