Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Host Ball State Wednesday
February 18, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 18, 2003
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
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BOWLING GREEN (10-12, 3-8 MAC)
vs.
BALL STATE (15-7, 9-3 MAC)
Game #23
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
7:00 p.m.
Anderson Arena (4,700)
Bowling Green, Ohio
Radio: WBGU-FM (88.1)
Series: BGSU leads, 33-10
Last Meeting: at Ball State 96, BGSU 71 (Jan. 22, 2003)
THE GAME
The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, still in the hunt to earn a first-round home game in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, face a tough test Wednesday (Feb. 19). The Falcons (10-12, 3-8 MAC) of head coach Curt Miller complete a two-game MAC homestand with a contest vs. Ball State University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at venerable Anderson Arena (4,700).
Following the BSU game, the Falcons will travel to Northeast Ohio for a Saturday (Feb. 22) game against the University of Akron. That game starts at 3:00 p.m. at Rhodes Arena (5,942).
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME...
The last time Ball State played at Anderson Arena, Bill Clinton was in the White House, Brenda Oldfield (Frese) had not yet been a collegiate head coach and the hula hoop was all the rage ... well, at least the first two statements are true ... the Cardinals have not played in BG since Feb. 9, 1999 ... in that contest, won by the Falcons, 96-87, Dee Knoblauch was in her first year as head coach of the home team, while Robyn Markey was in what proved to be her final season at the Cardinal helm ... BSU has had two coaching changes since that time, as Oldfield spent two years in Muncie (two years, incidentally, when the Cards and Falcons did not meet), before current BSU coach Tracy Roller assumed the helm ... Falcon fifth-year senior Francine Miller was a true freshman on the 1998-99 BG squad, and had 15 points in the teams' last meeting at Anderson ... Jacki Raterman, a senior on that team, tied the school record with 35 points, a mark Miller has since matched twice ... more information on the series can be found later in these notes.
WBGU RADIO TO BROADCAST AT LEAST 25 GAMES THIS SEASON
WBGU-FM (88.1) is scheduled to air 24 regular-season games, including all remaining contests, plus any postseason action ... the BGSU department of athletics and the Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO) have reached an agreement to have WBGU serve as the flagship station for both hockey and women's basketball for the 2002-03 academic year ... the broadcasters for women's hoops vary on a game-to-game basis ... games produced by BGRSO are scheduled to be heard on the Internet at bgrso.org and via the Real One Package available through bgsufalcons.com.
FALCONS TOP LAST YEAR'S WIN TOTAL
The Falcons' 66-62 win over Toledo (Feb. 8) was BG's 10th victory of the campaign ... the Falcons have surpassed the win total for all of last season ... BGSU has an overall record of 10-12 with at least six games remaining this year ... last year's team posted an overall mark of 9-19 ... this year's 22-game record is the best for a Falcon club since the 1997-98 team went 18-4 ... that 1997-98 squad went on to post 21 wins and earn a WNIT berth.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
BGSU, as mentioned, will take a 10-12 record into the BSU rematch ... the Falcons have dropped six of the last seven contests ... the one win during that time came against the West Division leader, Toledo (66-62; Feb. 8) ... BGSU has lost the two games since that time, to Buffalo (60-72; Feb. 12) and Miami (65-75; Feb. 15).
BG opened the MAC schedule with a 73-72 win over Ohio (Jan. 8), the team's second one-point win in as many games ... then, however, the Falcons saw a four-game winning streak snapped with a 78-58 loss at Northern Illinois (Jan. 11) ... BGSU also fell at UT , 70-62 (Jan. 15), before rebounding to beat Central Michigan, 63-45, three days later ... prior to the initial NIU game, the Falcons had won six of seven contests.
Senior Francine Miller continues to lead the Falcons in scoring, with 14.3 points per game ... Miller, who has scored over 20 points in each of the last three games, also paces the team in rebounding (5.9 rpg), blocked shots (0.73 bpg) and minutes played (28.7 mpg), and is second in steals (2.1 spg) ... she moved from eighth to third place on the BGSU career scoring list in a two-game span earlier in February ... in MAC games only, Miller leads the Brown and Orange with 15.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Senior Kim Griech is second in scoring, with 10.1 points per game, and leads the Brown and Orange in three-point field goals made (41) and free-throw percentage (.906; 48-of-53) ... Griech is second on the team in assists (1.6 apg) ... junior Lindsay Austin is third on the team in scoring (9.6 ppg), and leads the Falcons in assists (4.0 apg) ... Austin also leads the team in steals (2.2 spg) and is second in minutes played ... she ranks among the MAC leaders assist-to-turnover ratio (1.80).
Junior Stefanie Wenzel has 9.4 points per outing and has made 27 three-point field goals on the year, including a season-high five at Buffalo ... senior Megan Jerome and freshman Marisa Smith each are averaging 4.1 ppg ... Jerome is second on the Falcons in asst./TO ratio (1.78) and fourth in assists (1.45 apg), while Smith has a team-best three-point FG pct. of .439 (18-of-41) on the year.
Senior Karen Stocz and freshman Jill Lause average 3.8 and 3.7 points per game, respectively ... Stocz has averaged 8.3 points over the last three games, having totalled 25 points in that time after scoring 13 points in the previous eight contests ... Lause is shooting .517 (30-of-57) from the field this year, and has made 21 of her last 33 field-goal attempts ... sophomore Tene Lewis started both the UT and UB games, and has totalled 13 assists in the last three games ... Lewis is third on the team in that category (1.5 apg).
Redshirt junior Pam Brown averaged 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in seven games, but has missed the last 14 contests due to injury and is likely out for the remainder of the season.
Miller has started all 22 games for the Falcons, while Griech has made 21 starts and Wenzel and Stocz 20 apiece ... Austin, slowed by a sprained ankle at season's outset, has started each of the last 18 games ... Falcon coach Curt Miller utilized this season's most common starting five -- Austin, Griech, Miller, Stocz and Wenzel -- against Toledo, after using four different starting lineups in as many games ... a total of nine different players have made at least one start this season.
The Falcons are 5-4 at home, 4-7 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games ... in MAC contests, BGSU is 3-2 at home and 0-6 away from Anderson Arena ... the Falcons went 5-7 at home last winter, and BG was 3-10 on the road and 1-2 in neutral-site contests in 2001-02 ... the Brown and Orange went 4-4 at home and 2-6 on the road in MAC games last year.
The Falcons are shooting .396 from the field, while the opponents have a FG pct. of .402 ... BG has made 149 three-point field goals, and the Falcons are shooting .329 from behind the arc ... the foes have made 122 treys and have a long-distance pct. of .322 ... the Brown and Orange converted 290 free throws to the foes' 271 this year to date ... BGSU is shooting .761 from the stripe, compared to .686 for the opponents.
SCOUTING BALL STATE
Ball State heads to Bowling Green with an overall record of 15-7, and the Cardinals have a MAC record of 9-3 ... but, after winning 10-of-11 games since late December, BSU has lost two consecutive contests ... the Cards lost to visiting Toledo, 78-73 (Feb. 11), before losing at Marshall Saturday (Feb. 15) by an 86-69 count ... in the latter game, BSU played without senior forward Tamara Bowie (knee injury) ... Bowie leads the Cardinals with 20.8 points, and also has 8.6 assists ... junior guard Johna Goff has 14.8 points, and has drained 53 three-pointers, while sophomore G/F Kate Endress has 14.7 points ... junior center Jessica Reiter has 9.0 and 8.6 boards, putting her in a virtual tie with Bowie for the team lead in the latter category ... freshman point guard Dana Collins has 8.6 points and a team-high 4.9 assists on the year ... Endress and Reiter have started all 22 games, while Bowie, Goff and Collins each have started 21 games ... junior guard Julie Just (5.7 ppg) has made three starts, including a start at Marshall Saturday ... BSU is 8-5 on the road this season, including 5-2 in MAC road contests ... Tracy Roller has a record of 39-15 in her second season as a head coach, both with the Cardinals ... last season, the Cards went 24-8 overall and won the MAC West Division with a 13-3 conference mark ... the school's athletic web site is www.ballstatesports.com.
THE BGSU-BALL STATE SERIES
The Falcons hold a 33-10 lead over Ball State in the all-time series between the teams, but the Cardinals have captured the last two meetings ... BSU won this year's previous game (Jan. 22, 2003) by 25 points, 96-71, and the Cards posted an 89-60 victory in last year's lone meeting ... both of those games were played in Muncie ... as mentioned earlier, the Falcons have not hosted Ball State in over four years, since a 96-87 BG win on Feb. 9, 1999 ... the Falcons have a perfect 20-0 record in home games vs. the Cardinals ... overall, Ball State's last two wins snapped a five-game BG series win streak, and the Falcons had won 17 of the 18 meetings prior to the last two games.
MAC SERIES INFORMATION
The Falcons lead the all-time series with 10 of the 12 MAC opponents ... the Northern Illinois victory over the Falcons on Jan. 11 gave the Huskies a narrow advantage in the all-time series between those teams ... NIU, after a win at Anderson Arena in the teams' 2002-03 rematch (Feb. 1), now holds an 11-9 series advantage over BGSU ... Buffalo's win over the Falcons on Feb. 12 gives the Bulls a narrow 5-4 lead in that series.
LAST TIME OUT
Visiting Miami used sizable advantages in rebounding and second-chance points to post a 75-65 win over the Falcons Saturday afternoon (Feb. 15) ... the RedHawks (12-10 overall, 7-4 MAC) outrebounded the Falcons (10-12, 3-8 MAC) by a 47-33 margin, and Miami held a 26-9 advantage in second-chance points ... Colleen Day led the winners with 21 points, while Beth Roederer had 14 ... the Falcons held reigning MAC Player-of-the-Year Heather Cusick to nine points and 2-of-16 shooting, but she had game-high totals of five assists and four steals ... for BGSU, senior Francine Miller had her third-consecutive game of over 20 points, scoring 22 ... junior Stefanie Wenzel had a double-double, with 13 points and 11 rebounds, tying her career best in the latter category, while senior Kim Griech had 11 points in the contest.
FRANCINE THE SCORING MACHINE: MILLER MOVES INTO THIRD PLACE
With her 21-point performance in the Buffalo game last Wednesday (Feb. 12), senior Francine Miller moved up three more notches on the BGSU career scoring list ... Miller, who moved up five spots on the list in a two-game span, passed Lori Albers (1989-94), Charlotta Jones (1994-98) and Talita Scott (1990-94) in the UB game ... with 22 more points vs. Miami, Miller now has 1,464 career points as a Falcon ... Miller had passed Angie Bonner (1,412 pts.) and Chris Tuttle (1,420 pts.) in the Toledo game (Feb. 8), when she scored a game-high total of 23 points ... Miller also ranks third on the BGSU list for career scoring average, with 14.08 points per game through her first 104 contests ... the only players ahead of Miller (on each list) are Sara Puthoff (1,678 pts. from 1994-98) and Jackie Motycka (2,122 pts. from 1985-89) ... Miller has led the Falcons in scoring in each of the five games, and has surpassed 20 points in four of those contests, including the last three.
LEADERS AT THE HALF
The Falcons have led at halftime in all 13 home MAC games in the Curt Miller Era ... BGSU has a record of 7-6 in such games, and BGSU has won four of the last six home conference contests.
WENZEL LIKES PLAYING THE BULLS
Junior Stefanie Wenzel had been struggling offensively, with a total of only nine points in the CMU and UT games ... but, Wenzel hit a season-high five three-point field goals at Buffalo en route to 15 points last Wednesday (Feb. 12) ... the output continued a trend of scoring success vs. the Bulls for Wenzel ... the Sussex, Wis., native, who led the Falcons with 11.6 points per game last season, has averaged 22.0 points over the last three meetings with UB ... she had a career-high 30 points in last year's first Buffalo game (Jan. 12, 2002), then had 21 markers in the rematch in New York (Feb. 2, 2002) ... Wenzel has hit five three-pointers three times in her career, all against Buffalo.
GRIECH SETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR ATTEMPTED 3'S
Last Wednesday (Feb. 12) at Buffalo, senior Kim Griech moved into first place on the BGSU career list for three-pointers attempted ... after the Miami game, Griech now has tried 464 long-range shots in her career ... she passed Sara Puthoff (453 from 1994-98) ... Francine Miller is third on that list, with 412 triple tries in her Falcon tenure.
MORE RECORDS COULD FALL (ALSO TITLED: TRIPLE YOUR FUN)
Several players on the 2002-03 Falcon roster are ranked among the BGSU career three-point leaders ... as mentioned above, senior Kim Griech is now the school's all-time leader in three-pointers attempted ... both Griech and senior Francine Miller are within sight of the BGSU record for triples made in a career ... Miller has connected on 163 three-pointers in her career ... she has moved past Angie Farmer (160) into second on that career list, and trails current record-holder Sara Puthoff by just 10 ... Griech is fourth on that list, with 156 successful treys ... Miller is third on the all-time school list for career three-point percentage (.396, 163-of-412) ... junior Stefanie Wenzel (.347; 68-of-196) has moved into ninth on that list, with Griech (.336; 156-of-464) ranked 11th ... senior Megan Jerome (.310, 36-of-116) is threatening to add her name as well ... Wenzel is 10th all-time in both three-pointers made and attempted, with Jerome 13th on the latter list.
EVERYONE'S A THREAT FROM LONG RANGE (AND WE MEAN EVERYONE)
Sophomore Sakima Smith made her first two three-point field goals of the season in the Western Michigan game (Jan. 29) ... in the process, Smith became the 12th different Falcon to sink at least one trey this season, a new school record ... the 2002-03 campaign marks the fifth-straight season that 10 or more players have hit a three-pointer ... in both the 2001-02 and 2000-01 seasons, 11 different players on the BG squad made at least one long-range shot ... a total of 10 different players hit a trey in 1999-2000, as well as in 1998-99 ... prior to then, the most players to hit a triple in the same season was seven.
ANDER-RIFFIC!
The Falcons have had a great deal of success in three-point shooting over the past few seasons, particularly in conference games at home ... in that time, BGSU had a streak of 26 consecutive MAC games in which the Falcons made at least five triples ... that streak came to an end last year, but the Falcons still averaged 7.00 treys per home MAC game last winter ... including the 2000 MAC Tournament first-round contest vs. Ohio, BGSU has averaged 8.63 treys and shot .395 (259-of-656) over the last 30 home games vs. MAC teams ... the Falcons have made at least five treys in 32 of the last 33 home MAC games.
BGSU 3's in Home MAC Games
Season Gms. 3's Made Avg. 2002-03 5 35 7.00 2001-02 8 56 7.00 2000-01 8 68 8.50 1999-2000 8 94 11.75
