Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU-Ball State Post-Game Quotes
February 20, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 19, 2003
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
BGSU HEAD COACH CURT MILLER:
"What a great game. That is as good an offensive game as you could watch in women's college basketball. It was only a few weeks ago that we scored 30 points in a game, and set basketball back a few years. That was a fun game to watch. I know that both (head) coaches probably wish we played a little more sound defense and played a little more fundamentally, but both teams made big plays offensively, and that has to be fun to watch as a fan."
(Was that the kind of game you wanted to play?)
"We tried to control the pace more. We took the air out of the ball on a few possessions. We talked about winning a game in the upper 70s, and not the 90s, but it turned into that. We just couldn't get as many stops as we had hoped, but to our kids' credit, we kept making offensive play after offensive play."
(On Ball State withstanding BG's runs:)
"It's frustrating because that's just what Ball State does. Four or five years ago, Ball State was at the bottom, and made a coaching change. We're trying to model our program after Ball State. It started with recruiting offensively-talented players, and you can see just how talented they are now. That's what we're trying to do. Hopefully, in a few years, you will see us always coming back at people, and always having an answer."
"Ball State will allow you to have runs at them. They don't always put people away when they can. And, we just kept preaching to our kids that they will allow you to run back at them. If we find a rhythm or a pattern offensively that is working, we will make a run back at them. But, it's frustrating, because when they need a big play, they always seem to have a team full of players that can step up and make it."
"Even though (not every game) is resulting in a win right now, I think we're proving that no one can walk into Anderson Arena and take us lightly. We haven't lost by more than 10 all season. And, tonight is the first night since I've been here that we've trailed at halftime (at home) to a MAC team. I wondered how we would handle that, but to our kids' credit, we played one of our best second halves. I think we're proving to a lot of people, and to ourselves, that you can't take us lightly. And, we can play with anyone. We've now played with the top two teams in the league. We beat Toledo here, and we take Ball State down to the final horn."
"Their coaching staff is claiming that we're the best 3-9 team, and that's great, but we want to start changing some of these losses into wins. We're clearly right there, about to take the next step with this program."
(On the success from three-point range:)
"Three-point shooting is mostly about confidence. Both teams are loaded with shooters, and both teams went to halftime making a lot of threes, so you just felt that confidence throughout the game. Both teams made tough threes; a lot of threes were contested, and a lot of them were deep threes. That's just players making plays, and making coaches look smart. Multiple players on both teams made plays tonight."
"Last game (against Ball State), we were outscored by something like 26 points in the paint. Tonight, we outscored them (36-26) in the paint. That was a big point of emphasis. We wanted them to have to make some threes; we didn't want to give up the transition points and the points in the paint that we gave up last game. The biggest difference tonight is that we outscored them in the paint, and in fast-break points (12-10). Last game, they absolutely killed us in those categories. We did a better job in transition, and certainly did a better job of getting into the paint and scoring in the paint."
"Quickly, our (chance at the) eighth seed is slipping away. We almost have to win all four (remaining) games, and get some help. So, the dream of hosting a first-round MAC Tournament game may be slipping away. But, every game means something toward the final standings. Right now, if the season ended, we would be the 11th seed, and the goal is to continually try to get higher. ... Everyone is beating everyone in this conference right now. We could finish anywhere from the ninth seed to the 13th seed, so we're playing for our lives right now. Every game means something to us. We've got to find a way to go beat Akron on the road, and we still have two home games. Every game is important for us."
BALL STATE HEAD COACH TRACY ROLLER:
"It was just an offensive shootout. We feel privileged that we held Francine to 23 points. I felt like she could have a 40-point game tonight; that's the kind of potential that she has. Five players in double figures on both teams ... that's a fun game to watch, and it's one that gives you grey hairs as a coach. We feel pretty blessed that we're leaving here with the win."
"We've let leads evaporate (this year), and I felt like that happened again in the second half. We knew Bowling Green had that kind of potential offensively. But we just tried to maintain their runs. And, when you have a player like Tamara Bowie ... to go to, it helps a lot. But, our freshman, Dana Collins, stepped up huge at the end. She hit free throws when we needed them, and took care of the ball when we needed it. It helps to have two great players step up like that."
"I really think the matchup between Francine and Bowie was fun to watch. And, I think it was probably a draw. It was a great game by both players, and it was very hard fought. I think Bowie got better today because of Francine, and I hope Francine got better today because of Bowie."
BGSU SENIOR FRANCINE MILLER:
"We were trading buckets there for a while. We'd come down and make a three, and then they'd come down and make a three. It felt like we shot pretty well; they just made a few more big shots than we did."
(On her matchup with Tamara Bowie:) "It was a good matchup. We're both pretty much the same type of player. We can post up, we shoot (from) outside, we can drive; we're both pretty versatile, and I thought it was a very good matchup."
"It just seemed like they would get a big stop at a critical point, and we just couldn't do that at some points. That's just the way they play; they're very good at making runs at you, and they usually make good decisions. And, if you make a critical turnover, or don't get a rebound, that can make or break you for the game."
