Bowling Green State University
BUFFALO
Falcons Hold Off Late Buffalo Charge, 64-63
January 31, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2004
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team used timely defense and clutch free-throw shooting for a 64-63 win over the University at Buffalo Saturday afternoon (Jan. 31). The Mid-American Conference game was held at BGSU's Anderson Arena.
With the victory, the Falcons improve to 12-6 overall and 5-2 in MAC play. BGSU has matched last season's win totals in both categories. The visiting Bulls drop to 4-13 and 2-5, respectively.
BGSU never trailed until UB's Jessica Kochendorfer hit a three-point field goal with 3:12 remaining, giving the visitors a 61-59 lead. Kochendorfer scored again at the 2:04 mark, putting the Bulls up by four, but UB would not score again.
The Falcons -- who did not make a field goal in the game's final 10:39 -- got a pair of free throws from freshman Liz Honegger with 1:19 remaining to cut the lead in half. On the ensuing UB possession, senior Lindsay Austin and the BG defense hounded the Bulls. Austin got her hand on the ball three or four times during the possession, which culminated with freshman Carin Horne blocking a Belinda Gibb shot with the shot clock winding down. Falcon senior Stefanie Wenzel grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 48 seconds remaining.
Wenzel missed her first free-throw attempt, but made the second, cutting the lead to 63-62. Buffalo then threw the ball out of bounds, giving the Falcons the ball back with 37 seconds to go.
Austin's driving shot in the lane was blocked, but BG freshman Ali Mann battled for a jump ball on the rebound, with the possession arrow favoring the Falcons.
Then, as Austin looked to inbound, Mann was fouled inside. She went to the line with 23.3 seconds remaining, and hit both free throws. The Bulls' Allison Bennett missed a right-side jumper, and the rebound went off a BG player and headed toward the end line. Austin saved the ball, but it went to UB's Talia Merlino outside the three-point arc.
As Merlino drove toward the lane, she had the ball knocked away from behind. It caromed directly to Honegger, who held on as the clock ran out.
The Falcons got a game-high 20 points from Wenzel, with 17 of those coming in the first half. Junior Kelly Kapferer, making just her second start of the season, added 11 points.
UB had four players in double digits, led by Kim Kilpela's 14. Kochendorfer added 13 along with a game-high 11 rebounds, while Gibb and Brooke Meunier had 11 points apiece.
The Falcons got out in front early, as Wenzel scored the first five points of the game. BGSU went on a 7-0 run to take a 20-9 lead with 10:49 left in the first half. Wenzel scored 13 of the Falcons' first 18 points en route to 17 first-half points.
The Brown and Orange increased the lead to 15 points, at 27-12, before the Bulls reeled off eight points of their own. UB got as close as six points, before the Falcons scored the final six markers of the half. The last two points came when Wenzel stripped Meunier of the ball and laid it in at the horn, giving BG a 37-25 advantage at the break.
Kapferer scored the Falcons' first seven points of the second half, including a three-point play that gave the hosts a 15-point advantage once again. BG still led by 13 points at the 13:47 mark, before the Bulls battled back.
UB scored the next seven points to get within six, but the Falcons got a Horne layup with 10:39 remaining to go up by nine, 54-45. Horne's field goal was BG's last of the day.
A Mann free throw gave the Falcons a double-digit lead, before the Bulls went on an 18-4 run, culminating with Kochendorfer's back-to-back hoops, to put UB up by four and set the stage for the Falcons' comeback.
BGSU shot just .269 in the second half, missing the final 12 shots of the game, and the Falcons had a season-low field-goal percentage of .317 on the day. UB shot only .286 in the first half, but made 15-of-31 shots in the second half (.484) en route to a game percentage of .390.
The Falcons had a 43-41 rebounding advantage, with Wenzel pulling down nine. Three players -- Austin, Honegger and Mann -- had seven boards apiece.
The Falcons now prepare for a tough two-game stretch. BGSU begins the month of February with back-to-back games against the MAC's two division leaders. The Falcons head to Oxford for a Tuesday (Feb. 3) game against East-leading Miami University, then return home to face Western Michigan Saturday (Feb. 7).
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