Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Top Buffalo, 64-63
January 31, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2004
BOWLING GREEN -
BGSU COACH CURT MILLER
"Today was a big game for us, coming off of that heartbreaking loss to Eastern the other night. We were 4-2 (in the MAC), with two buzzer-beating losses. We easily could have been 6-0. This was a big game for us, heading into a week where we play East Division leader Miami and West Division leader Western Michigan."
(On the foul against Ali Mann with 23.3 seconds left:)
"Buffalo went to a switching, man-to-man defense the entire stretch run. We designed a new out-of-bounds play -- the first time we've ever run it -- to try to take advantage of that switch. A guard switched onto Ali Mann, and we thought we could force it in there, and she could power it up for the game-winner. It was a mismatch, but a foul got called."
(What were you feeling when the team was struggling to score late in the game?)
"Here we go again. I felt like the team had that mentality, because we had struggled to score from the field down the stretch against Eastern. They (Buffalo) got really aggressive; they are one of the most physical teams we will play, and they are led by two senior post players who are very strong. We lacked aggressiveness down the stretch, and we got a little bit tentative. But, we told them that, even if our shots don't fall, we need to get to the foul line. We have to find ways to score down the stretch."
"But, to our kids' credit, we have lost some games like that (in the past). Players make plays, and we found enough players to make plays down the stretch to win the game."
"The crowd was huge. Defensively, when we needed stops and Lindsay (Austin) got up and pressured, the crowd was great. I wish we could get that type of crowd, or that we could play doubleheaders every night, because the crowd was a huge factor down the stretch. Without (the crowd), or on the road, I'm not so sure we pull that game out."
"Stefanie (Wenzel) got us going; she was great. She has had a great career against Buffalo, and she was tremendous at the start of the game. They adjusted their defense on her; their best defense against her was to prevent her from getting the ball. A couple times, I told Stefanie to stay patient, and she would get her opportunities. Down the stretch, when we had a little bit of a 'deer-in-the-headlights' look, I saw a fire in Stephanie. She wanted the ball, she tried to make some plays, and I love the fact that I saw an aggressiveness and a fire out of Stephanie. As a senior, she wanted the ball down the stretch, and that's going to go a long way during the remainder of the year."
(On Kelly Kapferer's start to the second half:)
"Kelly brings us energy. She could be a starter on a lot of programs in this conference. She got the start today, because Ali Mann was home for 72 hours due to her grandfather's funeral. Kelly is an explosive player. She's streaky, and you like that (explosiveness) from her off the bench. Today was a game where I thought she matched up well. She wasn't intimidated by the strength and power of their two post players. That's a very physical game, with two freshman post players on the floor (for BG). Kelly provided leadership, was not intimidated, and had a big influence in the outcome of this game."
"This was a big game for us. Winning teams find ways to hold serve at home, and try to steal games on the road. I'm very happy with the way we are playing at Anderson right now."
BGSU SENIOR STEFANIE WENZEL
(On her hot first-half shooting:)
"We knew coming in that Buffalo likes to play a lot of zone. I got some open shots, and I took advantage. I've been struggling with my shot lately, but I knew that I had played well against Buffalo the last couple of years. I just tried to take it at them."
"I'm just thankful that this girl right here (Ali Mann) made her free throws at the end."
"I'm not the only person that can score on this team. If they take me out of it, there are four other people that can step up. I kind of lost my spark in the second half, but you just keep playing hard, and hopefully the shots will start going in."
(On the crowd support at the end of the game:)
"It was a lot of fun. I'm trying to cherish all the home games I have left, and it was really a great atmosphere."
BGSU FRESHMAN ALI MANN
"This is a big win. Going into a big week, with Miami and Western next week, it is much better to be 5-2 than 4-3."
(On her free throws with 23.3 seconds left)
"I had a poor shooting game from the field, but I want to be at the free-throw line in that situation, and I'm just glad they went in."
(On the last few defensive possessions:)
"Lindsay (Austin) really stepped up the defensive pressure. It was just Lindsay and the girl she was guarding, going one-on-one in the backcourt. Lindsay is a very good on-the-ball defender, and it gave us a lot of momentum. It helps our defense out a lot when they're just getting the ball over midcourt and there are only eight seconds left on the shot clock."
"Stef getting that rebound and getting fouled was a big momentum swing, and we needed that to get back in the game at the end."
BUFFALO COACH CHERYL DOZIER
"I thought both plays at the end were suspect. You've got to let them play at that point. You've got five kids going to the offensive glass; you've got to let them play."
(On Wenzel's hot-shooting start to the game:)
"We were in a zone. We're starting games in zones, because we can't get in foul trouble. We have eight kids, not a lot of bodies, and we have only two true post players. That kid can shoot the basketball, and I thought we did a much better job on her in the second half when we were in a man-to-man."
"Our kids did a good job in the man-to-man. We were switching everything, and Bowling Green didn't take advantage of our mismatches inside (in the second half). I also thought we were more patient offensively, and that's shown (in that) we shot 48 percent in the second half. I just think you've got to let the kids win the game at the end."
"One thing that killed us was giving up 19 offensive rebounds. You can't do that in this league. This league is made up of workers. You go right down the line, from the top all the way to the bottom team in our league, and we just outwork you. Today, Bowling Green outworked us on the offensive end of the floor."
