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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Picked Third In West Division
October 21, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 21, 2004
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The members of the Mid-American Conference News Media Association have made their selections, and the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team has been picked to finish third in the West Division in the 2004-05 season. The league's 13 head coaches, along with the student-athletes chosen to the preseason all-conference team, gathered at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Cleveland Wednesday (Oct. 20) for the MAC's annual preseason media gathering.
The Falcons received 153 points and one first-place vote in the poll, released by the MACNMA, to finish behind Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan. WMU, the preseason choice to win the West, received 212 points in the poll, while EMU, the defending MAC Tournament champion, received 175 points. Toledo had 125 points, just a single point ahead of Ball State, while Northern Illinois (71) and Central Michigan (36) rounded out the West Division.
The Falcons' point total was more than 100 points higher than the team's total in last year's poll. The 2003-04 Falcons garnered 52 points and were picked to place sixth in the West Division, but actually finished in a second-place tie with WMU, just a game behind EMU. BG finished 21-10 overall and 11-5 in MAC play last winter.
Miami was picked to win the East, four points ahead of Kent State.
A total of four voters tabbed the Falcons to win the 2005 Kraft MAC Tournament. Eastern, the 2004 tourney champ after downing the Falcons in the title game, received 10 votes to win this year's tournament. Marshall garnered seven votes, followed by WMU (six), BGSU, Miami (three) and KSU (two).
Falcon head coach Curt Miller and sophomore Ali Mann met with various members of the media on Wednesday. Miller has 11 returning letterwinners from his 2003-04 squad, one of the most improved teams in the nation. That group includes three sophomore starters in Mann, Liz Honegger and Megan Thorburn.
"We're excited about the recognition," said Miller, who enters his fourth season with the Falcons. "I think (being picked third) is a credit to our strong finish to last season.
"To me, though, it doesn't mean anything. We all have to stay healthy, and we all have to play our schedules. So, it's nice that we got picked third, but it really doesn't mean a whole lot."
Mann, selected to the preseason all-league squad in 2004-05, was named the MAC's Freshman of the Year last season, and also was named to the MAC All-Tournament Team. She averaged 12.9 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game a year ago, and set a new MAC record with a .535 three-point field-goal percentage (23-of-43) in conference games.
"We always want to make it to the championship game," said Mann. "But, we want to win the championship. (Losing in last year's championship game) definitely motivates us to raise our game to the next level. That will keep us hungry."
Miller agreed with Mann's sentiments.
"We fell short of our long-range goals (last year)," said the coach. "We were excited about the season that we had. But, we came in second in the West; we want to win the West. We came in second in the tournament; we want to win the tournament. This group is very hungry to achieve those goals."
Fans get their first chance to see the Falcons in action on Monday, Nov. 8, in a home exhibition vs. the Premier All-Stars. BGSU opens the regular season four days later (Nov. 12), with a game at Ohio State. That contest is a first-round game in the Sportsview.tv WNIT.
BGSU's first regular-season home game is scheduled for Nov. 30 vs. Youngstown State. The MAC schedule opens Jan. 5, 2005, with a trip to Buffalo.
MAC NEWS MEDIA ASSOCIATION
PRESEASON POLL
WEST DIVISION (first-place votes) 1. Eastern Michigan (22) -- 212 2. Western Michigan (8) -- 175 3. Bowling Green (1) -- 153 4. Toledo -- 125 5. Ball State (1) -- 124 6. Northern Illinois -- 71 7. Central Michigan -- 36EAST DIVISION (first-place votes) 1. Miami (14) -- 169 2. Kent State (9) -- 165 3. Marshall (9) -- 144 4. Ohio -- 78 5. Buffalo -- 70 6. Akron -- 47
2005 KRAFT MAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPION Eastern Michigan -- 10 votes Marshall -- 7 Western Michigan -- 6 Bowling Green -- 4 Miami -- 3 Kent State -- 2
