Bowling Green State University
St. Francis (PA)
Falcons Work Overtime for Win at Saint Francis, 80-74
December 18, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2004
Final Stats | Quotes
LORETTO, Pa. - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, trailing by nine points in the second half, rallied back for an overtime win at Saint Francis University, 80-74, Saturday afternoon (Dec. 18). The non-conference game was held at DeGol Arena in the Maurice Stokes Athletic Center.
With the victory, the Falcons improve to 5-4 on the season, while dropping the Red Flash to 2-5.
Sophomore Ali Mann led the Falcons with 19 points, pacing four BGSU double-digit scorers. Mann also had a game-high 10 rebounds, while sophomore Carin Horne scored 18 points. Classmate Liz Honegger had 16 points, while freshman Kate Achter scored 14, and also had seven rebounds and a game-high six assists.
The Red Flash also had four players in double digits, led by Beth Swink's 26.
The Falcons kept the hosts off the scoreboard for nearly four minutes to start the game, but BGSU could score only four points during that stretch. SFU rallied back, however, as a pair of Amber Hein three-point field goals gave the Red Flash the lead for the first time, at 12-11.
After a Honegger layup off a Tene Lewis pass restored BGSU's lead, the Falcons forced a turnover, then used good ball movement to wind up with a basket by senior Sakima Smith off a feed from junior Casey McDowell with 11:08 left in the half.
The Falcons led by as many as five points, before the Red Flash battled back. A layup by Swink, who entered the week ranked in the nation's top 20 in scoring, tied the contest at 22-22 with 4:40 left in the half.
Again, BGSU took the lead, as Achter sandwiched two hoops around a Honegger layup to put the Brown and Orange up, 28-22, at the 2:22 mark. But, the rest of the half was all Saint Francis.
The Red Flash, successful on just two of eight three-point attempts in the game's first 18-plus minutes, then went 3-for-3 from long range in the last 1:37 of the half. Lauren Gompers (the older sister of Falcon sophomore Julie Gompers) hit a triple with 1:37 remaining to cut the BG lead in half, then Christin Black tied the score with a trey at the 53-second mark.
When Sarah Bolten, a BG killer in the past (see note below), hit a trey with only 13 seconds left before the half, the hosts were up by a 31-28 score as the teams headed for the lockerrooms.
In the second half, Swink -- held to only four points in the first half -- began to make her presence felt. She scored the first three points of the half, on a free throw and a layup. Then, a Bolten bucket put the Red Flash ahead by a 36-28 score.
Honegger's free throws at the 17:19 juncture finally snapped a 14-0 SFU run that spanned halftime, and sophomore Megan Thorburn followed with a quick basket off a turnover by the Red Flash, but the hosts restored the eight-point lead.
When Hein made a steal and hit a shot with 12:51 left, Saint Francis led by nine points, at 44-35. Several minutes later, BG scored five-straight points (four by Mann and one by freshman Whitney Taylor) to cut the deficit to 46-42 with 10:20 remaining. But, Swink scored at the other end, and a Black free throw at 8:59 put SFU back up by seven.
Then, however, Horne went to work. She made a pair of free throws just three seconds later, and, after a Lewis steal, was knocked into the BG bench by Regina Schlichter as she attempted a three-point shot. Horne was awarded three free throws, and drained all three, and the BG deficit was just two points, 49-47, with 8:45 left.
Horne completed an eight-points-in-50-seconds stretch after the Falcons got another defensive stop. This time, the bank was open as Horne's three-point try was off the glass and in the hoop. BG led, 50-49, with 8:06 remaining.
Swink scored the game's next four points, but Mann kicked the ball to McDowell for a game-tying trey at the 6:31 mark.
Black made a tough fadeaway jumper at the other end, but the Falcons tied the contest two minutes later, as Honegger hit a long triple off an Achter pass at the 4:33 mark.
Then, after an SFU miss and a Mann rebound at the other end, Horne hit a trey with a defender in her face as the shot clock wound down. The Falcons were back in front, 60-57, with 3:41 remaining.
Things were looking good for BG, as the Falcons forced another miss, and Honegger grabbed the rebound. Mann was fouled as she worked inside, and hit both tosses with exactly three minutes left in the half.
Bolten hit a free throw, however, and after a Falcon turnover, Swink made a layup to cut the lead to two points with 1:33 left.
Then, a Honegger three-point try rattled in and out, and SFU got the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead.
Bolten missed a shot, and Achter grabbed the rebound and was fouled. She split her charity tosses, putting the Falcons up by a 63-60 count with 1:01 left.
Swink drew a Falcon foul with 55.1 seconds left, and made one free throw. But, Honegger found Mann for a layup with 36.6 seconds remaining, putting BG ahead by four points.
Saint Francis was far from finished, however. as Swink corralled a missed shot and got the ball to Hein for a three-pointer with 24.1 seconds left.
After an SFU timeout, BG inbounded the ball to Achter, who was fouled immediately. The freshman hit one of her two free throws with 22.1 seconds remaining.
At the other end, the Red Flash got the ball inside to Swink, who drew a foul with 8.7 seconds left. The senior made both free throws to tie the game at 66-66.
The Falcons made a last-second effort, as McDowell drove down the right side of the court and cut along the baseline. Her floating layup in traffic was no good, and Mann grabbed the rebound in traffic. Mann attempted a layup while being jostled in the lane, and the ball bounded away as the clock ran out.
The teams headed to overtime, and the Falcons never trailed in the extra session. The Red Flash won the jump ball, but Horne got a steal, then fed Honegger for a left-corner trey.
Bolten missed a three-point try, and Achter got the rebound and was fouled. She hit one free throw to give BG a 70-66 lead with 3:42 left.
Neither team scored for over a minute, before Achter got another rebound and again was fouled. This time, she made both tosses, and BG had a 72-66 advantage midway through the period.
Swink scored with 1:29 left, and McDowell hit one free throw 10 seconds later. Then, Mann rebounded a Red Flash miss, was fouled, and hit a pair of free throws to put the Falcons up by seven at the 1:04 mark.
The Red Flash missed a shot, but tied up Mann for a jump ball in the scramble for the rebound. Again, SFU missed a shot, and Horne came up ith the ball with 45 seconds left. That BG possession ended with an Achter layup with 34.9 seconds on the clock, and the Falcons had a nine-point advantage, 77-68.
Bolten hit two late three-pointers, with 24.2 and 14.3 seconds left, respectively, but it was too little, too late. Achter hit another free throw in between the Bolten treys, and McDowell hit two tosses to cap the scoring with 12.2 seconds remaining.
BGSU shot 41.1 percent from the field, just slightly better than SFU's 41.0% rate. The hosts held a 43-35 rebounding advantage.
BGSU went to the free-throw line 39 times, including 25 in the second half and a whopping 12 in overtime. The Falcons made 28 of those tosses (71.8%) for the game. SFU was 16-of-24 (66.7%) from the stripe.
The Falcons forced 25 Saint Francis turnovers, while committing 15. BGSU had a total of 18 steals in the game, with Lewis getting five of those steals in 14 minutes of action.
The Falcons remain in Western Pennsylvania for a Monday morning (Dec. 20) game at Robert Morris. Tipoff is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. at RMU's Sewall Center.
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