Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Winthrop
BG Bounces Back, Beats Winthrop, 74-52
December 05, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2004
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A 15-0 run early in the second half propelled the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team to a 74-52 victory over Winthrop University Sunday afternoon (Dec. 5). The game, the consolation contest in the Brown Classic, was held at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
The victory evens the Falcons' record at 3-3, while the Lady Eagles drop to 0-7 on the campaign.
Sophomore Liz Honegger paced the Brown and Orange with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while classmate Megan Thorburn had 16 points off the bench.
Honegger was named to the All-Tournament Team. She was joined by Brown's Sarah Hayes, Lehigh's Jessica DePalo and Adrienne Blount and Winthrop's Arin Kress. Brown's Holly Robertson was named the tourney's MVP.
"Liz Honegger carried us in the first half," said Falcon head coach Curt Miller. "After a disappointing loss last night, I had hoped we would come out with a little more fire and energy in the first half today. Liz really carried us in the early going."
Kress led Winthrop with a game-high 19 points.
BGSU forced the Lady Eagles into 24 turnovers, and scored 31 points off those miscues.
"Our defensive pressure was a bright spot, and is getting better," said Miller. "They are understanding that you have to win games at the defensive end, and I liked our defensive pressure at times today."
The first half was a foul-plagued affair, as the teams combined for 27 fouls and 31 free-throw attempts in the opening 20 minutes.
The Brown and Orange got off to a quick start, scoring the game's first nine points. Honegger, who was 7-of-10 from the field on the day, scored the last five of those points, on a three-point play and a layup.
After that game-opening run, however, the Falcons went scoreless for the next 5:40, as Winthrop crept within 9-7 before another Honegger layup broke the drought. The Lady Eagles eventually tied the contest at 14-14, and the margin was never greater than four points over the next few minutes.
The teams were tied again, 20-20, before a Honegger shot in the lane sparked an 8-0 Falcon run. Thorburn had five consecutive points during that run, hitting a three-pointer, then converting a layup in traffic after a Tene Lewis pass on the fast break.
Two Lewis free throws built the lead as large as 11 points before the Lady Eagles got a late charity toss to cut the margin to 35-25 at the half.
Honegger and Lewis teamed up to force several WU turnovers at midcourt in the final few minutes of the half, leading to several fast-break and free-throw opportunities.
Thorburn scored nine points in a span of one minute and 45 seconds to help build BG's double-digit halftime lead.
In the second half, Winthrop's Jessica Dukes opened the scoring with an early jumper, but the Falcons then shut down the Lady Eagles over the next 6:08. BGSU scored 15 consecutive points to open a 23-point lead. Honegger and classmate Ali Mann each scored five points during that run, while freshman Kate Achter had three assists.
Mann hit a layup off an Achter inbounds pass at the 18:28 mark, and Honegger ripped a rebound away from a WU player, got the ball back at the other end and hit a triple, forcing Winthrop to call timeout.
Then, sophomore Carin Horne hit another three-pointer off an Achter inbounds pass, and the lead was 17 points. When Mann, junior Casey McDowell and Honegger all scored buckets over the next two minutes, the lead was 50-27 with 13:34 remaining.
Winthrop never got closer than 16 points again. Thorburn scored back-to-back baskets on assists from Lewis and Achter, and a trey by freshman Whitney Taylor upped the lead to 63-42 with 7:13 remaining. That was part of a 14-2 BG run that gave BG a game-high 28-point margin, 72-44, with 3:41 left.
Horne had nine points in the game, while both Achter and McDowell had seven and Taylor six. Achter had a game-high seven assists.
BGSU held a 37-33 rebounding advantage, and the Falcons had a 48.1 percent field-goal rate to the Lady Eagles' 37.0%.
Host Brown won the tournament title with a 69-61 win over Lehigh in Sunday's championship game.
The Falcons will continue a month-long, six-game road swing with a trip to Albuquerque, N.M., for next weekend's Lobo Shootout. BGSU will meet New Mexico on Friday evening (Dec. 10).
