Bowling Green State University Athletics
Ali Mann Named MAC Freshman Of Year
March 09, 2004 | Women's Basketball
March 9, 2004
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Last, but not least.
Bowling Green State University women's basketball freshman Ali Mann was the final signee in coach Curt Miller's seven-member class last year. On Tuesday (March 9), Mann was named the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year.
The announcement came at the MAC Tournament banquet, held at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade.
The award is the result of balloting by members of the MAC News Media Association. Mann is the fourth Falcon to earn the honor, and the first in nearly a decade. She joins Jackie Motycka (1986), Lori Albers (1990) and Sara Puthoff (1995).
Mann, who was named to the MAC's All-Freshman Team on Monday (March 8), was the lone freshman named to the all-league team, earning All-MAC Honorable Mention.
Mann, a native of Chelsea, Mich. (Chelsea H.S.), is averaging 12.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, ranking second on the Falcons in the former category and first in the latter. Mann tied for fifth in the MAC with an average of 14.8 points in league games, and also had 7.9 boards in conference contests, leading all frosh in each category.
Mann, named the MAC Player of the Week on March 1, also leads all MAC freshmen with seven double-doubles on the year. She is averaging nearly a double-double over the last five games, with 17.5 points and 9.8 rebounds during that time.
Mann missed her only three-point attempt in Saturday's (March 6) MAC Tournament first-round win over Central Michigan, snapping a string of seven consecutive triples made. During the conference portion of the season, she led the entire league in three-point percentage, making 23-of-43 shots (.535) from beyond the arc in MAC games.
Overall, Mann is shooting .458 from long range (27-of-59), and is 8-of-11 from three-point land over the last four games.
Mann has played in all 28 games, making 27 starts. She began her collegiate career with three double-doubles in her first six games, and was named to the all-tournament team at the Islander Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The lone game in which she was not in the starting lineup came at the end of January, after she missed several days of practice for a family funeral. In that game, vs. Buffalo, she hit the tying and winning free throws with 23.3 seconds left.
The Falcons, 19-9 overall, will face Western Michigan in Wednesday's quarterfinal round of the Kraft MAC Tournament. That game will begin at approximately 3:00 p.m. at Gund Arena in downtown Cleveland.
