Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Purdue Fort Wayne
Falcons Pull Away From IPFW, 78-50
November 18, 2005 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team got the 2005-06 season started on the right foot, posting a 78-50 win over visiting IPFW Friday night (Nov. 18). The game, the season opener for both teams, was held at venerable Anderson Arena.
Three juniors scored in double digits for the defending Mid-American Conference champions, led by Liz Honegger's game-high 18 points. Ali Mann had 14 points, while Amber Flynn had a career-high 13 points off the bench.
The victory was the 500th in the history of the BGSU women's basketball program. The Falcons, now 500-338 all-time, are the second current MAC institution to reach that plateau.
For the Mastodons, Ashley Johnson had 12 points while Juliane Hohne and Johnna Lewis-Carlisle added 11 apiece.
The Falcons enjoyed a 42-28 rebounding advantage in the game, holding the 'Dons to just four offensive boards. BG, by contrast, had 15 offensive rebounds on the night.
BGSU was able to pound the ball inside, as the Falcons had a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint.
The home team got off to a solid start, scoring the game's first seven points, and the Falcons led by a 12-5 count at the first media timeout. But, the Mastodons would battle back.
IPFW went on a 10-0 run, holding the Brown and Orange scoreless for a span of 4:23 while taking a 15-12 lead.
A three-point field goal by junior Megan Thorburn, however, gave the Falcons a 24-22 advantage with 7:12 left before halftime, and BG would not trail again. Thorburn's triple was part of a 7-0 run that gave the Falcons a 28-22 margin. Natalie Roberts broke the run with a hoop for the 'Dons, but BG then scored the next four points.
Lewis-Carlisle countered with a three-pointer in the final 30 seconds of the half, but Mann sank a jumper while being fouled with just 4.9 seconds remaining before intermission. Her free throw gave the hosts an eight-point lead, 35-27, at the break.
In the second half, a Honegger triple began the scoring, and gave the Falcons a double-digit lead for good.
IPFW scored five consecutive points as part of a 7-1 run to cut the BG lead to 10 points, 47-37, with 12:27 remaining. But, a Flynn layup ignited an 11-0 Falcon streak that sealed the game. Flynn scored the first four points in that run, as the Falcons held the Mastodons scoreless for exactly four-and-a-half minutes.
Hohne briefly stemmed the tide with a jumper at the 7:57 mark, but the Brown and Orange proceeded to start another run. A three-pointer by senior Casey McDowell started a 7-0 run that put BG ahead, 65-39, with 5:22 left on the clock.
Mann and sophomore Kate Achter each had nine rebounds to tie for game honors, with Mann grabbing a game-high four at the offensive end. Achter, in 28 minutes of action, came close to a triple-double, with a career-high 10 assists, seven points and the nine boards. The 2005 MAC Tournament MVP committed just one turnover on the night.
McDowell and Thorburn scored eight points apiece for the hosts, while freshman Lindsey Goldsberry hit a three-pointer for her first career points.
The Falcons return to the Anderson Arena hardwood for a Monday night (Nov. 21) game vs. St. Francis (Pa.), in a matchup of 2005 NCAA Tournament teams.
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