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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Top Zips, 71-54
January 07, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Some reactions after the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team's 71-54 win over the University of Akron on Saturday afternoon at Anderson Arena ...
BGSU HEAD COACH Curt Miller
"We're happy to get away with a win, and start conference play at 1-0. Like I've said many times, when the non-conference season is over, it doesn't matter what kind of non-conference record you have. It starts all over again. Teams that have a down non-conference season are energized, because they're 0-0. And, the teams that have good non-conference records have to regroup and realize that the non-conference season has no bearing on the MAC race. I'm proud that we did not overlook Akron, I appreciate the energy and effort that we provided the whole game, and I can't be more proud of Ali Mann for getting her thousandth point in the first half. It's a great accomplishment, especially for midway through her junior year."
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(Do you feel your team's play is as crisp as you would like right now?)
"Certainly not. Since finals, back in mid-December, I don't think we've played a real crisp game. But, this year, we're hanging our hat on our defense. Our defense has been terrific; we've consistently held teams in the 50s. Even in the Kentucky game, the regulation score was 56-56. So, we've really hung our hat on our defense, and it's only a matter of time before our offense gets clicking again. It's a little frustrating, the way we're shooting the ball this year. But, shooting is very much mental, as much as physical, and (you can't) dwell on it. We just need to get in there and shoot, and play with confidence, and I think you'll see our offense come around."
(What excites you about your team at this point?)
"Well, I think the exciting part is that we're 10-2 and 1-0, and not playing our best basketball yet. We have plenty of room to grow and peak this year. With the new balanced scheduling format in the MAC, we all play the same schedules (among divisional teams), and we will crown true champions at the end of the year, rather than playing different schedules. But, you are challenged right away. We start with five games vs. East opponents, play our crossover games against the West, and finish the season with five more games vs. the East. You need to be playing good basketball throughout, and it's great to get off to a 1-0 start."
(Did you sense that Ali was nervous at all, prior to the game?)
"I think she knew that she was close (to 1,000 points), and I think her family knew. But, it is not something that we talked about. We thought that, if Ali played well in this game, she would get 11 points. But, she is very much under the weather; she is as sick as a dog, and for her to play that well, being that sick, is a great credit to her. She is so competitive. I didn't know how much we would be able to play her, but it was hard to have her off the floor, because she was making so many things happen."
(On the play of Megan Thorburn off the bench)
"We were a little stagnant, and she was a needed spark off her bench after Carin (Horne) picked up her third foul. It was a great performance today by Megan. I have been very, very disappointed with the way we are shooting the ball at the off-guard position, so for her to step up and have that type of game, it was really big toward the outcome. Megan had a lot of confidence today, and stepped up and took shots that she is capable of making."
(What pleases you the most about this team right now?)
"Certainly, the defense. You expect to get a stop on every possession with this team. When we don't get a stop or we foul, we have been so good defensively that it's magnified. I look up (at the scoreboard) and we have teams in the 40s late in the game, and I'm still moaning and groaning about the defense. I'm very pleased with the intensity, the focus to scouting reports, and the execution of what we're trying to accomplish defensively. It's been terrific."
(On BGSU's offensive rebounding and steal totals)
"'Hustle plays' are a big factor in the way we play. We know we need to do those things. If you're not shooting the ball well, you've got to get yourself more opportunities, and we did that tonight on the offensive glass. That was a big factor, as was scoring inside the paint against their zone."
JUNIOR FORWARD Ali Mann
"It's a great honor to hit 1,000 points; I didn't do it in high school. I didn't put much pressure on myself; if it happened today, it happened. If not, it was going to happen eventually this season, I would hope. But, it was great to do it at home, in front of my friends and my family."
"Hitting a thousand points wouldn't have felt very good if we would have lost today. It was a great team effort today as we pulled away from a good Akron team."
(What does this win mean as you start conference play?)
"It means we're 1-0. It's a good start, a good stepping-stone, and we hope to keep getting better. We've got a tough Buffalo team on the road on Tuesday, and we just want to try to set the tone early (in the MAC season)."
