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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons in Cancun: Day Three
December 19, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2006
CANCUN, Mexico - Hello from courtside in Cancun! The Caribbean Classic is underway, and Texas-Arlington holds a 9-5 lead over Liberty in the first game of the day. The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team is enjoying the weather and the surroundings in Cancun, but with game day having arrived, all thoughts are on tonight's opponent, Duke University.
Cancun Day Three Photo Gallery - photos from Sunday and Monday, from the Whitney Taylor Collection
The Falcons had a morning shootaround in the gym, and after an early-afternoon pregame meal, the players and coaches will get a sneak peek at Wednesday's opponent, UTA, by watching part of the Mavs' game vs. Liberty. Then, the players will return to their rooms for a little bit of rest and mental preparation, before coming back to the court for Tuesday night's game. The wireless net seems to be working at courtside, so, through the magic of BGSUFalcons.com and GameTracker, fans who were unable to make the journey to Cancun can follow along via live stats. The Falcons' radio network is also here, and Brian Scullin and Paul Braverman will be broadcasting both of BGSU's games on WBGU-FM 88.1, the radio home of the Falcons.
A few other notes before we get to a blog by senior Megan Thorburn:
* First off, congratulations must go out to senior Carin Horne, who marched in graduation ceremonies at Anderson Arena on Saturday (Dec. 16). Graduating in three-and-a-half years is impressive enough, but when combined with the demands of being a Division-I athlete, the achievement is all the more spectacular. Congratulations, Carin!
* The Falcons, who broke into the Associated Press top-25 poll at the 25th spot yesterday (Dec. 18), remained 21st in the nation in the USA Today/ESPN poll, released Tuesday afternoon. So, Tuesday evening's game officially matches two teams that are ranked in both polls: #4/4 Duke vs. #21/25 Bowling Green. Links to the latest AP and USA Today/ESPN polls can be found on the BGSU women's basketball home page.
* If a glance around the Moon Palace resort over the first few days is any indication, the Falcons seem to have by far the most fans in attendance in Cancun. The arena is one-third to one-half full for Tuesday's first game, but it is likely that the BGSU-Duke game will be close to a 'sellout.' A quick scan, by the way, shows that the arena (actually, the ballroom), seats perhaps 500 at the most.
OK, on to the blog...
SENIOR Megan Thorburn
"Hello to everyone back home. We are having a great time here at Cancun. It is beautiful here! I have gotten up very early each day, just to head out by the pool and enjoy the weather.
"Last night, we had our tournament banquet, and got to watch some Mayan dancers who were incredible. They wore awesome headresses, and one of the guys put his hands and legs into the fire, then put the fire out with his foot. It was pretty amazing. I have to say, though, that the most enjoyable part of the banquet may have been when the emcee said that the Spanish phrase for 'technical foul' is 'Curt Miller.'
"We have had a lot of fun, but we know that we are here to do a job. We have enjoyed ourselves, to be sure, but we know that the main reason we are here is to get out on the court and play our best.
"I am excited and a little anxious heading into tonight's game. I am always excited and anxious before a game, but it is not often that you get a chance to play the fourth-ranked team in the country. We have been preparing for them all week, and we are really looking forward to playing against Duke tonight.
"It will definitely be a new and different environment. There will be two top-25 teams playing in a ballroom that doesn't seat very many people. It is a different kind of place than I have ever played before. But, when the game starts, wherever you are playing, you just have to tune everything out, go out there and play. As coach Miller said, we just want to keep working hard, and we want to leave here a better team than when we got here."
