Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU-Delaware Post-Game Reaction
December 29, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2006
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) -
BGSU HEAD COACH Curt Miller
"That's a huge win for us. I am as happy with that win as any in my career. What a gut-check by our team. After we discussed the Christmas presents that everyone got at halftime, they really came out and played a heck of a second half. I'm really proud of that group -- that was a big gut-check against a very, very good Delaware team."
"We went somewhere in the neighborhood of 13 minutes without a field goal. So, to come away with a win is just a credit to our kids' determination to stay the course and keep fighting and battling against a great team."
"Even during Delaware's nine-game win streak, teams have not shot the ball poorly against them in every game. But, the number of possessions gets lowered because their active zone forces you to make turnovers. We were also a victim of that in the first half; with 13 turnovers, we didn't get the amount of possessions that we wanted. But, when you looked at our statistics, we shot the ball very well. So, we stayed the course and said that if we could just stop turning the ball over, we could find a stretch where our shots would start falling. Ali's 3 (early in the second half) was a big shot that got the ball rolling."
"After going roughly 13 minutes without a field goal, we scored 31 points in 10 minutes. We scored 44 points in our game against them last year, and we scored 43 in the second half tonight. That was a tremendous 10-minute stretch for us offensively."
"Over the last three or four years, we have won a lot of games with defense. But still, we are emotionally driven by offensive success. Everyone gets fired up when the ball starts going in the basket, including the coach. It generates a lot of positive emotion and gets your crowd into it. When we started making shots in the second half, the crowd was fantastic. For a holiday game with the student body away on break, it is a credit to our crowd for coming out to see this team and this senior class. It is winding down, and there is not much more time to watch this incredible class. They scored all but four points tonight -- I don't know if I'll ever be able to coach that many great players in the same class again, but I'm going to enjoy every second I have left with this group."
"When we started getting the ball inside is when we started clicking, and Amber Flynn was a big part of that. Liz (Honegger) naturally floats to the outside and can hit the 3, and now you have that double weapon, with three-point baskets as well as baskets in the paint. Liz had it going from the arc, and Amber gave us a strong inside presence tonight. If there is a better sixth man in the conference than Amber, I would like to see her. Amber has been tremendous for us all year."
(Will Whitney Taylor's injury open up more minutes for Sarah Clapper?)
"Sarah was a big recruit for us. You know, you're always one ankle sprain or one knee injury away from getting your chance. Sarah played three very quality minutes in the first half tonight, and you are going to see a lot more of her as the season goes on. I expect big things of her; she is a big, rangy kid who brings us some size at the wing and can make shots."
BGSU SENIOR Ali Mann
"We weren't very aggressive in the first half; all of our catches were five feet outside of the three-point line. Coach talked about getting the ball in some scoring areas. Kate does a great job of taking the ball to the basket and making people collapse on her. (On the play that ended BG's scoring drought), I was wide open for the kick-out, and was able to hit that shot. That got the ball rolling a little bit, and gave us some momentum."
"It was frustrating, because nothing was going right for us. Right before that play, I looked up at the scoreboard, and we were down eight, one of our biggest deficits of the season. I just thought, `Please, God, let us hit a shot,' and luck was with us, I guess."
"This is a huge win. Delaware is one of the best teams on our schedule, and I have all the respect in the world for them. They have a great coach, a great system, and veteran players who know how to get the job done. It's not easy to come to Anderson and play, and they competed. They had us on the ropes. It's great to match up against a team like that, a team that is top-30 in the nation, and to have a big victory before conference play starts."
"I have never been a part of a game like that. Literally, there was nothing going right for us. We couldn't make a pass. And then, all of a sudden, it just clicked. We just needed that one shot to go down, and it did, and everyone was positive and we started playing with emotion and getting excited for one another. It was a great team win."
BGSU JUNIOR Kate Achter
(On the play that broke BGSU's scoring drought)
"I was just happy to get the ball inbounds under our own basket. We struggled from there a little bit tonight. On that play, I had to find someone who was open. It just happened that Ali was that player, and she stepped up and made a big shot for us."
"If I can't always contribute with points, I can always contribute with hustle stats. That's the role of a point guard; you don't have to score all the time, but you have to be able to be a leader, both while you're running plays as well as emotionally."
DELAWARE HEAD COACH TINA MARTIN
(Opening statement)
"Well, it was an interesting ballgame, and a great experience for our kids. Although it didn't come out the way we would have liked it to, obviously, playing in a hostile environment gave it a playoff-type atmosphere, which is good experience for us, given the teams that we are going to face in our conference. Bowling Green did a great job of execution down the stretch. They were able to get the ball inside, and they really exploited the back line of our defense."
"The first 25 minutes or so, I thought our kids did a great job of pressuring them and keeping them from getting into the flow offensively. But then, they started to attack our back line. Curt is a great coach, and we had worked on their screening, but we made some bad reads and that kind of started the snowball effect. Our defensive problems spilled over into our offensive execution. We tried to do too much at times, and it was a frustrating ballgame for the last 10 minutes."
"You've got to compliment Bowling Green. Those kids can flat-out shoot the basketball. Someone said to me earlier tonight that Bowling Green was kind of different from other teams, that they kind of go outside, then they go in. Well, boy oh boy, I'll tell you what, they went inside, then they went out. They were getting some looks on the baseline against us that people don't normally get. Mann is a heck of a player, and she and Flynn hurt us inside. Then, when we tried to collapse, they kicked it out, and it was like, `open up the floodgates.' They started hitting 3s, which we knew they were capable of doing. They are very deserving of their ranking. They've got a great home crowd. I think it is a great situation for women's basketball here, and I can see why a lot of people don't take the challenge of coming here to play. This is a tough environment to play in. We tried to step up to that challenge, and tonight we stumbled. I told our team (after the game) that it does not hurt us to lose to Bowling Green on the road. This is a road game against a top-25 team in the nation, but this will help us become a better basketball team."
(On BGSU's seniors, who combined for all but four of the Falcons' 70 points)
"Bowling Green is a heck of a team. I hope they win their league; I hope they three-peat, and I hope they can advance in the NCAA Tournament. Curt and I decided to play this game so that we both can get better, and I wish his team much success. It was a fun game, and he is coming back to Newark, Delaware, next year. It will be fun to see him again. If (this year's BG seniors) want to come, we'll give them some tickets, but they won't be putting a uniform on, I can tell you that right now."
"I think this is what college basketball is all about. We wanted it to be a good game, and it was a very good game. We have some things to work on to get ready for conference play, but I hope Bowling Green keeps it rolling."
DELAWARE SENIOR CHRISSY FISHER
(On BGSU's second-half shooting)
"They went on a run, and they just couldn't miss there for a while. At the same time, though, they were getting any shot they wanted. If we're not pressuring the ball and we're letting them get layups, it's kind of hard for them to miss. We knew they were a great-shooting team; everyone on their team can shoot from anywhere on the floor. But, our defense wasn't there during that run in the second half, and that's what killed us."
"They are a great basketball team. There's a reason why they are ranked in the top-25 in the country. We went on our run, they went on their run, and unfortunately, we weren't able to come back after their run."
DELAWARE SENIOR TYRESA SMITH
(Was it disappointing to lose the second-half lead?)
"Yes, it is very disappointing, because we are known for our defense. We played in front of a great crowd, but we've got to pull games like this out."
