Bowling Green State University
OHIO
Falcons Survive at Ohio, 65-61
February 25, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 25, 2006
ATHENS, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team overcame a flu bug, a less-than-stellar day at the free-throw line and a scrappy Ohio University club to post a 65-61 win over the Bobcats Saturday afternoon (Feb. 25). The Mid-American Conference game was held at the Convocation Center.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 24-2 on the year and 15-0 in MAC play. Ohio drops to 7-19 and 4-11, respectively.
Junior Ali Mann led the Brown and Orange with a game-high 20 points, while classmate Liz Honegger had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Honegger also had four blocked shots and three steals to lead all players in both categories, in addition to rebounding.
Senior Casey McDowell had a season-high 14 points, going 5-for-7 from the field, including a 3-for-5 effort from the three-point arc. McDowell made her first start since the conference opener on Jan. 7, replacing junior Carin Horne. Horne missed the OU game due to the flu.
Junior Amber Flynn provided a spark off the bench, scoring eight points and tying her career best with 10 rebounds. Flynn's point total included a critical three-point play in the late going.
Quintana Ward had 14 points to pace three double-digit scorers for the Bobcats.
"It was one of those grind-it-out games that you typically see at this time of year," said BGSU head coach Curt Miller. "Both teams played very hard and were really aggressive. Both teams defended well and made each other work on every possession.
"I'm very proud of our kids in that - playing under the weather and without one of our most explosive players - we found a way to win. Ohio is a scary team; they are loaded with incredibly talented young players, and they are going to be fun to watch over the next few years. I can't say enough about our kids to be able to find a way to win once again."
The Falcons got off to a slow start at the offensive end. After Honegger made BG's first shot attempt of the day to tie the score at 2-2 just 31 seconds in, the Brown and Orange would go scoreless on the next four possessions. Ohio got a three-pointer from Ward, along with a Lauren Revesz layup, her second of the day, and the `Cats led by a 7-2 count.
The visitors got a three-pointer from McDowell, off a Mann assist, to cut the lead to two points. On the play, McDowell's bounce pass found Mann inside, with her back to the basket. Mann was knocked to the ground, but was able to get a return pass to McDowell, who found nothing but net with her triple try.
For the Falcons, that three-ball began a 15-0 run, with McDowell scoring the first nine points, all on three-pointers. And, on each trey, Mann drew the assist. Out of the game's first media timeout, Mann found McDowell for a triple, giving BG the lead at the 15:37 mark. Just over a minute later, the two hooked up again, for McDowell's third three-pointer in a span of 1:58.
Then, Mann hit a pull-up jumper from the left side, giving BG a 13-7 lead, and Honegger had a monster block of Rachel Frederick on a short-range jumper. BG did not score on the ensuing possession, but after an OU offensive foul, Mann punctuated a nifty left-side drive with an up-and-under move, slipping past Chandra Myers for a layup.
Two free throws by Honegger capped the 15-0 run, before Simone Redd broke Ohio's scoring drought with a long three-pointer. That triple marked Ohio's first points in a span of exactly six-and-a-half minutes.
The Falcons, however, would encounter their own shooting woes. After Mann's layup, BG would go over six-and-a-half minutes without a field goal. The hosts whittled the lead to 19-15 before Flynn rebounded her own miss and converted a layup in traffic.
Then, Honegger ripped the ball away from Revesz and fired it upcourt to sophomore Kate Achter. Achter's bounce pass found an open McDowell for an easy layup, and the Bobcats took a timeout at the 5:09 mark with BG ahead, 23-15.
After a pair of Frederick free throws, freshman Jasmine McCall's steal and layup restored the Falcons' eight-point lead.
The hosts, however, got back into the game with a pair of three-point plays a few minutes later. Both Frederick and Domenica Silva hit layups, drew a foul and knocked down the ensuing free throw, and BG's lead was just 25-23.
Sliva's three-point play, with 1:25 left in the half, was the last scoring for either team until the first-half horn. After the Falcons were called for a foul on a scramble for a rebound with 8.1 seconds left, Frederick went to the free-throw line for the Bobcats. She missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, however, and Honegger grabbed the rebound. She fired the ball ahead to Achter as the Falcons hurried downcourt.
Achter crossed midcourt and threw a pass to Mann in the left corner. The junior's three-point field-goal try swished through the hoop as the horn sounded, and the Falcons took a 28-23 lead into the lockerroom.
In that first half, McDowell and Mann combined for 20 of BG's 28 points. McDowell surpassed her season scoring best in the first half, with 11 points against the Bobcats.
In the second half, that duo picked right up where they had left off. McDowell hit a jumper on the Falcons' opening possession, and a Mann hoop at the 18:36 mark gave BG a 33-25 lead.
Several minutes later, Honegger hit a left-wing three off a McDowell pass, and the Falcons' lead was nine points. A blocked shot by Flynn led to a BG defensive rebound, and a quick three-pointer by Mann gave the Falcons a double-digit lead, 41-29, with 14:44 left.
Frederick scored at the other end, but Flynn answered with a layup and a 43-31 BG advantage. Then, however, the Falcons went cold, going without a field goal for 7:37 as the Bobcats battled back to tie the game.
After an OU free throw, Ward nailed a three-pointer, and Redd canned a short jumper to cut the lead to 43-37. A BG timeout could not stem the tide, however. The teams traded free throws before another trey from Ward cut the lead to 45-41 and got the Ohio fans back into the game.
Two Frederick free throws narrowed the gap even further, before Achter hit a free throw for a 46-43 margin with just under nine minutes left. The Bobcats' lone senior, Ciara Iglehart, made three free throws to tie the contest with 7:48 on the clock. Iglehart missed her fourth free-throw try in a span of 23 seconds, which would have given the hosts the lead.
Achter split a pair of free throws to give the Falcons the lead once again, before Honegger hit a big three-pointer at the 6:28 mark. That shot, BGSU's first field goal since over 14 minutes remained in the contest, gave the visitors a 50-46 lead.
Revesz hit a short jumper at the other end, but Mann muscled past a Bobcat defender for a layup.
The teams traded free throws for the next few minutes, before a driving jumper by Mann gave BG a 55-51 lead with just under four minutes remaining. Then, a quick steal by Flynn led to an Achter jumper and a six-point margin.
Revesz hit a layup to cut the lead to four, before Flynn came through in a big way. McDowell fired a pass to Flynn in the lane. Flynn had trouble fielding the pass, but grabbed the ball and - surrounded by three defenders - quickly banked the ball off the glass and in. On the play, Iglehart was whistled for her fifth foul of the game, and Flynn completed for three-point play for a 60-53 lead with 2:36 left.
After that, neither team could score for over a minute and a half, until less than one minute remained in the game. Achter was fouled with 52.1 seconds left and, in an all-too-familiar scene, split her free throws. The Falcons would go 5-for-10 at the line in the game's final minute, 14-of-25 (56.0 percent) in the second half and 18-for-31 (58.1%) from the stripe on the afternoon.
Achter's free throw gave BG a 61-53 lead, but Ward quickly hit a hoop at the other end, and Ohio called time with 45.3 seconds left. McDowell was fouled and split her tosses, before the Falcons forced a missed layup attempt by the hosts. Honegger grabbed the rebound, was fouled and - you guessed it - hit 1-of-2 free throws for a 63-55 lead with 29.7 seconds left.
A Bobcat three-point attempt missed the mark entirely, but Redd grabbed the rebound of the airball and fired a pass to Frederick. Frederick's three-point try was good with 15.9 seconds left, cutting the lead to five points.
The hosts quickly fouled Achter, who hit a free throw with 14.6 seconds remaining. Then, however, Katie Reihmann hit a long, straightaway three, cutting the margin to 64-61 with 6.2 seconds left.
After Ohio's final timeout, the Bobcats fouled Achter before the ball was inbounded, and the BG soph made her second free throw to make it a two-possession game. A long three-point try by Ward was off the mark as the buzzer sounded.
For the game, the Falcons shot 38.5% from the field, while holding the Bobcats to a 35.1% rate. BGSU went 7-for-20 from three-point range, with McDowell hitting three treys and Honegger and Mann two apiece. Ward led the hosts with three of the team's six successful three-pointers on the day.
Revesz and Frederick each joined Ward in double digits in scoring, with 12 points. Frederick had a double-double, with a team-best 10 rebounds in the game. The Falcons held a 42-39 advantage in that category.
The Falcons will close the regular season with a Tuesday (Feb. 28) game at Miami University. Tipoff will be at 7:00 p.m. at Millett Hall.
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