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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons to Face UCLA in First Round of NCAA Championships
March 13, 2006 | Women's Basketball
March 13, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team has learned the date, site and opponent for the Falcons' next game. BGSU, the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament champion, has advanced to the NCAA Championships. The Falcons have been named a #12 seed in the Cleveland Regional, and will face #5 seed UCLA in West Lafayette, Ind., on Sunday, March 19. The game is scheduled to begin at approximately 2:30 p.m. EST and will be televised by ESPN and ESPNU.
NCAA Bracket (with tipoff times - 1 page) in PDF Format
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The Falcons (28-2) and Bruins (20-10) will meet in the second game of the day at Purdue's Mackey Arena. Host Purdue (24-6), seeded #4 in the Cleveland Regional, will take on #13 seed Missouri State (17-14) in the day's first game, beginning at noon EST. BGSU and UCLA will begin their game 30 minutes after the first game ends.
Four schools from the Albuquerque Regional will compete on Sunday at Mackey Arena as well. Eighth-seeded Boston College (19-11) and ninth-seeded Notre Dame (18-11) will square off Saturday at 7:00 p.m., followed by top-seeded Ohio State (28-2) and 16th-seeded Oakland (15-15) at approximately 9:30 p.m.
The four winning teams will play second-round games Tuesday, March 21, with those games beginning at 7:00 and approximately 9:30 p.m., according to Purduesports.com.
The Falcons enter the game, as mentioned, with a record of 28-2. BGSU won the Mid-American Conference's regular-season crown with a perfect 16-0 record, then won three more games at the Kraft MAC Tournament in Cleveland last weekend, downing Northern Illinois (73-61), Toledo (68-46) and Kent State (64-39) to earn the league's automatic bid.
UCLA is the automatic bid recipient from the Pacific 10 Conference. The Bruins finished in third place in the Pac-10 during the regular season, but defeated #6 Cal (80-63), #2 Arizona State (60-59) and #1 Stanford (85-76, OT) to win the conference tournament title for the first time in school history.
THE GAME: #12 seed Bowling Green vs. #5 seed UCLA DATE: Sunday, March 19, 2006 TIME: Approx. 2:30 p.m. EST SITE: Mackey Arena; West Lafayette, Ind. TELEVISION: ESPN, ESPNU RADIO: WBGU-FM 88.1 -- Chris Schieman and Rob Troutman
BGSU is appearing in the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive year and the seventh time in school history. The Falcons lost to Kansas State, 70-60, in the first round of last year's national tournament, and BGSU has an all-time record of 1-7 in the NCAA Championships.
UCLA, making a return to the NCAA Championship after a one-year hiatus, is in the national tourney for the ninth time. The Bruins are 7-8 in the previous eight trips.
The Falcons and Bruins have never met in women's basketball.
TICKET INFORMATION
Information courtesy www.Purduesports.com
Full-session (all six games) ticket prices are $40 for adults and $30 for students. Single-session (two games) ticket prices are $15 for adults and $12 for students. All fans, regardless of age, must have a ticket to enter Mackey Arena. Tickets may be purchased through the Purdue Athletic Ticket Office by calling (800) 497-7678 or (765) 494-3194.
The eight-team, six-game format consists of three sessions, with doors opening one hour before tipoff of the first game of each session. After the first two-game session Sunday, Mackey Arena will be cleared for the evening session.
QUOTES
BGSU HEAD COACH Curt Miller
(What were your first thoughts when you saw Bowling Green's name on the board?)
"I was excited, especially about the location. Our fans have been tremendous, and what a following we had in Cleveland (for the MAC Tournament). Now, we get a bus trip to West Lafayette. I've always considered Mackey Arena my favorite arena in the country because I did a lot of camps there during the summers, and I'm very excited about bringing (Lafayette, Ind., native) Liz Honegger, one of our stars, home. We couldn't be happier with the location."
(On UCLA)
"They made a big tournament run in the Pac-10, and won the conference tournament, so we got to see a lot of those games on TV. There are three future WNBA players in that UCLA starting five, so they will certainly be more than a handful for us, but we will prepare like we always do, and we look forward to the opportunity."
(Are your kids more relaxed this year than last year?)
"Last year, I was the only one, among the players and coaches, who had been to an NCAA Tournament. Now, almost everyone in the program has been there. So, certainly, knowing what is expected of us -- the timetables, the press conferences, the practices that are open to the media and the public -- is a little more comforting now, because we know what to expect. Coming from a bus league, and being able to make a bus trip, we will be able to treat it as a typical road game, and not have to fly halfway across the country."
(On Liz Honegger being able to return to her home area and play)
"Liz Honegger grew up in Lafayette, Ind., and is such a big name in that area. Playing after Purdue's game, there will hopefully be an appeal, a reason for Purdue's fans to stick around and cheer for us. That, on top of our fans who travel so well, could give us a chance to have a great crowd on our side for that game."
(Do you feel that your schedule has prepared you for what you are going to face?)
"I truly believe so. Indiana finished in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten, and we beat them by 18 points on their home floor. Kentucky finished fourth in the SEC and got a number-five seed in the tournament. We took them to overtime ... I've said all along that, you put this Bowling Green program in a 'power conference' right now, and we'll finish in the top half of any league in the country. And, that's what we're playing in the first round, a very, very good UCLA team that is in the top half of the Pac-10. We'll certainly be the underdog, and they certainly have the superstars, but we'll take our experiences at Indiana and Kentucky and try to use them to our benefit."
(What does UCLA bring to the table?)
"Well, UCLA is tremendously athletic, but what separates them from a lot of athletic teams is their ability to shoot 3s. You're going to see a player in Lisa Willis who can shoot basically from half-court. Noelle Quinn is a big kid that has versatility; she can step out to the arc and play everywhere. Nikki Blue is one of the top-five point guards in the entire country. Not only are they athletic with the ability to play up and down the floor, they can really shoot. They can challenge you in many different ways. This is one of the best offensive teams in the country."
SOPHOMORE GUARD Kate Achter
"We are excited to be in the NCAA Tournament again, and to be closer to home. Seattle was great last year, but we will be able to draw a lot better this year. We have great fans, and this location hopefully will enable us to look up into the crowd and see more Falcon fans than Bruin fans. We couldn't be more excited to be back in the tournament and play closer to Ohio."
JUNIOR F/C Liz Honegger, a native of Lafayette, Ind.
"When they flashed our name on the screen, all I could think was 'Yes, I'm going home.' But, I'm really excited for us to get another opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. It's going to be a lot of fun; I'm going home to play UCLA."
(How many family and friends will you have there?)
"I don't know an actual number, but I've already had several messages from people saying that they're excited, and they're going to buy tickets."
JUNIOR FORWARD Ali Mann
"We're excited to be a 12 seed, we're excited to go play UCLA, and I'm happy for Liz, that we are in her backyard and she can play in front of all of her friends and family."
(On playing a little closer to home than last year)
"Hopefully, it makes for an easier, more manageable trip for our families. Most of our families would travel anywhere in the world to see us play, of course, but hopefully this site will make it easier for some Bowling Green fans to get to the game. We have a great fan base, and we hope that as many BG fans as possible are able to come see us play."
