UCLA's Hot Shooting Ends Falcons' Season, 74-61

Sunday, March 19

West Lafayette, Ind.

2:52 PM

Bowling Green State University

UCLA (First Round)

March 20, 2006 | Women's Basketball

March 19, 2006

Associated Press Recap | Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - UCLA shot 56.7 percent in the first half and made a total of 10 three-point field goals en route to a 74-61 win over the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team Sunday (March 19). The game, a first-round game in the Cleveland Regional of the NCAA Championships, was held at Mackey Arena on the Purdue University campus.

With the win, the Bruins, seeded fifth in the region, improve to 21-10. UCLA moves on to play fourth-seeded Purdue in Tuesday's second round. The Falcons, the Cleveland Regional's 12th seed, see one of the most successful seasons in school history come to an end with a record of 28-3.

Curt Miller (right) hugs Casey McDowell as assistant coach Kevin Eckert hugs Jill Lause as they leave the game in the closing minutes of a 74-61 loss to UCLA (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The loss snapped BGSU's 19-game winning streak, the fourth-longest streak in school history. BG had not tasted defeat since an overtime setback at Kentucky on Jan. 2.

Lisa Willis scored 23 points and Noelle Quinn 21 for the Bruins, and the two combined for eight of UCLA's 10 successful three-pointers. Junior Ali Mann led the Falcons with 16 points and eight rebounds, while classmate Liz Honegger, a native of Lafayette, Ind., had 15 points, five rebounds and a game-high five steals.

Sophomore Kate Achter also was in double digits, with 11 points, and tied for game honors with six assists.

Before an ESPN audience, the Bruins got on the board quickly, with a Lindsey Pluimer basket on the opening possession, but the Falcons came back to score the game's next six points. Mann answered Pluimer's short jumper by working her way inside for a layup, and Honegger split a pair of free throws, then took a pass from junior Megan Thorburn and drained a three-pointer. Quinn responded with a 3 to cut BG's lead to 6-5 heading into the first media timeout.

Out of that timeout, and with the shot clock winding down, Honegger kicked the ball out to senior Casey McDowell for a three-pointer and a 9-5 lead.

But, UCLA went on a quick 6-0 run to take the lead, 11-9. Mann, however, split a pair of free throws before Achter's drive-and-dish found an open McDowell for another trey. BG led, 13-11, at the 12:22 mark.

Another UCLA run, however, gave the Bruins the lead for good. After the teams traded baskets, giving the Falcons a 15-13 lead, UCLA scored the next 16 points of the game. The Bruins connected on seven-straight shot attempts during that stretch, and held the Falcons without a point for a span of 5:24. That run proved to be the difference in the game.

Quinn scored seven points during the run, nearly half of her game-high 16 first-half points. She went 6-of-8 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, hitting on both of her three-point attempts.

Finally, with 6:27 left in the half, Achter got herself to the line and hit a free throw. McDowell scored off a Carin Horne assist, breaking a drought of 6:05 without a field goal, but Lauren Pederson hit a three-pointer for the Bruins, and Quinn's free throws gave UCLA a 36-18 lead.

The margin grew to 20 points, 39-19, after Nikki Blue's three-ball at the 2:32 mark, but BG rallied with a 6-0 run. Mann again worked inside for a tough layup, drawing a foul and completing the three-point play. Then, Achter quickly drove the length of the court and spotted Honegger for a left-elbow three, and the UCLA lead was 39-25. The margin remained at 14 points (42-28) as the teams headed for their lockerrooms.

The Falcons showed some fire with a quick start to the second half. Horne, held scoreless in the first half, hit a tough spinning one-hander to open the second stanza. Then, Honegger ripped the ball away from Blue and threw it ahead to Horne for a layup. Mann's entry pass found Achter for a nifty reverse layup, and the lead was down to eight, 42-34.

Pluimer responded with a jumper, but Honegger scored off an Achter assist, and Mann drew Willis's third foul of the game and made two free throws. The lead was down to six points, 44-38, at the 16:45 mark, and the Bruins used a timeout.

That lead got down to five points, as Achter hit a jumper in the lane, then spotted Honegger for an easy layup. The Falcons were within 47-42 with 14:46 left. But, as seemed to be the case all day, the Bruins responded with a dagger, as Willis came downcourt and hit a three-pointer.

Achter hit a short layup off of Horne's pass, but a Quinn triple was followed by another Willis three-ball, and the lead was 56-44.

Mann scored, and Honegger followed with a putback of her own miss, cutting the lead to eight points, but Chinyere Ibekwe - who went 3-for-3 off the bench - restored the 10-point lead with a jumper. Mann sliced between a pair of defenders for a layup, but another Ibekwe field goal and a pair of Willis free throws increased the Bruins' lead to double digits for good.

Jill Lause hit a shot in the game's late going, and Lause and McDowell - the Falcons' two seniors - were taken out of the game to a standing ovation in the final minute.

McDowell had eight points in her final collegiate game, while Horne scored seven. Lause and junior Amber Flynn each had two points in the contest.

For the Bruins, Willis had a double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds as UCLA held a decisive 49-31 advantage on the glass. Pluimer had eight points and 10 boards, while Blue scored seven points and Ibekwe six.

The Falcons lose the services of Lause and McDowell, but are slated to return the other 10 players who saw action Sunday, including all five starters, in 2006-07. BGSU won over 20 games for the third consecutive season.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (OR AT LEAST PLANES AND BUSSES
For the second-straight season, the Falcons' NCAA trip was extended by a day ... on Sunday evening, the BGSU traveling party packed, checked out of the hotel and headed to a restaurant on the way out of town ... a bus mishap in the Steak n Shake parking lot -- while the team was inside the restaurant -- resulted in a large hole in one of the windows on the side of the team bus ... the bus was unable to transport the team, so the Falcons awaited the arrival of another bus from Mackey Arena to take the team back to the hotel ... that bus was in town from Columbus, having transported Ohio State fans to Mackey Arena for the evening session of games ... meanwhile, another bus was dispatched from Toledo, arriving in West Lafayette at approximately 2:00 a.m. on Monday ... the team boarded that bus at 7:00 a.m. Monday and headed back to Northwest Ohio ... last year, the Falcons stayed an extra day in Seattle, Wash., due to a malfunction with the airplane that was to fly BG back to Toledo Express Airport.

OTHER BGSU NOTES

The Falcons set new school and Mid-American Conference records for wins in a season, with 28 ... BGSU tied the school record, and the MAC mark, for fewest losses in a single season, as well ... the 1983-84 Central Michigan team had just three losses, going 27-3 ... in 1985-86, Ohio finished 26-3 overall, while the 1986-87 Falcon squad finished with a 27-3 mark.

As mentioned, 10 of the 12 players who saw action in the UCLA game have eligibility left, including all five starters ... four of those starters -- Liz Honegger, Carin Horne, Ali Mann and Megan Thorburn -- were juniors in 2005-06 ... along with classmates Amber Flynn and Julie Gompers (out due to injury), they comprise a class that has gone 72-21 in their three seasons ... that group has helped BGSU advance to the championship game of the Kraft MAC Tournament in all three years, with league regular-season and tourney titles and NCAA appearances in each of the last two seasons.

The fifth starter, Kate Achter, is one-half of the Falcons' 2005-06 sophomore class ... Achter and classmate Whitney Taylor have won MAC regular-season and tournament titles in both of their seasons on the BGSU campus, and have helped the Falcons to a mark of 51-11 during that time ... the two players have seen BG go 35-3 vs. MAC foes in their two years.

The Falcons' freshman class, of course, has helped the Falcons to a 28-3 mark ... Lindsey Goldsberry, Jasmine McCall and Jessica McKenzie have never lost to a MAC opponent ... in fact, until McKenzine played in the final minute of Sunday's UCLA game, the Falcons had never lost a game in which she saw action.

The two 2005-06 seniors, Lause and McDowell, keyed the Falcons' turnaround ... Lause joined the Falcons as a freshman in 2002-03, when BGSU was coming off a nine-win season ... she was the first recruit to commit to the Falcons in the Curt Miller Era ... that same year, McDowell transferred to BGSU from Indiana State, sitting out the '02-03 campaign ... in those four years, the Falcons have averaged 21 victories ... in the last three seasons, with McDowell and Lause both in uniform, BG has averaged 24 victories.