Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Kent State
Golden Flashes Muted in Record Breaking Road Win
January 16, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2008
Miller and Taylor post-game audio |
Final Stats
KENT, Ohio - Bowling Green State University picked-up their first road win in conference play as they defeated host Kent State University in convincing fashion with a 90-64 win. The Falcons are 3-0 in league contests and 14-3 overall while the Golden Flashes drop to 4-11 overall, 1-2 in the MAC and 1-4 at home in the M.A.C. Center.
Senior Whitney Taylor was the talk of the BGSU bench as she hit eight consecutive three pointers en route to setting a new BGSU single-game record. In fact, as of the mid-point in the second half, she not only hit that eighth three pointer to break said record, but was also a perfect 12-12 in MAC only games. The 20-plus point effort was the first of her career and the eighth by a Falcon this season. Taylor finished the night going 10-11 and finished as the game-high scorer with her 28 points. She also had three defensive rebounds, two assists and a steal on the night.
As a team, the Falcons tied the standing record of 16 made three-pointers which was set in a home win over Akron on Jan. 26, 2000. That same team went on to set the single-season three point record making 259 throughout the 1999-2000 season. The last time the current BGSU team hit 10 three-pointers was just two games back. The Falcons sank 10 against the University of Akron in the conference opener. To date this season's squad has hit 118 total three's. BGSU averages 10 three's per game in MAC only games and 6.9 through all games this season.
Kate Achter had a near double-double sinking 10 points and contributing a game-high nine assists. It is the second straight game in which a Falcon was just shy of a double-dip on the boxscore (Tara Breske was one rebound short versus Ohio, 12pts-9rbs). Lauren Prochaska, who was 4-5 from beyond the arc and a perfect 2-2 from the free throw line, finished with 14 points while Lindsey Goldsberry finished with 10 points going perfect from the floor (4-4) and the free throw line (2-2).
Bowling Green started the game forcing a KSU turnover and immediately retaliated with a made Goldsberry three. The Falcons then scored again on their next possession on a Murdaugh jumper; and so would be a familiar site for the entire night.
The Golden Flashes were forced to call a thirty-second time out less than two minutes (18:19) into the game as the Falcons scored on their first three of four possessions, 8-0. On the contrasting side, in Kent's first three possessions the hosts were held scoreless due to missed lay-ups and turnovers.
KSU broke the ice at 17:43 as Anna Kowalska converted a mid-range jumper. To that point, KSU had been held to just four shot attempts.
Goldsberry then answered with yet another three that the Falcon defense backed-up by forcing the sixth Golden Flash turnover; at the time, nine of BG's points were the result of KSU turnovers. They would go on to score 41 points off Kent's 24 TO's.
After a pair of made free throws, the BGSU defense continued to control the tempo of the game as Achter drew a charge high above the arc in the open back court. Once again the Falcons regained possession of the ball and converted the control of the ball into points with a Prochaska three pointer by way of a Murdaugh assist, 16-7.
Kent, in light of making a run of their own, return the favor by capitalizing on the Falcon's few mistakes and capped a defensive run of their own with the conversion of Rachel Bennett's steal and fast break lay-up. The basket placed Kent State within five points of the Falcons, 16-11, as the thirteenth minute began to count down.
Whitney Taylor's three pointer at 11:25 gave the falcons a seven point lead and their fifth made three of the night. At that time the visitor's had missed just one deep jumper. Much like her last outing, she matched the effort with yet another three pointer to give BGSU a 24-13 advantage with little over 10-minutes to play. After stretching the lead to 11 points, the Falcons would remain ahead by double-digit figure for the remainder of the night.
A Falcon foul sent Kowalska to the line and after one KSU made FT, BGSU downed another Goldsberry jumper on a played started by a Jen Uhl defensive rebound. In a familiar site, Taylor buried another three and the Falcons were in charge of a 29-14 lead with 9:00 and change still on the clock.
Chelsea Albert gave the Falcons yet another scoring option as she laid in a short soft finger roll from the weak side just prior to the second media timeout of the night, 31-16.
With 6:49 remaining in the first half, Bowling Green forced a KSU turnover under their own basket and like so many times before marched down the court for another pair of points.
A Chanel Harris lay-up cut the lead to 15 points at 5:33, but the Golden Flashes were unable to match their output on their next trip down the floor as one of their posts was caught for a three-second violation. The 15 point lead would be the smallest margin between the two teams for the remainder of the contest.
Prochaska took the ensuing possessions into her own hands sandwiching a pair of threes with a steal on the defensive end. At 4:24, Bowling Green not only had the 39-18 lead, but also the momentum of the game.
Murdaugh also both began and finished a play as she drew her 10th block of the season and fed Breske on the opposite end to finish the play with more BG points. With that 10th block, Murdaugh notched herself higher on the all-time rookie block list and is now tied at eighth overall.
At 1:19 Taylor hit her eighth consecutive MAC three pointer as the Falcons took a 26 point lead on the hosts in the M.A.C. Center - then at 34.2 she knocked down her ninth. Through the conclusion of the first half, Taylor had not missed a three pointer in MAC play.
Carrying a 51-20 lead into the locker room, Bowling Green was shooting 56.3% from the field including a stellar 84.6% from behind the arc. In forcing 16 turnovers, the Falcons had scored 32 points in comparison to KSU's seven points off the Falcons' mere six turnovers.
To begin the second half, Kent State drew first blood with an Ashley Harkins three pointer, but BGSU continued to answer any KSU points with baskets of their own and took a 32 point (61-29) lead into the first media timeout.
Taylor continued to roll scoring the next three of four Falcon baskets and by 12:59 the Orange and Brown was ahead a commanding 41 points, 72-31. Between her first and third three in that series, KSU was 1-of-4 from the field and turned the ball over once.
Kent State found a late surge between 12:59 and 9:21 taking a 10-5 run on the Falcon reserves, 74-41. The 33-point lead was then deflated to a 25 point lead as Stephanie Gibson hit a three pointer at 4:49. By game's end, both teams would combine for 21 long range field-goals and both would finish with a better than 60 percent accuracy.
Taylor's lay-up at 4:34 pushed the lead back to 27, but within the next minute Harris complimented a pair of shots from the field with a made free throw and KSU nearly cut the once 41 point Falcon lead to 22 points with 3:34 left in the contest.
With the help of Taylor's light's out night, Bowling Green rebuilt their margin to +29 with less than three-minutes still to be played.
In the final minutes of the game, Bianca Hooten scored the Falcons final four points as Harris and Bennett combined for the final six by the Golden Flashes. Hooten set a career-high netting eight points in the outing. She went 2-3 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line.
The Falcon bench finished the night scoring 44 points, just one point more than their previous season high, 43, which was scored in an early season road win over Florida Gulf Coast. To date, the Falcons' bench has notched 30-plus points on four occasions while scoring 29 on three other occasions. Their combined 14 FG's made was the second best outing of the season.
Bowling Green will continue their MAC road swing and travel north to the University at Buffalo next on Saturday (Jan. 19) evening. Tip-off will be thrown at 7:00 p.m.
*Falcon Notes*
*Before missing her final shot in the closing seconds of the game, Whitney Taylor was on track to become just the second player in BGSU history to have a perfect outing when taking 10-plus shots. Michelle Terry remains as the only Falcon to leave the floor without missing a shot after her 11-11 performance versus Eastern Michigan on Feb. 14, 1996.
*Taylor's 28 points not only match her output over nine games last season, but also beats her seasonal point total during the 2005-06 season (26-sophomore). Also her eight three's match her total from each of the 14 prior games she has played in this season.
*After losing his first five games at the hands of one of his coaching mentor's, head coach Curt Miller has defeated a Bob Lindsay KSU squad on seven straight occasions. Miller's team's average 74.43 points versus KSU in their wins and 84.33 over the last three. KSU on the other hand averages 57.71 ppg in those seven loses and 60.67 in the last three outings.
*Tonight marked the fourth time in the past five games in which every player on the BGSU bench has seen game action.
*In attendance in tonight's crowd was Casey McDowell, the current three-point record holder. McDowell's career three-point night was set in her senior season vs. Miami on Mar. 9, 2005 in the MAC Tournament.
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