Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
AKRON
Prochaska's 18 Guides Women's Basketball To 88-56 Win Over Akron
January 09, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2008
Prochaska and Taylor (BGSU) Post- Game Audio | Miller (BGSU) Post-Game Audio
| Jodi Kest (Akron) Post-Game Audio |
Final Stats |
Photo Gallery 
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Freshman guard Lauren Prochaska tallied a game-high 18 points, all coming in the first half, as she helped to guide the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team to an 88-56 win over the visiting University of Akron in the Mid-American Conference opener. The Wednesday evening MAC contest was held at Anderson Arena.
With the win, head coach Curt Miller takes the sole possession of the second overall slot on the all-time coaching wins list. His 136-63 record trails the leader, Fran Voll (144-60), by just eight W's.
As the game clock expired to 00:00, the Falcons improved to 12-3 overall and 1-0 in the MAC, while dropping the Zips to 5-10 and 0-1, respectively. In the victory, BGSU also picked up their third consecutive MAC season opening triumph over the Zips; the Orange and Brown have won by increased double-digits in each of the last three home conference openers (+17, +29, +32).
Also contributing to the successful night was senior reserve guard Whitney Taylor who netted 13 points, including a career-high four made three-point field goals. Taylor nearly saw a perfect night going 4-4 from the floor and 1-2 from the free throw line - all in just 18 minutes of play. She also had an assist and a steal against the Zips.
Taylor was not the only Falcon to net a quartet of three-pointers. While the senior captain's achievement came in the second half, Prochaska went 4-4 in the first half. By nights end, BG went 10-19 (52.6%) from the back court. The usual suspects of Lindsey Goldsberry and Tracy Pontius also swished one of their own tonight.
BGSU's Kate Achter and Tara Breske each contributed 12 points in the win, while freshman Crystal Murdaugh pulled down a career-high eight rebounds. Previously Murdaugh's high consisted of six rebounds; tonight she matched that earlier effort on the defensive end alone.
A trio of youngsters paced the Zips including a game-high 18 points from freshman guard Kara Murphy; she also recorded a team-high five rebounds. Four assists were dished via freshman guard Amanda Sedlack and three steals were snatched by freshman guard Keyla Snowden.
Akron was forced to call a timeout early in the opening minutes of play as the Falcons took a 5-0 lead due in part to a pair of made buckets by Breske and Prochaska which offset the opening UA turnovers.
By 16:30 BGSU rolled to a 10 point lead, 12-2, thanks to one of Prochaska's seven made first half field goals. To that point, the Falcons were 5-8 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line.
Just before the first media time out, Akron's Murphy sank a three pointer at 15:58 to close the Zips back within single digits of the Falcons, but after the TO Prochaska answered with a three of her own to push the lead back to double-digits. From that point forward, the Zips were in constant battle to not only over come the Falcons, but first to lower the multiple point lead from which the Falcons would sustain.
After Murphy sunk her three pointer, the Zips would be held silent for 4:08 as the hosts went on an 8-0 run that propelled their 10 point lead to 18. Prochaska, Achter, Breske and Jennifer Uhl each contributed to the scoring run via baskets while Goldsberry and Achter chipped in helpers on the made field goals.
Akron answered with an 8-2 charge of their own, but the 12 point deficit, 25-13, at 7:08 would become the lowest they would see for the remainder of the game.
At the half, the Falcons had jumped out to a 21 point lead with a score of 46-25. BG's 46 points were the most first-half points to be scored at home or on the road during the 2007-08 season. With 20-minutes elapsed, Prochaska (18) and Achter (10) were good for a combined 28 points; just three more than the entire Akron squad. BG's mark of 53.1 percent (12-32) was the third-highest total from the field in the first half this season.
As the second half of play began, Breske was the go to player for the Falcons opening with a defensive rebound, a steal, a pair of made free throw and a lay-up all within the first 1:28.
The teams traded five points a piece but by 17:52, the scoreboard remained at +22 in favor of the Falcons.
After Murdaugh gave the Falcons their biggest lead of the game (to that point, 24 pts., 54-30) with her jumper in the paint at 15: 46, both Snowden and Riana Miller contributed to cutting the lead to 20 with their points in the lane. Quickly the Falcons rebuilt their lead first with a Murdaugh free throw and next with a Goldsberry free throw that was earned from a foul off Murdaugh's second shot rebound.
Goldsberry followed her 1-2 performance from the line (13:36), with a made three pointer less than a minute later. UA's Miller then sunk a jumper to chase Goldsberry's three, but once Taylor got her hands on the ball at 10:42 the Falcons would lead by 24-or-more points for the remainder of the contest.
Taylor's fourth and final three pointer of the night gave the Falcons a 30-point lead at 4:33 which they rode through the final plays of the game.
The Falcons will remain in the friendly confines of Anderson Arena on Saturday (Jan. 12) as pre-season MAC East favorite Ohio invades the Bowling Green campus. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.
*FALCON NOTES*
*Bowling Green has won their last three match-up in lopsided 30+ point victories. The BGSU bench has been responsible for 29 points on two of those occasions and 30 points in another outing. One non-starter has posted figures in the double-digits in each of those wins. Every player has seen time in the wins also.
*BGSU's 32 point win was the largest margin of victory of each of the first night MAC games. Toledo beat Central Michigan by 20 (72-52), while Eastern Michigan delivered a 19 point loss to Northern Illinois, 61-42. Preseason league favorite Ball State also started the season with a win in the teen's en route to beating Western Michigan, 84-70 (+14). Bowling Green's 88 points were the most to be scored in the first nice of conference basketball; Akron's 56 were the second lowest on the evening.
*After one played game, Prochaska's 18 points set the freshman tied for the fourth best points per game in league only games. Ball State's Emily Maggert led the conference with 24 tonight. BGSU's Taylor was the only MAC player to shoot 1.000 when attempting three or more shots tonight.
##BGSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL##
