Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Temple
Temple Tops Falcons, 70-55
November 14, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2008
Final Stats
BGSU-Temple Boxscore in PDF Format 
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (BGSUFalcons.com) - A slow start put the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team in the hole early, and the Falcons were never able to climb out, as host Temple University posted a 70-55 win Friday night (Nov. 14). The game, the season opener for both teams, was held at the Liacouras Center in downtown Philadelphia.
For the Falcons, sophomore Lauren Prochaska scored a team-high 13 points. Classmate Tracy Pontius joined her in double digits, with 10 points on the night.
The Owls got 16 points from LaKeisha Eaddy, who paced four TU players in double figures. Shaqwedia Wallace had 13 points, Shanea Cotton added 12 and Shenita Landry added 11 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Landry also had four assists and three blocks to lead all players in both categories.
"Obviously, the game was not a pretty game, but both teams played hard," said Falcon head coach Curt Miller. "But, our turnovers killed us in the first half.
"We only had three turnovers in the second half, which obviously was an improvement. I thought we were just a little rushed, a little out of sync. But, credit has to go to them and their physical play. We weren't able to get any penetration tonight, and their big, strong post players really hurt us inside.
"We will learn from this, and we will get better, but we have to keep working hard and striving to get better."
BGSU struggled offensively, particularly in the first half. The Falcons shot just 17.4 percent before the intermission, making 4-of-23 shots, and BG committed 16 first-half turnovers. Still, the Falcons were within 10 points, 28-18, at the break.
When Pontius picked Eaddy's pocket at midcourt and sailed in for a layup just nine seconds into the second half, the Falcons were within eight points. But, BG could draw no closer. A putback by Kristie Watkins-Day began a 6-0 run, and the Falcons could never whittle the lead below 10 points the rest of the night.
For the game, the Owls shot 41.5 percent to the Falcons' 26.7%.
Both teams got off to slow starts in the opening half. A bucket by Eaddy nearly 90 seconds into the game opened the scoring, and her three-pointer just before the game's initial media timeout was the lone additional scoring in the first four minutes.
The TU lead grew to 7-0 on a hoop by Lindsay Kimmel at the 14:45 mark. The Falcons went scoreless on their first 12 possessions, before Prochaska found sophomore Jen Uhl for a driving layup with 13:40 left in the half. After a block by junior Tara Breske on the next possession, a Pontius drive and dish led to a left-side three-pointer from senior Lindsey Goldsberry, and the Falcons were within two points, at 7-5.
But, Eaddy responded with a triple, then stole the ball at midcourt and went in all alone for a layup. That was the start of an 11-0 run by the home team, putting the lead at 18-5 on Cotton's layup with 8:58 left in the half.
The Falcons made a pair of free throws to stop the run, but the Falcons went nearly 10 minutes without a field goal, before junior Niki McCoy fed a trailing Prochaska for a trey at the 3:36 mark. That triple narrowed the gap to 24-12, and a pair of free throws by freshman Jessica Slagle cut the lead to 10 points.
The teams traded points for the remainder of the half. A runner by McCoy cut the lead to 26-16 with 1:21 left, and Maria Bennett picked up her third foul on the play. Temple answered with a bucket, but two Prochaska free throws with 29 seconds left cut the margin back to 10 points at the intermission.
After Pontius converted her layup to start the second half, Watkins-Day scored four-straight points as part of that 6-0 run. Every time the Falcons would cut the lead to 10 or 12 points, it seemed the Owls would answer almost instantly.
Prochaska made a triple with a defender's hand in her face, but a pair of Landry FTs restored TU's lead to 13 points, at 36-23.
The Falcons scored the next three points, including freshman Maribeth Giese's offensive rebound and putback, and BGSU then got a defensive stop. But, as the Brown and Orange took the ball over midcourt, Eaddy made a steal and sailed in for an easy layup.
Pontius hit a three-pointer, and BG was within 40-29 with 13 minutes left. But, Wallace answered with a triple of her own, then made two charity tosses.
Giese hit a straightaway three-pointer, and Prochaska got a runner to drop, and BG had cut the deficit to 12 points, at 47-35.
But, moments later, another steal and breakaway layup was followed by a transition basket for the Owls, and the margin was 16 points.
Slagle knocked down a short jumper, and Prochaska hit another shot in traffic. Temple took timeout as the lead was 57-44 with seven minutes on the clock.
A steal by junior Laura Bugher led to a sweet spin move and layup from McCoy, cutting the deficit to 11 points. But, Temple scored five-straight points, and eight of the game's next 10, to up the advantage to 17, 65-48. BG could get no closer than 12 points thereafter.
For the Falcons, Giese had seven points in 14 minutes off the bench, while McCoy scored six in her Falcon debut. Uhl had five points and tied Prochaska for team honors with six rebounds, while Bugher and Slagle scored four points apiece.
The Falcons had 19 turnovers for the game, to Temple's 16. But, TU had a 19-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
BGSU now returns to Northwest Ohio to prepare for another road game. The Falcons will head to NW Indiana for a Wednesday (Nov. 19) game vs. Valparaiso. Three days later (Nov. 22), BGSU will open the home portion of the schedule by taking on Lipscomb at Anderson Arena.
