Bowling Green State University
OHIO
Achter and Taylor Become Winningest Class in MAC History as Falcons Win at Ohio
February 27, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 27, 2008
Miller post-game audio |
Final Stats
ATHENS, Ohio - Kate Achter and Whitney Taylor became the winningest class in the history of the Mid-American Conference as the Bowling Green State University Falcons stole a road victory at the Convo Center as the Ohio University Bobcats fell on Senior Night. Bowling Green took home the 82-67 win en route to moving to 22-6 overall and 11-3 in the Mid-American Conference. The win was No. 104 for Acther and Taylor.
Ohio University drops to 15-11 overall and 8-5 in the league. The Bobcats will finish the season with three games on the road at Kent State, Northern Illinois and Miami within the span of a week's time.
Achter led the way with 27 points, including 16 in the second half. She was 10-18 from the floor marking the second time a BGSU player has made double-digit field goals in MAC play; Taylor was the other (Jan. 16). Freshman Lauren Prochaska also finished in the 20 point range with 21 points matching her career high which was set the last time the Falcons stepped onto the court. She also finished with 11 rebounds for her second straight double-double. Sophomore Tara Breske rounded out the high scorers for the visitors with 17 points and her first MAC double-double as she tore down 13 boards. The Falcons are now 7-1 when the trio each record double-figure scoring nights.
Ohio's Chandra Meyers', who was held without a point in their last meeting, scored a team high 17 points and nabbed 10 rebounds. She also added two blocks to her resume. Quintana Ward and Jennifer Poff each tossed in 12 respective points. Poff threw a team high five helpers in the loss.
Bowling Green began the game with a rough start missing three jumpers and committing a turnover and a foul. Ohio capitalized on those problems, opening with a Lauren Hmiel three at 18:37.
Achter answered the three with a quick jumper and raised Bowling Green one point as Prochaska's steal resulted in another basket by the senior, 4-3 at 17:50. Senior Lauren Kohn answered with a three, a defensive rebound and a coast-to-coast lay-up to advance Ohio four, 8-4 by 16:32. Yet, Bowling Green cut and tied that lead 8-8 by 15:48.
Ohio took off led by Meyers' six straight points and by 13:26 were ahead 17-11. The Falcons mere three points were scored on an Achter free throw and a Murdaugh lay-up. Murdaugh's low post scoring came as the Ohio defense collapsed on Achter in the lane leaving the freshman alone under the hoop.
The score would remain stagnant until Achter cut the lead to four, 17-13, curling through the lane from under the BG goal. Less than a minute later, the senior would score again in the lane, but this time beginning her scoring journey from the opposite side of the court. Bowling Green was now within two of the Bobcats, but Kohn's drive and points in the paint allotted the hosts a two field goal lead at 9:31, 19-15. The four point advantage would be the last of its kind for the Green and White at any time in the game.
At 9:15 BGSU would cut into that lead as Lindsey Goldsberry flipped a loose ball to Jennifer Uhl at the top of the key. Though Uhl would miss her three point chance, Breske managed to not only grab the rebound, but sink the put-back and turn it into a successful and-one situation. The sophomore then dropped a good field goal to give Bowling Green the needed five points to overcome Ohio at 8:25, 20-19.
The Bobcats earned their final lead of the game as Hmiel's put back on Jennifer Bushby's steal and missed lay-up up 21-20 at 6:57.
Less than a minute later, Murdaugh, going up in traffic, was slapped on the arm and took to the free throw line to score her points - she hits both and changed the lead once again. 22-21 at 6:06. Unbeknown to BGSU at the time, despite numerous tries, Ohio would tie the Falcons but would not again lead through the duration of the contest. Murdaugh would go a perfect 4-4 from the line while in Athens.
By 4:07 Bowling Green had pulled ahead five points of the Bobcats including an Achter reverse lay-up which took a friendly roll helping her impossible shot look like an every day occurrence.
Not impressed, Poff and Meyers combined for the next five points of the game and once again, the programs were playing with an even slate, 26-all at 2:41. Poff's three came deep from the right corner of the court as a few passes near the center of the court shallow court left the guard alone and unattended to by the BG defense.
Not phased by the dwindling seconds at hand, Prochaska hit a three with zero time registered on the shot clock to give BG a 29-26 lead at 1:49. The BG defense helped the make that much more important first by earning a stop at the defensive end and then complimenting it with a Goldsberry's long ranger from the opposite side of the court. Taking a bit of the wind out of the BGSU sails, Poff matches with a Bobcat three to keep her squad within striking distance by 00:56. Once again an Achter drive drew the defense to the hot shooting point guard, but as usual the point guard found her open player - Breske - and yet another assist was recorded for the Orange and Brown; Achter would finish with eight. The 34-29 five point Falcon lead would stay in tact as the 43-seconds on the game clock expired into the half.
Breske and Achter led all scorers at the half with 11 respective points; at the time Meyers led Ohio with eight. Prochaska had three of Falcons six steals.
In the first 20:00, Ohio had out rebounded BGSU, 24-18 and was more than doubling the Falcons turnovers 12-5.
Though it took a minute and a half to get going, Prochaska put back her own lay-up at 18:35 to give the Falcons their largest lead at the time, seven points, 36-29. In a repeat from the first half, Meyers put the team on her shoulders scoring five points to bring Ohio a bucket short, 36-34, at 17:39, but by 14:29 Achter, Prochaska and Breske would outscore the Bobcats 9-4 and cushion the Falcons with their second seven point lead of the half.
Ohio continued to run at the Falcons using three point field goals to dig their way out of their deficit and though they would come within four (47-43), BG book ended a charge of their own with three point field goals from Taylor at 12:25 and Tracy Pontius at 9:52. Pontius on the other hand, used a high screen by Uhl to land an extended three and move BG ahead 13 points, 58-45 at 9:52. Moments earlier, Prochaska converted a lay-up and the bonus to put the Falcons ahead by ten for the first time in the contest.
Though BG would keep their dominance on the high side of the single digits for the next seven minutes, Ohio would come roaring back to slice that lead to just five points for the first time since the 14:00 mark at 2:32, 69-64, on a Ward fast break lay-up.
A lay-up by Murdaugh, the last field goal of the night for Bowling Green, at 2:02 gave BG back the seven point lead and the Falcons would go on to make 11-of-14 free throws to seal the 82-67 road win. In the last five-minutes of play Ward was responsible for seven of the final 12 Bobcat points.
Saturday the Falcons will celebrate senior day as the Orange and Brown host the Bulls of the University at Buffalo. Prior to the 4:00 p.m. jump, Achter and Taylor will be recognized for their four years of success with the program.
* Falcon Notes - Date Edition*
* Two Falcons had not simultaneously scored 20-plus points in almost a full year. Before Achter and Prochaska's combined 48 point night, the last time a pair of Orange and Brown jerseys netted more than 40 points was Feb. 28, 2007 as Ali Mann and Carin Horne combined for 45 point against Miami.
* In the last three-of-four games, Bowling Green has met or surpassed at least one record:
- at Central Michigan (Feb. 13) the Falcons set a new program high with their 37 made free throws.
- versus Kent State (Feb. 20) head coach Curt Miller tied Fran Voll's record for most wins in a head coaching career and also led the Falcons to their fifth consecutive 20 win season.
- at Miami (Feb. 23) Miller broke that record and won his 145th game with BGSU.
- at Ohio (tonight) the senior class became the winningest class in MAC history with their 104 total wins. Since stepping on to the Northwest Ohio campus, BGSU is 104-21.
*The win also helped junior manager Randall Clark ring in a major birthday with a victory. In 2007-08 the Orange and Brown are 3-0 when playing on or near the birthday of a staff member. To begin the season, BGSU beat St. Bonaventure two days after assistant coach Brandi Poole celebrated her day of birth, while BG also gave assistant coach Kevin Eckert a D.O.B. win over Hampton in Iowa. Neither Eckert nor Clark has seen a loss near their special day.
