Bowling Green State University
OHIO (Semifinal)
Bobcats Down Falcons, 68-66, in Double OT
March 14, 2008 | Women's Basketball
March 14, 2008
Final Stats |
Photo Gallery 
CLEVELAND, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Quintana Ward's pull-up jumper with 15.7 seconds left in the second overtime lifted Ohio University to a 68-66 win over the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team Friday afternoon (March 14). The game, a semifinal-round contest in the Kraft Mid-American Conference Tournament, was held at Quicken Loans Arena.
After Ward's basket late in the second OT, the Falcons had one more chance to tie or win the game. But, a three-point shot would not drop, and a follow-up shot was no good as the final horn sounded.
The Falcons are now 25-7 on the season with the Women's National Invitational Tournament on the horizon. The team, along with 47 others, will learn more of their postseason fate on Monday, March 17 when the WNIT bracket is announced later in the evening.
With the win, the Bobcats improve to 20-12, and Ohio advances to face Miami in Saturday's championship game. The RedHawks posted a 70-66 win over Toledo in Friday's first semifinal.
Freshman Lauren Prochaska led all-Falcons with 15 points, including 10 in the second half. Sophomore Tara Breske nearly matched that total with her 14 points and nine rebounds. Senior Kate Achter finished the night with 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Because Achter and Breske would find themselves in foul trouble, reserve point guard Tracy Pontius would be called upon as well as sixth man Jen Uhl. The two would contribute a combined 14 points in 15 and 20 respective minutes.
Ward not only led Ohio, but topped all scorers with her 16 points including six of the Bobcats final 16 and that all important game winner. Fellow guard Jennifer Poff also contributed 15 points and 11 defensive rebounds. Lauren Hmiel had 12 points and nine rebounds while Lauren Kohn was held scoreless going 0-8 from the field.
BGSU scored the game's first three points, but Ohio then went on an 11-0 run. The 'Cats led for the remainder of the half, taking a game-high 13-point lead on a Chandra Myers layup. Ohio led by a 30-17 count at that point.
The Falcons, however, held the Bobcats scoreless for the final 6:22 before intermission, scoring eight consecutive points to trail by five at the break. Achter scored the first four points during that run, while Breske had the last four, including a jumper just before the horn. Just before Breske's make, Uhl would deny and take possession of a Kohn attempt to give rise to the sophomore's points.
With 20:00 off the game clock, Bowling Green was 7-of-28 from the field (25%) compared to Ohio's 40.6% effort of 13-of-32 in the first 20-minutes. Successful free throw shooting kept the Falcons in the hunt going 10-13 from the line, while the Bobcats were 0-of-1. Achter and Prochaska were a combined 8-of-11, earning many of those trips as a result of driving penetration. Turnovers also served as a life source for the Falcons forcing 10 Bobcat first half TO's and picking up 12 points as a result.
The Brown and Orange got within three points on a jumper by junior Lindsey Goldsberry on the first possession of the second half, and Prochaska's bucket at the 16:41 mark put the Falcons within two at 37-35.
With 13:53 left in the second half, Achter went to the bench with her fourth foul, and was replaced by Pontius at the point guard position. Pontius would key a 7-0 BG run, having a hand in all seven points.
Pontius drilled a three-point field goal with 12:44 left, tying the score at 38-38, then hit a layup 48 seconds later to give the Falcons the lead. Midway through the half, Pontius made a behind-the-back dribble to evade an Ohio defender and create a 2-on-1 opportunity, and she then dished the ball to Prochaska for an 'and-one' layup. Prochaska's free throw was good, and the Falcons held a 43-38 advantage.
Ward snapped that string with a layup, but hoops by Breske and Prochaska gave the Falcons a 47-40 lead with 8:35 remaining in regulation. But, the Bobcats would go on a 7-0 run, tying the score with just under five minutes left.
Achter, back in the game, hit a driving layup to give BG the lead once more, but Ward answered with a layup of her own.
With 2:18 on the clock, Prochaska's three-pointer off Breske's feed gave the Falcons a 52-49 lead. Neither team would score until Poff hit two free throws with 1:17 remaining. Achter was called for her fifth foul with 43.3 left, and headed to the bench. Ward hit the front end of the ensuing one-and-one opportunity, but missed the second shot.
Neither team could score during the remainder of regulation. After an Ohio foul with 17.7 seconds left (only the fifth foul of the half for the Bobcats), the Falcons called a timeout with 14.9 before the thought of overtime. As the clock wound down, Prochaska's runner would not drop after touching all parts of the rim. Breske grabbed the rebound, but Ward stripped her of the ball and fired an outlet pass to who raced downcourt only to suffer a missed three-point try that would hit off the rim as the buzzer sounded.
In the first overtime, the Falcons scored the first six points, before Ohio answered with seven-straight in their favor. Prochaska hit a layup 30 seconds in, and hoops by freshman Crystal Murdaugh and Breske gave BG a 58-52 lead with 3:13 remaining.
Hmiel scored five points in the Bobcats' 7-0 run, capped with a three-point play that gave OU the lead with 22.7 points left. That hoop came after the Falcons had forced Poff to fire up an airball. Hmiel grabbed the rebound and hit the layup as Breske was called for her fifth foul.
The Falcons, now without Achter and Breske, headed downcourt, and Pontius drove and was fouled with 7.7 seconds left. She missed the first free throw, but made the second, and Ward's layup try was no good as the first OT ended.
In the second OT - which BG started with four freshmen and a junior on the court - a Pontius jumper gave the Brown and Orange the lead, 61-59, in the first minute, before another Hmiel three-point play.
Uhl split a pair of tosses with 3:10 on the clock to tie the score, but another Ward layup gave OU the lead once again with 1:54 left.
Goldsberry hit four free throws within 17 seconds, giving the Falcons a 66-64 advantage with 1:11 remaining, but Kamille Buckner's layup tied the score with 57 seconds left.
A BG layup try with 43 seconds left rolled around the rim and off, and Hmiel grabbed the rebound, setting the stage for Ward's winning jumper.
Goldsberry and Pontius scored eight points apiece, with Uhl adding six. Murdaugh had four points and a game-high four steals.
Ohio held a 60-47 rebounding advantage, with Poff pulling down 11 and Hmiel nine, a total she has averaged throughout the tournament. Breske and Goldsberry had nine boards apiece for the Brown and Orange, with Achter adding seven and Murdaugh six.
**OVERTIME NOTES**
* A MAC Tournament game has not been decided in double-overtime since 2000 when Kent State beat Eastern Michigan, 96-94, at Cleveland Public Hall. In fact, in its history, tonight was only the third game to be decided in 2OT. In addition to tonight and the aforementioned Kent State game, BGSU and KSU took 10-extra minutes to decide a high scoring battle in Detroit, Mich. in 1992. KSU would go on to win that game, 106-103 for the highest scoring MAC Tournament game ever played.
* Since 1983, BGSU has played in five double overtime games against a MAC opponent and is 2-3 in those adventures. Ball State has matched that tally while Ohio has competed in four MAC double-OT games. Historically, BG is 1-3 in OT during the MAC tournament. Their only win came in the 1997 quarterfinal match; an 81-76 victory over Ball State.
* Two of BGSU's losses have come in double-overtime and have seen at least one starter on the bench while extra minutes are played. Earlier in the season, BGSU took Notre Dame to nearly a 10-minute extra play session before dropping a home decision to the Fighting Irish on a last season buzzer beater. This season they are 0-2 when playing greater than 40-minutes.
*FALCON NOTES*
*Tonight marked the 13th time BGSU has held an opponent scoreless for more than six-minutes of play. Entering the game, the Falcons were 12-0 when holding an opponent without a field for six-or more consecutive minutes of play.
* Tonight's loss was only the 22nd of Kate Achter and Whitney Taylor's career's with the Orange and Brown. Since stepping on to campus, the two have combined for a record 107 wins and just 22 defeats. The loss also signified the first MAC Tournament loss in their careers. They will graduate at 10-1 in MAC post season tournament play.
*To date, BGSU is 10-6 in the conference semifinal game
* The Falcons are now 12-2 in Quicken Loans Arena under Curt Miller.
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