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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
MIAMI (OH)
Prochaska, Falcons Defeat Miami, 87-79
January 14, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2009
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Miami Coach Fantanarosa Post-Game Audio
Prochaska Post-Game Audio
BGSU Coach Miller Post-Game Audio
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Sophomore Lauren Prochaska tied her career high with 32 points, and combined with her Bowling Green State University teammates for some torrid free-throw shooting, as the Falcons posted an 87-79 victory over Miami University Wednesday night (Jan. 14). The Mid-American Conference game was held at venerable Anderson Arena.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 14-2 overall and 3-0 in the MAC. BGSU has won 14 consecutive games after losing a pair of games to start the season. The RedHawks drop to 10-6 and 2-1, respectively.
Prochaska was 13-of-14 from the free-throw line to pace the Falcons. As a team, the Brown and Orange shot 91.7 percent from the stripe, going 33-for-36.
Sophomore Tracy Pontius had 18 points and a team-leading six assists for the home team, while junior Niki McCoy had her first double-double as a Falcon, with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Soph Jen Uhl added eight points off the bench for the Brown and Orange.
The RedHawks had four players score in double digits, led by Courtney Reed's 19 points. Jenna Schone added 15, while Ashley Hawkins scored 14 and Jaclyn Leininger 13.
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In an up-and-down game, the Falcons took an early lead before the RedHawks forged again. Reed's jumper tied the game at 6-6 before Schone scored just 26 seconds later to give the visitors the lead for the first time. MU would hold that lead for the next 10-plus minutes.
Pontius fed Uhl for a jumper to cut the lead to 10-8, but the 'Hawks would score the next four points to go ahead by six. MU led by that six-point margin on four separate occasions, but could never extend the lead beyond six.
A four-point run by the Falcons, with two Prochaska free throws and a layup by sophomore Chelsea Albert, got the hosts within 18-16, but Hawkins scored four-straight points for the visitors.
The Falcons battled back with five-straight points, getting within a single point after a Prochaska three-pointer and two Pontius tosses. MU moved the lead back out to five points, however, with Reed's steal and layup prompting a timeout by Falcon head coach Curt Miller at the 7:49 mark.
A few minutes later, the Falcons went on a 10-0 run, with McCoy scoring the first five points and Prochaska the last five. Trailing, 27-23, McCoy put back a teammate's miss, then took an entry pass from senior Lindsey Goldsberry for a layup and a three-point play to give BG the lead with 6:02 left in the half.
The Falcons surged ahead, as Prochaska took McCoy's pass and hit a three-pointer, then knocked down a jumper at the 4:31 mark for a 33-27 Falcon lead.
Hawkins ended the visitors' drought with a jumper, but Pontius hit a runner to restore BG's six-point advantage.
The RedHawks battled back to within two points on several occasions in the final three minutes of the half, but Prochaska scored seven of BG's final 10 points of the period, all at the free-throw line. Freshman Jessica Slagle hit a long-range shot off a McCoy pass with 27 seconds left in the half for the Falcons' other three points of that stretch, as the home team took a 42-35 lead into the break.
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The RedHawks scored the first four points of the second period to get within three points, before Prochaska got herself back to the free-throw line for two most successful tosses and a 47-42 lead. Maggie Boyer, who played just two first-half minutes while picking up three fouls, hit a three-pointer at the 17:40 mark for the visitors.
McCoy responded with a layup, but then was called for her third foul of the game on the next possession. The teams traded points, and fouls, over the next few minutes
McCoy drove down the lane, drawing Erin Wisner's third foul with over 16 minutes left, and hit the resulting charity tosses to put the Falcons up by a 53-49 count.
Boyer made a pair of free throws, though, and after junior Tara Breske was called for her third foul with 15:26 on the clock, Schone's three-pointer off the ensuing inbounds pass gave Miami the lead, 54-53.
No fewer than three more players would pick up their third foul over the next few minutes. First, Miami's Hawkins was called for a violation, just before Uhl's driving layup gave the lead back to the Falcons.
Leininger picked up her third foul at the 14:39 mark, giving MU no fewer than four players with three fouls in the game. But, Goldsberry became BG's third player to be called for her third foul less than a minute later.
Pontius scored on a transition layup, but just after the Goldsberry foul, Boyer came off a screen and hit a three-pointer to square things at 57-57 with 13:48 left.
The RedHawks took the lead as Leininger split two free throws, then made a jumper, but Uhl responded with a bucket, and Pontius grabbed a defensive rebound, drove the floor and drew Hawkins' fourth foul of the night. Pontius made two more free throws with 11:53 left, giving BG the lead for good.
Those free throws began a run of eight-straight points for the Brown and Orange, with McCoy scoring the next six points. The junior made four charity tosses during that time, sandwiched around a layup.
That layup came just after a BG miss. Miami got the rebound, but Pontius quickly stole the ball and shoveled it to McCoy before hitting the deck. McCoy's layup rolled over the rim and in, giving BG a 65-60 lead and prompting a timeout by the 'Hawks with 9:30 left.
Then, Wisner was called for an over-the-back foul after a Miami miss, and McCoy went back to the line to sink two more shots. BG led, 67-60, with 8:28 remaining.
Reed made a layup just before the eight-minute media timeout, but Prochaska hit a big shot after that break. Slagle drove baseline and kicked the ball out to Albert on the left elbow. Albert made the 'extra pass' to a wide-open Prochaska, stationed beyond the arc at the right elbow, and Prochaska's three-point try was true, giving BG a 70-62 advantage with 7:44 left.
The teams traded fouls and free throws over the next two-plus minutes, before Prochaska struck again. With the Falcons leading by six, Prochaska took a Pontius pass and quickly launched another three-point shot. Again, nothing but net. BG led, 76-67, with under five minutes remaining.
Forty-five seconds later, another Prochaska triple gave the Falcons a double-digit advantage, 79-69.
The RedHawks got as close as six points, but the hosts went 6-for-6 from the line over the final two-and-a-half minutes, and Pontius had a driving layup at the 1:50 mark to help stave off the visitors.
The Falcons shot 51.9 percent from the field en route to a 47.1% rate for the game. Miami made 30 field goals, a season high for a BG opponent, but the Falcons held the RedHawks to a FG pct. of 42.9% on the night.
Prochaska had five of the Falcons' six three-pointers on the night, going 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. BG was 6-of-22 as a team, while Miami was 3-for-10 from three-point land.
As mentioned, the Falcons made 33 free throws in 36 attempts, while Miami was 16-of-21 from the stripe.
Breske had six points in just 11 minutes, going 2-for-3 from the field. With Breske's playing time limited due to foul trouble. Albert had a solid game off the bench. She played a season-high 27 minutes, with two points, six rebounds, two blocked shots and a pair of steals.
Uhl had five rebounds in addition to her eight points. The teams tied in the rebounding department, 36-36.
Miami was called for 25 fouls and BGSU 18 in the game. Hawkins, who went 7-for-9 from the field, fouled out of the game, as did teammate Wisner. Three other RedHawk players had at least three fouls. Breske and Goldsberry finished the game with four fouls apiece for the hosts.
The Brown and Orange will be home once again this weekend. BGSU continues a three-game homestand with Saturday's (Jan. 17) game vs. the University of Akron at Anderson. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
A FEW PROCHASKA-RELATED NOTES
* Sophomore Lauren Prochaska, as mentioned, tied her career scoring high in Wednesday's win over Miami ... Prochaska also had 32 points in the Falcons' win at Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 25.
* Prochaska scored her 32 points vs. the RedHawks despite making just seven field goals ... five of those field goals came from behind the arc, as she tied her career high ... Prochaska has made five triples twice this year (the Saint Francis game being the other) and five times in her storied career.
* Prochaska set a new career high for free throws made, with 13 vs. MU ... she is now 61-for-66 (92.4%) from the line this season to date.
* Prochaska is now averaging 17.5 points per game this year ... she is averaging 24.7 ppg in the Falcons' three MAC games to date.
* Prochaska now has seven games of 20 or more points this season, topping her total for all of last year ... she had at least 20 points on six occasions a year ago.
* Wednesday night marked Prochaska's 50th game in a Falcon uniform ... she has scored no fewer than 782 points in those 50 games, for an average of 15.6 ppg since arriving on campus.
