Bowling Green State University
TOLEDO (Semifinal)
Pontius is Lights Out; BG is Back in MAC Championship Game
March 14, 2009 | Women's Basketball
March 14, 2009
Final Stats |
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BGSU-Toledo Boxscore in PDF Format 
POSTGAME AUDIO: Miller, Breske and Pontius
A Few Notes for Sunday's BGSU-Ball State Game in PDF Format
CLEVELAND, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Sophomore Tracy Pontius scored 29 of her career-high 32 points in the second half, leading the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team to a 79-66 win over the arch-rival University of Toledo Saturday afternoon (March 14). The game, a semifinal-round contest in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, was held at Quicken Loans Arena.
With the victory, the Falcons improve to 28-3 on the year, and BG returns to the championship game of the conference tournament after a one-year absence. The Falcons are back in the final for the fifth time in six years.
BGSU will meet Ball State in Sunday's (March 15) championship game. The Cardinals downed Buffalo, 68-54, in Saturday's second semifinal.
Toledo bows out of the MAC Tournament with an overall mark of 18-13.
Pontius broke the MAC Tournament record and tied the school record with eight three-point field goals in the game. She went 8-for-10 from long distance, including a 7-of-8 performance in the second half. Her total of 29 points after halftime was just four shy of the Rockets' team total of 33 points.
The Rockets went on a 15-0 run late in the first half, holding BG scoreless for nearly six-and-a-half minutes and taking a 31-19 lead. The Falcons answered, however, bridging the halftime gap with an 18-6 run to tie the game with 16 minutes left.
Pontius made her first three long-distance shots of the half, missed a three-point try with 10:38 left in the game, then proceeded to go 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in a span of 4:05.
In addition to the prolific production from Pontius, the Falcons had three other double-digit scorers. Junior Niki McCoy had 15 points, her third-straight double-figure effort off the bench, while junior Tara Breske and sophomore Lauren Prochaska had 10 points apiece.
Breske had a double-double, with a game-high 13 rebounds. After being outrebounded by a 22-17 count in the first half, BG had 24 second-half boards to the Rockets' 12 in the second period. Breske had nine of her rebounds after halftime.
The Rockets were led by Tanika Mays with 21 points. Naama Shafir scored 15 points, while Jessica Williams added 12.
The BGSU bench, paced by McCoy, outscored the Toledo reserves, 21-5. The Rockets had a commanding 36-16 advantage in points in the paint, but Pontius and the Falcons had a 36-15 margin in points outside the arc.
BGSU got off to a fast start, taking an early 7-0 lead. Breske hit a pair of jumpers in the game's first 90 seconds, and kicked the ball out to Pontius for a three-pointer at the 17:12 mark. The Rockets finally scored on a third-chance layup by Mays with just over three minutes elapsed.
Beginning with that bucket, however, the Midnight Blue and Gold would score 31 of the game's next 43 points. Mays converted again, and Allie Clifton's layup put the Rockets within 7-6.
Breske scored again, on a nifty offensive board and putback, but Mays answered at the other end. Senior Lindsey Goldsberry found Prochaska in the right corner, and the sophomore drained a three-pointer for a 12-8 Falcon lead.
But, a long UT possession ended with an 'and-one' jumper by Clare Aubry. The free throw was no good, but the Rockets forced a BG miss, and a Mays jumper tied the game for the first time, at 12-12.
But, Prochaska spotted junior Sarah Clapper in the left corner, and Clapper drained a triple for a 15-12 Falcon lead. The teams traded points for the next few minutes, with BG's lead fluctuating between one and three points, and a McCoy jumper put the Falcons on top, 19-16, at the 8:25 mark.
Then, however, the Rockets would score the next 15 points.
That run began at the 6:14 mark, as Clifton's pass found Mays for a wide-open layup that rolled in. Melissa Goodall put back a teammate's miss, and UT had the lead at the 5:36 mark.
BG turned the ball back over to the Rockets, and Goodall grabbed another offensive board, this time drawing a foul. She split her two free throws for a 21-19 Falcon lead.
After a BG miss, Williams hit a transition three-pointer, then hit a pair of free throws after Goldsberry was whistled for her third foul of the day at the 3:03 mark. After those five points by Williams, Shafir proceeded to score five-straight points as well,
The freshman converted a driving layup, then made a triple of her own, giving the Rockets a 31-19 lead with 2:19 left in the half.
During BG's scoreless stretch, the Falcons missed 10-straight shots from the field, turned the ball over four times, and used three timeouts.
Finally, with just 1:59 left in the half, Clapper got the ball inside to McCoy for a layup. That shot began a 9-2 BG run to end the half.
After a Rocket turnover, Pontius drove and dished to McCoy for another layup. Than, Prochaska came up with a steal and was fouled. The nation's leading free-throw shooter hit both of her tosses. Mays hit a jumper with two Falcons on the ground , but Pontius drove the baseline and hit Prochaska for a three-ball from the left wing. The Falcons got a steal on UT's final possession of the period to go into the lockerroom trailing by five.
The second half began with Clifton hitting a pull-up jumper to give UT a 35-28 lead. But, the Falcons continued the comeback they had started late in the first period. Pontius found sophomore Jen Uhl for a layup, and hit back-to-back triples roughly 45 seconds apart. Her first triple came from the right elbow, and the second from the left wing. After the latter shot, the Rockets turned the ball over, and BG got a two offensive rebounds, leading to a UT foul and a pair of McCoy free throws. The junior split the two shots, tying the game with 15:59 left.
Mays gave the Rockets the lead once again, but Goldsberry hit a nice running floater in the lane, then faked a three-point try, took two dribbles and hit a long two-pointer. The second shot gave the Falcons the lead for good, 41-39, with 13:26 remaining.
BG forced a Toledo miss, and Pontius knocked down a triple, prompting a Rocket timeout.
Williams made two shots from the stripe to snap BG's 7-0 run, and Goldsberry picked up her fourth foul with 10:30 remaining and headed to the bench. Breske broke a long scoreless spell with a turnaround jumper from the right side, giving the Falcons a 46-41 advantage.
After a Mays layup, UT forced a BG missed shot. But, Prochaska came up with the offensive board and found her point guard and classmate. A Pontius triple try found nothing but net, and the Falcons had a 49-43 lead.
Shafir got to the line and split two free throws, but Pontius was in the proverbial zone, hitting her sixth long-range shot of the day at the 8:36 mark. Out of a UT timeout, Clifton hit a layup, but McCoy drove the paint and whipped a one-handed pass to a waiting Clapper in the left corner for another trey and a 55-46 lead.
UT missed another shot, and back came the Falcons the other way. A shot would not drop, but McCoy got the offensive board and was fouled. She made one free throw for a 10-point BG margin.
A few moments later, after a Williams three-pointer, the Falcons missed from beyond the arc. But, Breske outraced two Rockets to the ball in the corner, keeping BG's offensive possession alive. Her hustle paid off when Prochaska's pass to Pontius resulted in a straightaway triple and a 61-50 lead.
Just over a minute later, a McCoy pass found Pontius for yet another long-range try. When this shot dropped through the hoop, Pontius had the MAC Tournament record for three-pointer made, along with a share of the school record. And, the Falcons had a 64-51 lead with five minutes left.
McCoy's layup gave BG the biggest lead of the game, 15 points, with four and a half minutes left. But, the Rockets would rally with a 13-3 run to get as close as five points with 1:53 remaining.
That run began when Lisa Johnson hit a trailing three-pointer, and continued when Mays ripped the ball away from a Falcon player and went in for a layup, a foul and a three-point play. Her free throw cut the Falcons' lead to 66-57 with under four minutes left.
Out of the final media timeout, the Falcons had the ball for the next 45 seconds, scoring three points during that time. The Rockets were called for three fouls during that possession. After the second foul, McCoy made her first free-throw try, but missed the second. But, Breske got the rebound, and the Falcons got two free throws from Pontius after UT fouled again. With just over three minutes left, the Brown and Orange held a 12-point lead.
Shafir scored on a quick jumper, and the Falcons used some clock, but threw the ball away late in the possession. Shafir hit a three-pointer with just over two minutes left, then completed her own personal seven-point run with 1:53 on the clock. The Rockets were within just five points, at 69-64.
Believe it or not, the Falcons turned the ball over again, but Johnson's three-point try was no good. Breske grabbed the rebound, and Pontius was fouled with 1:21 left. That began a parade to the free-throw line, as the Falcons went 8-of-8 from the stripe over the remainder of the game. Breske also hit a layup during that game-ending span, and the Falcons punched their ticket to the finals.
In addition to Breske's 13 boards, BG got seven from McCoy and six from both Prochaska and Uhl. Goodall led the Rockets in rebounding with nine.
Despite struggling from the field, Prochaska contributed in other ways. She led all players with six assists, playing just under 40 minutes on the day.
Pontius was 8-of-12 from the field in the win, as mentioned going 8-of-10 from three-point land. She also made eight free throws in nine tries, going 6-for-6 over those final 81 seconds.
The Falcons will meet Ball State in the MAC Tournament's championship game for the second time in three years. BG posted a 67-53 win over the Cardinals two years ago at 'The Q' (March 10, 2007), en route to the NCAA's Round of 16.
A FEW FALCON NOTES
* BGSU now has 28 wins this season, tied for the second-highest total on both the school and Mid-American Conference lists ... all three of the MAC's top win totals have been compiled by the Falcons in the last four seasons ... the 2006-07 team had 31 wins en route to the NCAA 'Sweet Sixteen,' a year after the 2005-06 Falcons had picked up 28 victories.
* This year's BGSU squad, like the 'Sweet Sixteen' club two years ago, finished the regular season with an overall mark of 26-3 and a MAC record of 15-1 ... both teams won a pair of games to set up a date with Ball State in the championship game ... as mentioned above, the '06-07 Falcons downed BSU by a 67-53 count to capture the league tourney title and advance to the NCAA Championships.
* The Falcons now hold a 40-25 lead over Toledo in the all-time series between the teams, and BGSU has won 12 consecutive meetings with the Rockets ... Saturday's win gives the Falcons a 7-3 vs. UT in MAC Tournament games, including a 4-2 mark in the semifinal round ... BG has met Toledo more often than any other opponent in the league tourney.
* Sophomore Tracy Pontius made eight three-pointers in Saturday's win over Toledo, tying the school record and setting a new MAC Tournament mark ... the school mark was set last season by Whitney Taylor, while Casey McDowell owned a share of the MAC Tournament record ... both Taylor and McDowell were in attendance on Saturday.
* Pontius joins Angie Farmer as the only players in school history to make at least seven three-point field goals twice in a career ... Pontius is the only BGSU player ever to have two games of at least seven triples in the same season.
BGSU RECORD BOOK: 3-PT FG MADE, GAME
8 - Tracy Pontius vs. Toledo (3/14/09)
8 - Whitney Taylor at Kent State (1/16/08)
7 - Tracy Pontius at Buffalo (2/25/09)
7 - Casey McDowell vs. Miami (3/9/05)
7 - Kim Griech vs. UNC-Wilmington (12/7/02)
7 - Angie Farmer vs. Mississippi (11/26/99)
7 - Angie Farmer vs. Ohio (1/20/99)
* Pontius set the MAC Tournament single-game record, as mentioned ... UT's Jessica Williams had tied the 'old' record, making seven three-pointers in yesterday's (March 13) 77-70 win over Ohio.
MAC TOURNAMENT RECORD BOOK: 3-PT FG MADE, GAME
8 - Tracy Pontius (BGSU) vs. Toledo, 3/14/09
7 - Jessica Williams (Toledo) vs. Ohio, 3/13/09
7 - Casey McDowell (BGSU) vs. Miami, 3/9/05
7 - Sarah Hurrle (WMU) vs. Bowling Green, 3/3/01
* Lauren Prochaska and Tracy Pontius each have hit over 70 three-pointers this season, the first time in school history that two players have topped that mark in the same season ... Prochaska now has 72 triples this year, while Pontius has 71.
* Prochaska is the first player in BGSU history to make over 70 triples in two different seasons ... Angie Farmer (1999-2000) holds the school record, with 78 triples made ... Prochaska hit 74 shots from behind the arc as a freshman last season, before making 72 this season to date ... Pontius, as mentioned, has 71 triples so far in 2008-09.
