Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Evansville
Evansville Stuns Falcons, 63-62, in Season Opener
November 12, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Prochaska scores 17, Pontius surpasses 1,000-point mark for her career
The University of Evansville scored the first 16 points of the game, riding that torrid start to a 63-62 win over the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team Friday night (Nov. 12). The game, the season opener for both teams, was held at Roberts Stadium.
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CURT MILLER POSTGAME AUDIO
The Purple Aces' run included three three-point field goals by Jordan Lewis, along with a pair of Staci Gillum layups and another triple from Samantha Heck.
The Falcons battled back to within nine points, 32-23, at the half, and BGSU eventually took the lead with 8:11 to go on a layup by senior Maggie Hennegan. Hennegan's shot made the score 51-50.
The visitors had a 55-52 advantage with under five minutes on the clock, but back-to-back three-pointers from Gillum and Stephanie Bamberger would give the Aces a 59-55 lead with just under three minutes left.
The Falcons clawed back, as senior Lauren Prochaska threw in a runner, and classmate Tracy Pontius hit a three-pointer with 1:49 left, giving BG a 60-59 lead.
But, Gillum hit a pair of free throws with 1:24 remaining to give Aces the lead for good, and BGSU missed a shot on the next possession. The Falcons forced a miss at the defensive end, and senior Jen Uhl grabbed the rebound with roughly 50 seconds to go. But, BG again could not convert, and the Falcons were forced to foul Lewis with 25.2 ticks on the clock. Lewis hit a pair of free throws for a three-point UE advantage.
The Falcons missed a three-point try, and Prochaska's putback with 1.2 seconds left put the visitors within a point. But, Evansville successfuly inbounded the ball and ran out the clock.
The Aces had started the game by making their first six three-point field goal attempts. Four came during that 16-0 run. After redshirt sophomore Danielle Havel's layup put the Falcons on the scoreboard, true soph Allison Papenfuss converted a layup of her own, and a hoop by Hennegan cut the UE lead to 16-6 with seven minutes gone.
Just like that, however, the hosts responded with a six-point run of their own, on the Aces' fifth and sixth triples of the night. Meagan Collins got free for a three-pointer, and after a BG turnover, Chelsea Falkenstein hit from long range as well. Another Falkenstein jumper made the run 8-0 and the score 24-6 midway through the period.
BG slowly crept back into the game, as Hennegan knocked down a shot, then got a steal and another layup with 7:47 left in the half. Amber Boyd scored for the home team, but Havel sandwiched layups around a Chrissy Steffen free throw, and the Falcons were within 11 points at 26-15.
Bamberger drained a three-pointer with under four minutes left in the half, but Hennegan and Prochaska hit shots in the paint to cut the lead to 10 points. A layup by Havel just before the halftime buzzer cut the Falcons' deficit to single digits, 32-23, at the break.
The Falcons spotted the hosts a point at the start of the second half, then went on an 8-0 run. A driving layup by Steffen was followed by back-to-back three-pointers from Pontius. Pontius, who was 4-of-8 from three-point land, surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her BGSU career with her first triple, off of a pass from classmate Jen Uhl. And, her second trey made the score 33-31 with just over three minutes gone.
Prochaska put back her own miss, and Steffen spotted Uhl alone under the basket for another layup. But, after all three shots, Falkenstein answered by making a shot in the paint, giving the hosts a four-point lead each time.
Heck hit a layup for the hosts, and two Lewis free throws gave the Aces an eight-point lead, at 43-35. Prochaska drained a three-pointer, then knocked down a pair of free throws, but the hosts responded with a 6-2 run to increase the lead to eight points once again.
Prochaska got to the line once again, however, making both shots, and a Pontius three-point try barely even moved the net. The Falcons were within 50-47, and Steffen cut into the lead even more, converting a sweet layup in traffic off of an inbounds pass. With 9:26 left, it was a one-point game.
Just over a minute later, the Falcons had the lead for the first time, on Hennegan's layup, and when Uhl followed with a layup, the lead was 53-50 with just under eight minutes left. Heck stopped BG's 11-0 run, but Prochaska's layup gave the visitors a 55-52 lead and set the stage for the final five minutes.
The Aces shot 50 percent in the first half, including an 8-for-11 effort (72.7%) from three-point land. For the game, UE made 11 triples in 18 tries (61.1%). BGSU, held without a three-pointer in the opening half, finished 5-for-19 (26.3%) from long range.
Falkenstein led the Purple Aces with 17 points and nine rebounds, Lewis and Killum had 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Bamberger had nine points on 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
For the Falcons, Prochaska had 17 points, while Pontius and Hennegan had 12 each. Hennegan had a double-double, with a game-high 10 rebounds, while Prochaska grabbed nine boards.
The Falcons now return to Northwest Ohio, beginning a season-long four-game homestand with Monday's (Nov. 15) contest vs. Creighton. Tipoff for that game, the first half of a doubleheader at Anderson, is set for 6:00 p.m.
FALCON NOTES
* Senior Tracy Pontius, as mentioned, surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career ... Pontius now has 1,010 points at BGSU.
* Senior Lauren Prochaska went over the 1,700-point mark for her BGSU career in the UE game ... Prochaska now has 1,716 points, the third-highest total in school history.
* Sophomore Chrissy Steffen made her first collegiate start in Friday's game.
* Senior Maggie Hennegan's double-double at Evansville was the first of her BGSU career ... in fact, her point (12) and rebound (10) totals each set new BG bests for the Cincinnati native ... she had 10 points twice last year, in her first playing season with the Falcons, and had nine rebounds in the MAC Tournament win over Akron.
* Hennegan's career bests are 22 points (vs. Dayton) and 17 boards (vs. Fordham), with both coming during the 2006-07 season when she was a freshman at Saint Louis Univ. ... she had five double-doubles during her two years with SLU.
* For both BGSU and Evansville, 2010-11 is the final season in the current arena ... the Falcons, of course, are 'Closing the Doors of The House That Roars' ... BG's final home opener at Anderson Arena is Monday vs. Creighton ... UE embarked upon the final season at Roberts Stadium ... the Aces will be moving into an arena in downtown Evansville beginning next season.
* The Falcons faced a former MAC foe, as Nicki Motto is a member of the Evansville staff ... Motto, a former point guard at Miami, is in her first year as assistant coach after serving as UE's Director of Basketball Operations a year ago.
* In case you missed it, the Falcons and senior Lauren Prochaska were mentioned in ESPN.com stories about the top Mid-Major teams and players, respectively ... the articles, written by Graham Hays, appeared on ESPN.com Thursday.
