Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Youngstown State
BGSU Hosts YSU Wednesday
November 16, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Falcons in the midst of season-long homestand
The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, after a win in the 2010-11 home opener, returns to venerable Anderson Arena for the second time in three days ... the Falcons of coach Curt Miller face Youngstown State University in Wednesday (Nov. 17) action, with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. at Anderson (3,500) ... BGSU is in the midst of a season-long four-game homestand, which will continue with games vs. Oakland Saturday (Nov. 20) and Detroit next Wednesday (Nov. 24) ... Miller and his staff returned 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's 27-7 team that won the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Championships.
TALON TAILGATE SERIES
BGSU administrative staff members (and their guests) are invited to attend the first event in the 'Talon Tailgate Series,' which begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Above the Rim Club area of Anderson Arena ... see the PDF link below for more details.
PDF LINKS
BGSU NOTES & STATS | YSU NOTES & STATS
"TALON TAILGATE SERIES" EVENT FOR BGSU ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
SWEET (AND NOT-SO-SWEET) SIXTEEN
Just two games into the season, the Falcons already have seen a pair of 16-0 runs ... BGSU was victimized by the first such run, as Evansville reeled off 16-straight points before the Falcons scored their first points of the season on Friday night (Nov. 12) ... three nights later, though, the Brown and Orange broke open a close game with a 16-0 run of their own in the second half vs. Creighton ... that run gave BGSU a 56-38 lead midway through the second period.
WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE (THAT ROARS)
BGSU will put an impressive streak on the line in Wednesday's YSU game ... the Falcons have won 31 consecutive regular-season home games at "The House That Roars" ... BG's last regular-season loss at Anderson Arena came vs. Western Michigan on Jan. 30, 2008 ... a few more Anderson Arena-related notes ...
• Overall, BGSU has won 33 of the last 34 home games ... the lone loss in that stretch came to Indiana in the third round of the 2009 WNIT ... 28 of the Falcons' 33 wins in that span have come by double digits.
• In 2009-10, the Falcons posted a 13-0 home regular-season record for the second consecutive year ... BGSU now has gone undefeated at home in the regular season seven times in program history ... in three of those years, including the 2008-09 campaign, the Falcons' lone blemish was a home loss suffered in national tournament play.
PONTIUS SURPASSES 1,000-POINT MARK
With her first basket in Friday's (Nov. 12) Evansville game, senior Tracy Pontius surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career ... Pontius became the 24th player to reach the milestone, and was recognized for her accomplishment at the first media timeout of Monday's Creighton game ... after scoring 20 points vs. the Bluejays, Pontius has moved into 22nd place on the BGSU scoring list, and now has a total of 1,030 points.
PROCHASKA IS THIRD ON BGSU CAREER SCORING LIST
Lauren Prochaska, two games into her senior season, ranks third on the BGSU career scoring list, and has a total of 1,737 points in 104 games ... she trails only Jackie Motycka (2,122 points from 1985-89) and Ali Mann (1,825 points from 2003-07) ... Prochaska is averaging 16.7 points per game, the second-highest average in BGSU annals, in her storied Falcon career.
FALCON HOME GAMES: A MULTIMEDIA FRENZY
BGSU fans can follow the Falcons all year long in a variety of ways ...
• AUDIO: WBGU-FM 88.1 is scheduled to carry all of this season's games ... the radio broadcasts can be heard online for free by logging on to BGSUFalcons.com ... click on 'Fan Zone' and 'Live Audio' to hear all the action.
• TELEVISION: Six of the Falcons' school-record 15 home games will be televised in the Toledo area on BCSN ... two additional games at Anderson Arena will be aired as the MAC Game of the Week by SportsTime Ohio ... the televised games can be found in the schedule on page 1 of the handy PDF version of these notes.
• VIDEO: All home games will be available via live video stream for a small fee ... fans can watch the Anderson Arena action on their computers by visiting BGSUFalcons.com and clicking on the America One logo on the right-hand side of the page.
• LIVE STATS: Links are also available at BGSUFalcons.com for live stats for all home games (and all road games in which the host team provides live stats).
LAST TIME OUT
The Falcons scored 16-straight points to break open a close game in the second half, surging to a 79-53 win over Creighton Monday night (Nov. 15) ... seniors Lauren Prochaska and Tracy Pontius combined for 41 points, as Prochaska led all players with 21, while Pontius added 20 ... the duo combined to go 17-for-19 at the free-throw line ... sophomore Chrissy Steffen had 11 points, the highest total of her young career, in the win ... Steffen made three of her four shots from the floor and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line ... the Falcons hit 26 free throws in 29 tries (89.7%) ... Kelsey Woodard led the visitors with 14 points, while Sarah Nelson added 10 off the bench ... the win was the Falcons' eighth consecutive victory in a home opener ... the game was tied, 30-30, at the half, and the Bluejays were within two points after a layup by Carli Tritz with 15:38 left in the second period ... but, the Falcons then scored 16 points in a row to take command ... six different BGSU players scored during that stretch, and the home team held CU off the scoreboard for a seven-and-a-half minute span ... the Bluejays shot 54.5% in the opening half, making 12-of-22 shots, but the Falcons held CU to just a 31.0% rate (9-of-29) in the second period ... for the game, BGSU shot 43.9% from the field to the Bluejays' 41.2% ... the Falcons forced 19 Creighton turnovers, including 11 in the second half, and BG had a 30-11 advantage in points off turnovers for the game ... the first half gave no indication that one team would eventually win by 26 points ... the opening 20 minutes featured six ties and four lead changes, and neither team led by more than five points.
SUCCESS IN THE HOME OPENER
BGSU's victory over Creighton was the eighth consecutive win in a home opener for Curt Miller's Falcons ... BG has won those eight games by an average of 24.8 points per game, with no less than a 19-point margin in any of the eight contests ... the Creighton game was the final home opener at Anderson Arena, as the Falcons will move into the Stroh Center for the 2011-12 season ... BG's home-opening win streak will be tested next November, as the first regular-season women's basketball game at the Stroh will see the Falcons taking on Purdue (Nov. 17, 2011).
RINGS AND A BANNER
Prior to Monday's game vs. Creighton, the returning players and coaches participated in a ring ceremony and banner unveiling ... the ceremony recognized the team's 2010 MAC regular-season and tournament championships ... BGSU has won six-straight regular-season crowns, and the 2009-10 Falcons captured the MAC Tournament for the fourth time in that six-year span ... three of last year's four seniors – Laura Bugher, Sarah Clapper and Tamika Nurse – were on hand for Monday's festivities.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons will enter the Youngstown State game with a record of 1-1 ... BGSU suffered a 63-62 loss at Evansville Friday night (Nov. 12), in the regular-season opener ... but, the Brown and Orange bounced back with a 79-53 win over Creighton in Monday's (Nov. 15) home-opening contest ... senior Lauren Prochaska is averaging a team-high 19.0 points per game, and is tied for the team lead with 8.0 rebounds per contest ... classmate Tracy Pontius has 16.0 ppg, while another senior, Maggie Hennegan, has 9.5 ppg and is tied with Prochaska for the rebounding lead, with 8.0 rpg ... Hennegan had a double-double at UE, with 12 points and 10 boards.
• Head coach Curt Miller's starting lineup for each of the first two games has included four seniors in Hennegan, Pontius, Prochaska and Jen Uhl ... sophomore Chrissy Steffen rounded out the starting five vs. both UE and CU.
• Steffen is averaging 9.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg, and is tied for the BGSU lead in both assists and steals ... Steffen and Pontius each have 2.5 assists per game, and the sophomore is tied with Prochaska for the steals lead (2.0 spg).
• BGSU returns 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's team that won 27 games, captured MAC regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Championships ... the Falcons finished the 2009-10 season with an overall record of 27-7, and BGSU went 14-2 in MAC play ... BG won an outright MAC regular-season championship for the sixth-straight season, a conference record ... the Falcons earned the league's East Division title for the fifth consecutive year (after winning the West crown in 2005) ... BGSU won three more games in Cleveland to capture the MAC Tournament title for the fourth time in those six seasons ... the Falcons went 13-0 at home, 11-6 on the road and 3-1 in neutral-site games last year ... the neutral-site games came in the MAC Tournament and in the NCAA Championships.
• The Falcons lose the services of four seniors – Tara Breske, Laura Bugher, Sarah Clapper and Tamika Nurse – from a year ago ... the three fourth-year players were part of 113 wins, the second-highest total in school and MAC annals ... Nurse was in her first playing season in 2009-10 after transferring from the University of Oregon ... Breske, Bugher and Clapper averaged 28.25 wins per season and helped the Falcons go 57-7 in MAC regular-season games after their arrival on campus.
• Miller and his staff have six seniors on the 15-player active roster this year ... that group includes three returning starters in Prochaska, Pontius and Uhl ... Prochaska and Pontius each started all 34 games a year ago, while Uhl made 31 starts ... Prochaska, of course, has been named the MAC Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons, while Pontius earned all-league second-team honors in 2009-10.
• Hennegan, a co-captain along with Prochaska, played in all 34 games last season ... post players Chelsea Albert and Kelly Zuercher round out the senior class ... Zuercher played in 30 games off the bench last winter, while Albert appeared in 28 contests.
• The Falcons' lone junior is Jessica Slagle, who played in every game last season ... BG has a pair of redshirt sophomores in Maribeth Giese and Danielle Havel ... Giese played in two games early last season before suffering an injury and sitting out the rest of the season as a redshirt ... Havel sat out the entire campaign after transferring from DePaul University.
• The roster includes three true sophomores in Simone Eli, Allison Papenfuss and Steffen ... four newcomers join the program in 2010-11 ... that list includes a pair of guards in Jillian Halfhill and Noelle Yoder, along with post player Jill Stein ... additionally, Alexis Rogers joins the program, but will sit out this season after transferring from Duke University ... she will retain three seasons of eligibility.
A QUICK LOOK AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Youngstown State will bring a record of 0-1 to Northwest Ohio ... the Penguins dropped a 78-58 loss at Pittsburgh on Friday (Nov. 12), in the team's lone game this season to date ... the game was tied, 46-46, with under 16 minutes remaining, before the Panthers went on a 17-0 run to put the game away ... sophomore forward Brandi Brown led the Penguins with 20 points, adding seven rebounds, while senior guard Bojana Dimitrov had a double-double, with 14 points and 14 rebounds ... sophomore guard Maryum Jenkins (6.0 ppg, 5.0 assists per game) and junior guards Tieara Jones (3.0 ppg) and Kenya Middlebrooks (3.0 ppg) started the Pitt game for head coach Bob Boldon ... YSU attempted a school-record 48 three-point field goals in the game, making 10 ... the Penguins returned six letterwinners, including four starters, from last year's team which finished 0-30 overall and 0-18 in Horizon League play ... Brown averaged a double-double last year, with 11.4 ppg and 10.6 rpg ... Boldon, in his first year at YSU, is in his fourth year as a collegiate head coach ... a graduate of Walsh University in beautiful North Canton, Ohio, Boldon spent two years (2006-07 and '07-08) in the MAC, as an assistant coach at Akron ... the school's athletics web site is YSUsports.com.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Youngstown State, 13-10, in the all-time series between the teams, and BGSU has won three consecutive meetings ... the Falcons are 8-5 in home games vs. the Penguins, and BG has won each of the last two meetings at Anderson Arena ... last year, the Brown and Orange picked up a 73-45 win in Youngstown (Dec. 21, 2009) ... in the most recent meeting at "The House That Roars," the Falcons were 94-61 winners two seasons ago (Dec. 6, 2008) ... Curt Miller is 4-2 vs. the Penguins in his BGSU career ... his first collegiate head-coaching victory came vs. YSU, a 71-61 triumph at the Beeghly Center exactly nine years prior to Wednesday's game (Nov. 17, 2001).
FALCON FIRSTS
BGSU's three freshmen each saw the first action of their collegiate careers in Monday's Creighton game ... Jillian Halfhill played five minutes, scoring her first two collegiate points and grabbing a rebound ... Noelle Yoder pulled down a rebound in two minutes of action, while Jill Stein played just over a minute and had an assist • Stein's assist came on a pass to redshirt sophomore Maribeth Giese with 40 seconds left ... for Giese, Monday night marked her first action in a regular-season game in nearly 12 months ... she played in home wins over Chicago State (Nov. 13, 2009) and UNC Greensboro (Nov. 27, 2009) before missing the rest of the 2009-10 season due to injury ... the points were Giese's first since a win at Eastern Michigan midway through her freshman year (Jan. 24, 2009) • sophomore Chrissy Steffen made her first collegiate start on Friday (Nov. 12) at Evansville ... she had the first 11-point game of her career vs. Creighton three days later ... Steffen's previous career best was a 10-point outing against Akron in last season's MAC Tournament (March 12, 2010).
BOARDWORK
BGSU has posted double-digit rebounding advantages in each of this season's first two games ... despite the one-point loss at Evansville, BGSU has a record of 124-12 when outrebounding the opponent in the Curt Miller Era.
PROCHASKA NAMED TO NAISMITH PRESEASON WATCH LIST ...
Falcon senior Lauren Prochaska received yet another honor last week (Nov. 9), as she was named to the Naismith preseason watch list ... the watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2010-11 season ... the Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded on April 4, 2011 at the NCAA Women's Final Four in Indianapolis ... through text messaging, fan voting will account for 25 percent of all of the final results, more than any other national college basketball award ... in late February, the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors will compile a mid-season team of the top 30 players in the nation ... then in March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will vote to narrow the list to the four finalists.
... AND THE WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 30 LIST
Senior Lauren Prochaska was named to the Women's Basketball John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club ... the list is comprised of 30 student-athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor ... these 30 players, along with others who excel throughout the season, will be evaluated and considered for December's Midseason list and the official voting ballot released in March ... the Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation's top five players, will be announced the week of the 'Elite Eight' round of the NCAA Tournament.
TOP FIVE IN THE LAST FIVE
The NCAA has compiled its annual list of the winningest Division-I teams over the last five years, and Bowling Green ranks fifth on that list ... the Falcons are the top-ranked team among so-called 'Mid-Major' schools ... BGSU has won a total of 141 games, and the Falcons have won nearly 84 percent of the time over the last five seasons.
WINNINGEST TEAMS DURING PAST FIVE YEARS
(sorted by winning pct. – 2005-06 through 2009-10 seasons)
1. Connecticut 178-11 .942
2. Stanford 159-24 .869
3. Tennessee 155-24 .866
4. North Carolina 147-28 .840
5. BOWLING GREEN 141-27 .839
6. Green Bay 135-26 .839
7. Duke 145-28 .838
8. Ohio State 139-27 .837
9. Marist 139-28 .832
10. Maryland 147-32 .821
BGSU TO APPEAR ON STO AT LEAST TWICE IN 2010-11
The Falcons will be featured on SportsTime Ohio (STO) at least twice during the upcoming season ... BGSU's home games against Central Michigan (Jan. 22) and Kent State (Feb. 26) will be aired by the Cleveland-based network, and both of those Saturday games will begin at noon at Anderson Arena ... the latter will be the final weekend regular-season game at "The House That Roars" ... three additional TV games are yet to be determined, as STO will choose a contest 21 days ahead of time ... those dates are three consecutive Saturdays: Feb. 5, Feb. 12 and Feb. 19 ... STO's coverage also will include the MAC Tournament semifinals (March 11) and championship (March 12).
FALCONS PICKED TO DEFEND MAC TITLES IN 2010-11
The BGSU women's basketball Falcons have been picked to win both the MAC's East Division and the conference tournament titles in 2011, according to the league's preseason poll ... the poll was released on Oct. 27 by the MAC office ... additionally, senior Lauren Prochaska was selected to the Preseason All-MAC Team ... the Falcons received 43 of the 48 votes to win the East ... BGSU was picked ahead of – in order – Kent State, Miami, Akron, Ohio and Buffalo ... BG has won six consecutive MAC regular-season titles outright, and the Falcons have won four of the last six MAC Tournament crowns, including the 2010 title ... Toledo was picked to win the West Division, followed by Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Ball State, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan.
THAT'S A LOT OF WINS!
Just five years ago, the Mid-American Conference record for wins in a season was 27 ... four conference teams, including two BGSU clubs (the 1986-87 and 1988-89 teams), had reached that milestone ... Curt Miller's Falcons, however, have won at least 27 games in no fewer than four of the last five years – with 26 wins in the other season ... that streak includes a then-MAC record 28 wins in the 2005-06 campaign, followed by a 31-win season in '06-07 ... that 31-win total remains the conference standard ... Miller's Falcons won 26 games in 2007-08, 29 games in '08-09 and 27 more games last season ... in the last five seasons, BGSU has AVERAGED 28.2 wins per year.
THAT'S A LOT OF WINS II
Since 2006, a total of eight Mid-Major teams have advanced to the 'Sweet Sixteen' round of the NCAA Championships ... that list, of course, includes Bowling Green, as the Falcons advanced to the third round of the NCAAs in 2007 ... of those Mid-Major teams, BGSU has the best record over the last five years, with 141 wins and a winning percentage of nearly 84 percent in that time ... the complete list:
1. BOWLING GREEN 141-27 .839
2. Marist 139-28 .832
3. Xavier 126-37 .773
4. Gonzaga 121-45 .729
5. Utah 119-48 .713
6. Old Dominion 113-50 .693
7. George Washington 101-56 .643
8. San Diego State 80-72 .526
SIX SHOOTERS: FALCONS WIN SIXTH-STRAIGHT MAC TITLE
BGSU has won six consecutive MAC regular-season titles, a new conference record ... and, the Falcons won all six titles outright ... Kent State won five-straight MAC East Division crowns from 1998 through 2002 ... the Golden Flashes had the league's best overall record in three of those five seasons, tying for the top overall mark in one other year.
SIX-SHOOTING FROM A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
The Falcons, as mentioned, have won six consecutive MAC regular-season titles ... all six of BGSU's crowns have been outright ... BG has won one West Division championship (2005) and five East Division titles (2006-10), but the Falcons had the MAC's best overall record in all six years ... in the history of NCAA Division-I women's basketball, the list of teams to have accomplished this feat is a relatively short one ... and, here it is ...
AT LEAST SIX-STRAIGHT OUTRIGHT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
(all NCAA Division-I conferences; no ties for the title)
10 - UC Santa Barbara (Big West; 1996-2005)
9 - Liberty (Big South; 1998-2006)
7 - Old Dominion (CAA; 1996-2002)
7 - S.F. Austin (Southland; 1988-94)
7 - Texas (Southwest Conf.; 1983-89)
6 - Bowling Green (Mid-American; 2005-10) – current
6 - FIU (Atlantic Sun; 1993-98)
6 - Marist (MAAC; 2005-10) – current
6 - Missouri State (Missouri Valley; 1991-96) ^*
6 - Montana (Big Sky; 1986-91)
6 - Stanford (Pac-10; 2005-10) – current
6 - Virginia (ACC; 1991-96)
^ formerly SW Missouri State
* first two titles were Gateway Conf.
CLASSY. VERY CLASSY.
With 27 wins, the MAC regular-season and tournament titles and a trip to the NCAA Championships, it is obvious that the BGSU women's basketball team had another successful year on the court in 2009-10 ... and, the Falcons of head coach Curt Miller were equally successful in the classroom again last season ... the Falcons were ranked sixth in the entire nation on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)'s 2009-10 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll ... the announcement marked the second-straight year that the Falcons were ranked among the top 10 ... BGSU was ranked fifth on the '08-09 list ... the women's basketball student-athletes had a combined grade-point average of 3.500 during the 2009-10 academic year, up from 3.470 in the 2008-09 season ... BGSU was the only MAC program on the list for the second consecutive year, and the Falcons were the only program from the state of Ohio in the Division-I Top 25, also for the second-straight season ... a few other notes re: the Falcons and the WBCA Academic Top 25 ...
• In the fall 2009 semester, no fewer than six student-athletes posted a perfect 4.00 GPA ... 15 team members had a GPA of at least 3.00 that semester, with 14 of those 15 earning a GPA of 3.25 or higher.
• In the spring 2010 semester, 15 players again had at least a 3.00 GPA, with 12 earning a GPA of 3.20 or better.
• The Falcons were one of five schools to make an appearance both in the 2010 NCAA Championships and on the WBCA Top 25 Team Honor Roll (South Dakota State - 2nd; Northern Iowa - 7th; DePaul - 8th and Hartford - 23rd).
• BGSU has made the list three times in the last four seasons ... the Falcons made the WBCA Top 25 Team Honor Roll in 2006-07 ... the 'Sweet Sixteen' team ranked 23rd in the nation with a GPA of 3.300.
ADDITIONAL ACADEMIC ACCOLADES
• The Falcons saw a league-high five student athletes named to the 13-member Academic All-MAC Team last year, as Tara Breske, Laura Bugher, Maggie Hennegan, Tamika Nurse and Lauren Prochaska all were voted to the team ... BGSU was the only school with more than one player selected.
• Bugher and Hennegan were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team, earning second-team honors ... they were the only two MAC women's basketball student-athletes named to an ESPN Academic All-District team in 2010.
• Additionally, the women's basketball team earned numerous honors when the BGSU Department of Athletics held its annual Athletics Honors Night in April of 2010 ... Bugher was one of three female finalists for the Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, while Hennegan made the list of the final three Junior S-A-O-Y candidates ... as a team, the Falcons picked up two honors, earning both the female team Highest GPA Award and the Most Improved Award.
THEY LIKE THE FALCONS
BGSU was listed on several national lists over the summer and early fall ... here are just a few of those mentions ...
• The Athlon Sports College Basketball 2010-11 Preview listed BGSU as the number-17 program in the nation.
• The Falcons were ranked fifth in the country among mid-major women's basketball programs in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25's preseason poll.
• In late August, BGSU was ranked No. 32 on Swish Appeal's list of the Top 100 Programs in Division I Women's College Basketball.
FALCONS RECEIVE A MARKETING GRANT
The BGSU Department of Athletics was one of 14 institutions and conferences to receive a marketing grant through the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Grant Program ... the aim of the program is to increase awareness and exposure of, and attendance at, women's basketball ... BGSU will receive $34,000 from the NCAA to begin the Talon Tailgate Series, a group of pre-game tailgating events targeting the BGSU faculty and staff and student populations ... each event will consist of a food/non-alcoholic beverage spread and audio entertainment in a tent or facility separate from Anderson Arena ... the goal is to increase attendance at Falcon women's basketball games and springboard the program into the first year of competition in the Stroh Center in 2011-12.
BGSU TO HOST 2012 NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
BGSU's Stroh Center has been selected as one of 16 sites for the first and second rounds of the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship ... that announcement was made by the NCAA Women's Basketball Committee on Oct. 26 ... BGSU will host first- and second-round games at the Stroh Center on either Saturday, March 17, and Monday, March 19 or Sunday, March 18, and Tuesday, March 20, 2012 ... exact dates will be determined in June of 2011, with ticket information to be released at a later time ... the 2011-12 season will be the first year of operation for the Stroh Center, which will serve as the new home for the Falcon men's and women's basketball, volleyball and gymnastics teams ... Anderson Arena served as the site for first-round games in 1989, 1993 and 1994.
WBGU-PBS CHRONICLES THE HISTORY OF FALCON WOMEN'S HOOPS
Late August marked the debut of the WBGU-PBS documentary "BGSU Women's Basketball: A Legacy of Excellence" ... the one-hour, 42-minute program covers the history of Falcon women's hoops, including the early years, prior to its founding as an intercollegiate sport in 1962, and includes highlights from then until now ... BGSU alumnus Larry Weiss, a long-time University administrator, and former Falcon head coach Sue Hager were co-chairs of the project, with Tom Zapiecki, Tony Howard and others at WBGU helping to chronicle the history of the program ... a preview of the documentary was held at University House, hosted by BGSU President Dr. Carol Cartwright, and the film made its television debut on Nov. 2.
PROCHASKA A CANDIDATE FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Falcon senior Lauren Prochaska is one of 30 women's basketball student-athletes nationally who were selected as candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award ... to be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition ... an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities ... the candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot ... the winner will be announced at the NCAA Women's Final Four in Indianapolis.
TREY BIEN! PROCHASKA WAS ALREADY AT THE TOP OF THIS LIST
Lauren Prochaska is the most prolific three-point field-goal shooter in BGSU history ... through three seasons (plus two games), Prochaska has a total of 242 three-point field goals made ... she broke the BGSU record set by Liz Honegger, who made 216 triples from 2003-07 ... Tracy Pontius has moved into seventh place on the list, with 165 threes in her career ... Prochaska has a shot at the MAC career record of 323 three-pointers made, set by Ball State's Audrey McDonald.
THE FALCONS ARE/WERE ...
• 27-7 last season, after going 29-5 in 2008-09;
• 14-2 in the MAC last winter, winning a sixth-straight league regular-season title;
• 207-81 since Curt Miller took the BGSU helm in May of 2001;
• 108-36 in MAC games in that time:
• 198-62 overall in the eight years (plus two games) since Miller's assistant coaches have all been in place (associate head coach Jennifer Roos and assistant coach Brandi Poole have been on Miller's staff since his first year; assistant Kevin Eckert joined the staff one year later);
• 186-46 over the last seven-plus years, with 2009-10 marking BG's seventh-straight season of at least 20 wins;
• a staggering 165-36 in the past six-plus years, with no fewer than 23 wins and a MAC regular-season title in each of the last six seasons;
• an eye-popping 142-28 overall and 73-7 in the MAC regular season in the last five-plus years, with at least 26 wins each year;
• 114-25 in the last four-plus years, including a 57-7 conference ledger;
• 83-21 overall, and 42-6 in MAC regular-season games, since seniors Chelsea Albert, Tracy Pontius, Lauren Prochaska, Jen Uhl and Kelly Zuercher began their respective playing careers at BGSU;
• 57-13 since junior Jessica Slagle and redshirt soph Maribeth Giese ventured to NW Ohio;
• 28-8 in the BGSU playing careers of senior Maggie Hennegan and sophomores Simone Eli, Allison Papenfuss and Chrissy Steffen (2009-10 was Hennegan's first playing season at BGSU, after she sat out the prior year as a transfer from Saint Louis Univ.);
• 91-9 in the last 100 games vs. MAC opponents (regular-season and tournament);
• A perfect 49-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field in the Miller Era;
• 172-10 when having a better FG pct. than the opposition in Miller's tenure, including a 44-0 mark in the last two-plus seasons;
• 157-26 when making more free throws during Miller's first nine-plus years;
• 124-12 when outrebounding the opponent in the Miller Era;
• 44-4 in MAC home games in the last six seasons, including three 8-0 marks;
• 36-4 in MAC road games over the last five years (with the losses coming in 2007-08 at Ball State, in '08-09 at Miami and last year at Toledo and Central Michigan);
• 15-2 in the MAC Tournament over the last six years, with four titles (2005, '06, '07 and 2010), a championship-game appearance last year, and a trip to the semis in 2008;
• 39-16 overall in the MAC Tournament since it was instituted in 1982;
• 27-11 in MAC Tournament contests played at a neutral site;
• 17-4 at Gund/Quicken Loans Arena, the site of the MAC Tournament;
• 18-5 in MAC Tournament games in the Miller Era;
• 17-3 at "The Gund"/"The Q" under Miller;
• 29-3 in all non-conference home games since the start of the 2003-04 season;
• 25-2 against non-league foes at Anderson Arena since November of 2004.
• 5-13 in 13 national postseason appearances (including a 3-10 record in the NCAA Championships and a 2-3 mark in WNIT trips); and
• 4-6 in national postseason action under Miller (including a 2-4 mark in the NCAAs and a 2-2 record in the WNIT).
UP NEXT
The Falcons continue the four-game homestand Saturday (Nov. 20), hosting Oakland University at "The House That Roars" ... there will be a giveaway for the first 1,500 fans (more info Thursday here at BGSUFalcons.com).
