Kent State Ends BGSU Winning Streaks, 44-43

Saturday, January 15

Kent, Ohio

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Kent State

Lauren Prochaska scored 13 points at KSU (Craig Bell photo)

January 15, 2011 | Women's Basketball

Golden Flashes assume sole possession of first place in MAC's East Division

By: KENT, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Host Kent State University snapped a number of Bowling Green State University winning streaks Saturday afternoon (Jan. 15), posting a 44-43 win over the Falcons in women's basketball action. The Mid-American Conference game was held at KSU's M.A.C. Center.

FINAL STATS - HTML | BOXSCORE - PDF
POSTGAME AUDIO: Curt Miller & Lauren Prochaska
PHOTO GALLERY - photos courtesy Larry Clapper Photography

With the victory, the Golden Flashes are now 13-3 overall and 4-0 in MAC action, and KSU assumes sole possession of first place in the MAC's East Division. The Falcons drop to 15-2 overall and 3-1 in the MAC.

For the Falcons, the loss snapped a 15-game winning streak, dating to the season opener. BGSU's last loss came on Nov. 12, 2010; a 63-62 setback at Evansville.

The Flashes' win also broke BGSU's 13-game winning streak in the series. KSU's last win over the Falcons had come nearly six years ago, in January of 2005 at the M.A.C. Center.

Senior Lauren Prochaska paced the Falcons with 13 points on the afternoon. Kent State's Jamilah Humes led all players with 16 points, while teammate Taisja Jones had 11.

After the Falcons recovered from an 11-2 KSU game-opening run, neither team led by more than five points over the remainder of the contest. The lead was never more than four points during the entire second half.

The game featured a total of 42 turnovers, and just 33 field goals made. After the Falcons and Flashes combined to score just 67 points over the first 33-plus minutes, the offenses got clicking in the next few minutes.

With 6:28 remaining, KSU's Stephanie Gibson somehow got her layup try to go, and Tayler Stanton followed with a basket inside. Stanton's shot gave the hosts a 36-35 lead with 5:49 remaining.

BG bounced back, as senior Maggie Hennegan drove the lane and muscled a shot over her defender with 5:30 left. Humes responded with a pair of free throws, giving the Flashes the lead, but senior Jen Uhl got herself to the free-throw line, making both shots for a 49-48 Falcon lead with just under five minutes remaining.

Jones came back with a pull-up jumper for the Flashes, and after Uhl missed a layup at the other end, Humes canned a jumper with 3:48 left, giving Kent a three-point lead, 42-39.

Prochaska banked a shot off the window and in, but another Gibson layup restored the Flashes' three-point advantage with 3:08 remaining.

Each team had chances to score on several possessions over the next minute-plus, but neither team could alter the scoreboard until Uhl got back to the line with 1:36 left. She both of her free-throw tries to cut the KSU lead to 44-43. Little did anyone know that neither team would score the rest of the afternoon.

The Flashes used nearly all of the shot clock on the following possession, but Jones' three-point try from the right corner bounced long, and Uhl came up with the rebound with just over a minute left. Senior Tracy Pontius missed a three-point try for the Brown and Orange, however, and the ball went out of bounds to Kent State with 43.3 seconds remaining.

The Flashes took the ball into the forecourt, eventually calling a timeout with 27.4 seconds left. Out of that timeout, the hosts inbounded the ball, but the BGSU defense got a deflection, and the ball pinballed off of several arms and legs, with Pontius grabbing it near midcourt.

As Pontius headed over the center stripe and looked to set up the offense for the Falcons, however, Jones knocked the ball away from behind, and KSU came up with it. BG quickly fouled with 14.5 seconds left.

The foul was BG's sixth of the half, meaning that Kent would inbound. The Falcons pressed Humes, and sophomore Chrissy Steffen tied her up in the backcourt, in front of the BG bench, with 12.6 seconds left. The alternating-possession arrow was pointing in BGSU's favor, and the Falcons had another chance.

The ensuing play saw Steffen drive toward the hoop and get off a shot in traffic. But, the contested layup would not drop, and Humes came up with the rebound. Uhl quickly fouled her, sending the KSU senior to the line with 4.9 seconds left.

Humes missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, Hennegan rebounded the miss, and the Falcons had one last flicker of hope. Pontius took a few dribbles and fired a shot from her own end of the court just before the final horn sounded. The ball drew iron, but bounced off the right side of the rim as the Flashes celebrated.

KSU had scored the first five points of the day before senior Kelly Zuercher scored on a putback with just under three minutes gone. Humes hit a pair of jumpers, however, sandwiched around a shot by Chenel Harris, and the home team had an 11-2 lead with five minutes gone

The Falcons proceeded to go on an 8-0 run to get back within a single point. Steffen's nice baseline drive and layup got things started, and after a Kent State turnover, Pontius came downcourt, found herself open and hit a three-pointer. Then, Hennegan's triple try was on target with 12:41 left in the half.

The Flashes responded with four-straight points, before Prochaska took a pass from Steffen and knocked down a three-ball from the left elbow with 10:11 left. The Falcons would go more than eight minutes without another hoop.

In fact, after that Prochaska basket, neither team would make a field goal for over six minutes. Pontius split a pair of free throws with 8:04 left in the half, and two tosses by Prochaska gave the Falcons their first lead of the day, 16-15, at the 5:20 mark.

But, Jones scored five-straight points for the hosts, including a crazy runner with 3:51 left in the period. Her three-pointer just under a minute later gave the Flashes a 20-16 lead.

Freshman Jill Stein worked a give-and-go with Uhl, and the freshman drained a left-side jumper with 2:01 left. That would prove to be the final points of the half, as KSU took a 20-18 lead into the break.

That first half saw the Falcons and Flashes combine for 24 turnovers and just 14 successful field goals.

When the second period began, The hosts immediately doubled the lead, as Humes found Jones cutting alone the baseline for an easy layup just 17 seconds in.

The Falcons, though, proceeded to go on a 7-0 run, beginning after a defensive sequence in which Hennegan came up big. After a BG miss, Jones drove the lane looking to extend KSU's lead to six points. Hennegan, however, blocked her shot from behind. KSU's Ellie Shields got the rebound, but Hennegan smothered her shot attempt as well. The ball went to Pontius, who quickly headed downcourt and spotted Steffen to her right. Steffen knocked down a three-pointer to cut the KSU lead to one.

Pontius split a pair of free throws 30 seconds later, and a Prochaska triple gave the Falcons a 25-22 lead with 16:26 left.

Shields cut BG's lead to a single point, before the teams went nearly four minutes without scoring. That three-plus-minutes sequence featured six turnovers.

Finally, Humes nailed a jumper in the paint, giving the Flashes the lead again with 12:02 left. But, Prochaska again drained a three-pointer, putting BG ahead, 28-26, with 11:46 left.

The Flashes tied the score again, but Hennegan got a putback, then Pontius stole the ball and fed Uhl for a layup, giving the Brown and Orange a 32-28 lead midway through the half.

Back-to-back jumpers by Humes tied the score, before Pontius hit a trey to give BG a 35-32 advantage and set the stage for the final seven-plus minutes.

BGSU's total of 19 turnovers was the team's highest since the Evansville game. The Flashes committed 23 turnovers on the afternoon. Each team had just five total assists on the day.

Humes nearly had a double-double, pulling down a game-high nine rebounds to go along with her 16 points. KSU had a 34-31 advantage on the glass.

Kent also had a 26-10 advantage in points in the paint, but the Falcons had a 21-6 margin in points behind the arc. BG went 7-of-20 from three-point land, including three from Prochaska and two from Pontius, while KSU was just 2-of-15 from long range.

Hennegan led the Falcons with seven rebounds, while Steffen had six boards and a game-high four steals.

The Falcons will return to the road, heading to the state of New York for a Tuesday (Jan. 18) matchup with the University at Buffalo. That game, which begins at 7:00 p.m., concludes the Falcons' first round-robin swing through the MAC's East Division.