Western Michigan Surges Past Falcons, 66-55

Saturday, January 29

Kalamazoo, Mich.

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Western Michigan

Nathan Dreimiller photo vs Toledo Jan 26 2011

Sophomore Chrissy Steffen was BGSU's lone double-digit scorer at WMU, with 12 points

January 29, 2011 | Women's Basketball

Host Broncos overcome double-digit deficit with monster second half

By: KALAMAZOO, Mich. (BGSUFalcons.com)

Host Western Michigan University, trailing by double digits at the half, began the second period on a huge run to surge past the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, 66-55, Saturday afternoon (Jan. 29). The Mid-American Conference game was held at University Arena.

FINAL STATS - HTML | BOXSCORE - PDF
CURT MILLER POSTGAME QUOTES

With the win, the Broncos improve to 6-15 overall and 2-6 in MAC play. The Falcons drop to 17-4 and 5-3, respectively. BGSU has suffered back-to-back conference losses for the first time in three years.

Brenna Banktson scored 19 points for the Broncos, while Taylor Manley added 14 and Ebony Cleary 11. Banktson and Manley combined for 22 points in the second half as Western outscored the Falcons, 42-18, in the period.

Sophomore Chrissy Steffen was the lone BGSU player in double digits, with 12 points on the day.

Trailing by 15 points late in the first half, the Broncos got a steal and basket in the final seconds, then began the second period on a 25-4 run. WMU scored the first 10 points of the period before Falcon senior Lauren Prochaska split a pair of free throws with nearly five minutes gone, and BG did not make a field goal in the second period until 14:31 was left.

But, the Broncos answered that hoop by scoring nine-straight points to take the lead for good. During that run, a pair of charity tosses from DeAirra Goss put the Broncos ahead, 41-40, with 11:06 on the clock, and BG never led again.

The Broncos shot over 59 percent in the second half, while holding BGSU to just a 6-of-27 (22.2%) effort in the final 20 minutes.

The Falcons got off to a slow start in each half. BGSU was able to recover in the first half, but could not slow WMU's momentum in the second.

Cleary got the Broncos on the scoreboard with a layup on the game's first possession, but the Falcons responded with five consecutive points. Steffen hit a three-pointer, and Prochaska's entry pass led to a layup by Jen Uhl, who banked her shot off the top of the square before it dropped through the net.

Back came the hosts, however, scoring five consecutive points after a Uhl free throw had given the Falcons a 6-2 lead. Miame Giden's steal and layup put the Broncos ahead, 7-6, heading into the game's first media timeout.

Junior Jessica Slagle's sweet pass resulted in a layup by senior Chelsea Albert, but Banktson drained a three-pointer for a 10-8 Bronco lead. Neither team scored for nearly two minutes, before Miame Giden got inside for an 'and-one' layup. Giden missed the free throw, but her team had a 12-8 lead with 12:24 on the clock.

Trailing by that 12-8 score, the Falcons proceeded to score nine consecutive points as part of a 29-10 run. That run began with four consecutive free throws by senior Maggie Hennegan, tying the score with 10:15 on the clock. Steffen hit a three-pointer after receiving a pass from senior Tracy Pontius on the fast break, and Steffen then found Hennegan slipping inside for an easy layup and a 17-12 lead as the Broncos burnt a timeout.

Manley answered with a foul-line jumper to snap the 9-0 run, but Slagle pulled up and banked home a shot from the right side. Uhl went over two WUM players to grab an offensive rebound and was fouled in the process. The senior made both of her free-throw tries, and the Falcons' lead was 21-14.

BG's advantage reached double digits when Prochaska was fouled as she sank a short jumper. Her free-throw was good to complate the three-point play with roughly five-and-a-half minutes left before the half.

Manley scored for the hosts, but Steffen then created a pair of baskets, although she was only credited with one assist in that sequence. First, the sophomore, stationed out near the three-point arc, faked a pass to Hennegan on her right. That fake caused a WMU defender to break toward Hennegan, resulting in a wide-open Allison Papenfuss heading toward the hoop. Steffen's pass led to an easy layup for her fellow soph.

Then, Steffen stole the ball and fired it ahead to Slagle for a transition layup and a 28-16 lead. After Cleary scored for the hosts, two Steffen free throws restored the Falcons' 12-point lead.

Moments later, the Falcons had the ball back, and Pontius made the 'extra pass' to Steffen, who knocked down a three-pointer from the left corner for a 33-20 lead.

The sophomore was not finished, however, converting a long two-pointer from out top, then getting an offensive rebound and a putback for a 15-point lead, BG's largest of the game. The score remained 37-22 until Western's Maria Iaquaniello came up with a steal and layup in the final seconds of the period.

After scoring the final basket of the first period, Iaquaniello scored the first hoop of the second. Manley fed Cleary for a layup, then hit a jumper. Clearly made a jumper of her own, and Manley converted a putback. Suddenly, the Broncos had scored 10-straight points (12 in a row, actually, including Iaquaniello's first-half bucket), and BG's lead was only three points.

With 15:06 on the clock, Prochaska got to the line and split a pair of free throws for a 38-34 BG lead. Then, with 14:31 left, the Falcons finally scored their first bucket of the period, as Hennegan threw a pass inside to Papenfuss for a layup.

But, Miame Giden's layup began a 9-0 run for the Broncos that gave the home team the lead for good. Banktson knocked down a three, and a pair of Goss free throws put the hosts in front. Aurielle Anderson's only shot attempt of the game was a successful driving layup that gave Western a 43-40 lead with 10:06 left in the game.

Over the first 10 minutes of the half, the Broncos outscored the Falcons by a 19-3 count. Western's momentum continued, as that run reached 25-4 a few moments later.

Manley was whistled for her fourth foul of the day, and Uhl split a pair of tosses to cut the Falcons' deficit to 43-41. But, Kemmy Dominique drained a long two-point shot, and Bankston blocked a BG shot at the other end, leading to a layup from Manley. Miame Giden's jumper gave the Broncos a 49-41 lead with 7:44 left.

BG looked to rally, as Uhl kicked a pass out to Slagle for a three-pointer to cut Western's advantage to five points. Believe it or not, Slagle's triple, coming with 7:23 left, was just the Falcons' second field goal of the half.

After that shot, neither team would score for over a minute, and the next team to score would be the hosts. The Broncos came up with five quick points, as Manley's layup was followed by a Banktson triple. Suddenly, WMU's lead was 10 points.

Freshman Noelle Yoder answered Banktson's shot with a triple of her own at the 4:55 mark. Banktson split a pair of free throws, and BG then scored five points in a hurry. Uhl took a pass from Pontius and scored inside, and Uhl then drove the lane and dished to Pontius for a three-pointer. BG trailed by only three points, 55-52, with 3:48 left.

The Broncos took a timeout, then saw Hennegan block Cleary's shot on the ensuing possession. But, Bankston was there to get the rebound and score for a five-point Western lead. The Falcons turned the ball over, and Bankston hit a killer three-pointer to give her team an eight-point lead as the clock wound down toward the three-minute mark.

After another Falcon turnover, Manley's layup gave the home team a 10-point lead once again. Pontius hit a trey with 1:11 left, and the Falcons immediately fouled Manley on the ensuing inbounds pass. Manley missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, but a Pontius three-point try that would've cut the deficit to four points rimmed out with 47 seconds left. Cleary got the rebound, was fouled and hit a pair of tosses.

BG missed another shot attempt, and Dominique corralled the ball, was fouled, went to the line and knocked down two shots to close the scoring.

For the game, the Falcons shot just 33.3% from the floor, while allowing the Broncos to shoot over 44 percent on the night. BGSU did hold a 42-34 rebounding edge, with the Falcons' two starting post players reaching double digits in that category. Uhl had a game-high 12 rebounds, while Hennegan added 10.

Pontius scored nine points, Uhl eight and Slagle seven on the day. Hennegan added six points for the visitors.

BGSU committed a season-high 22 turnovers, while Western turned the ball over just 11 times, a season low for a Falcon opponent. Additionally, the Broncos' total of 27 points off turnovers matched a season high for a BG foe this year (Evansville scored 27 points off turnovers in the Falcons' season-opening loss).

BGSU's total of 18 points in the second half tied the team's lowest total in a half this season. The Falcons had 18 first-half points in a 44-43 loss at Kent Steate two weeks ago (Jan. 15).

The Falcons have dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season, and BG has lost consecutive MAC games for the first time in three years. The last time BG lost two games in a row came early last season, in Preseason WNIT road setbacks to Ohio State (Nov. 15, 2009) and Marist (Nov. 21, 2009).

BGSU's consecutive MAC losses are the team's first since the Falcons dropped three-straight conference contests almost exactly three years ago. The 2007-08 Falcons won their first four MAC games, then lost to Miami (Jan. 22, 2008), Ball State (Jan. 26, 2008) and Western Michigan (Jan. 30, 2008), with the MU and WMU games taking place at Anderson Arena. That club rebounded to win the final nine games of the regular season to capture the MAC title.

Prior to Saturday, BGSU had not lost a MAC game by double digits since that aforementioned streak in '07-08. Ball State posted a 68-47 win in Muncie in the middle game of that streak. Prior to that game, BG hadn't lost to a MAC foe by a double-digit score since Feb. 3, 2004 (92-81 at Miami).

The Falcons have a quick turnaround before the next road game. BGSU heads to DeKalb, Ill., for a Tuesday (Feb. 1) contest against Northern Illinois University.