Balanced BGSU Beats Buffalo, 79-59

Sunday, January 15

Buffalo, N.Y.

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Buffalo

Jessica Slagle had a career-high 18 points in the win at Buffalo (photo by Brandon Heiss, BGSU Marketing & Communications)

January 15, 2012 | Women's Basketball

Four players score in double digits as Falcons improve to 4-0 in MAC play

By: BUFFALO, N.Y. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team used a balanced attack and stifling second-half defense to pick up a Mid-American Conference road win Sunday afternoon (Feb. 15). The Falcons downed the University at Buffalo, 79-59, at Alumni Arena.

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POSTGAME AUDIO: Curt Miller

Four BGSU players scored in double digits as the Falcons improved to 14-3 overall and 4-0 in MAC action. BG has won seven consecutive games for the second time this season, and the Falcons have won 14 of the last 15 games.

The win sets up a battle between a pair of MAC unbeatens, as the Falcons face Miami (also 14-3, 4-0 MAC) on Thursday night in Oxford.

Redshirt sophomore Alexis Rogers led the Falcons with 19 points at Buffalo, while senior Jessica Slagle and freshman Jasmine Matthews each posted career-high scoring totals. Slagle scored 18 points, while Matthews had 14 points to go along with four assists.

Junior Chrissy Steffen rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 points for BG. Brittney Hedderson had a game-high 28 points for the Bulls, who drop to 5-13 overall and 0-4 in the conference.

The Falcons led by only three points late in the first half, before Matthews knocked down a three-point field goal in the final minute to give BG a 36-30 halftime lead.

Out of the lockerroom, the Falcons proceeded to score the first seven points of the second period. Rogers capped that overall 10-0 run with a three-pointer at the 17:05 mark, giving the visitors a 43-30 lead.

Buffalo battled back to eight points after Nicki Hopkins hit a three-ball with 9:28 remaining, but the Falcons then went on a 14-0 run to remove all doubt about the game's outcome. Rogers scored eight-straight points during that stretch, which started with a Slagle triple and ended with a Matthews trey. The latter shot gave the Falcons a 68-46 lead with 6:22 remaining.

Three Falcons -- Rogers, Slagle and redshirt junior Danielle Havel -- had seven rebounds apiece as BG enjoyed a 44-34 advantage on the boards. It marked the 12th consecutive game that the Falcons outrebounded the opponent.

Havel, in addition to her seven boards, had six points, four assists and two steals. She tied Matthews for game honors in assists, and tied Steffen for the team steals lead.

For the Bulls, Margeaux Gupilan joined Hedderson in double digits in the scoring column. Gupilan had 10 points off the bench.

BGSU hit eight three-pointers -- making four in each half -- and the Falcons went 17-of-22 (77.3%) from the foul line, including a 15-of-18 effort at the stripe in the second period.

Rogers scored the Falcons' first two hoops, but Hedderson answered with a pair of baskets for the Bulls. Both of Hedderson's shots came from beyond the arc, giving the hosts a 6-4 lead.

Slagle answered with a layup to tie the score, before Christa Baccas split a pair of free throws to give the home team the lead for one last time. Just 10 seconds after the Baccas toss, Matthews hit a three-pointer to put the Falcons up, 9-7, at the 16:48 mark. BGSU would not trail again, although the game would be tied one more time.

That Matthews trey began a 10-2 run for the Falcons. Rogers slipped past her defender, took a Matthews pass and hit an uncontested layup, and Steffen's steal and layup gave the Brown and Orange a 16-9 lead with 11:23 left before the half.

Rachel Bantelman made two charity tosses for the hosts, but Steffen hit an 'and-one' layup, then made the ensuing free throw for a 19-11 BG lead.

The Bulls, however, got three-pointers from Hopkins and Gupilan, and Hedderson's jumper in the lane tied the score, 19-19, with 8:13 left in the period.

Slagle's second-chance jumper in the paint, though, gave the Falcons the lead for good, and started a 7-0 run for the Brown and Orange. After hitting her hoop, Slagle fed Steffen for a transition three, and Havel's jumper gave the Falcons a 26-19 lead.

Several minutes later, Matthews saw her three-point try from the left corner get blocked, but grabbed the rebound to keep the possession alive. The possession ended with the freshman knocking down a trey from the right corner, giving BG a 29-21 advantage.

The Bulls battled back once again, as Teresa Semalulu made a shot and Hedderson scored and was fouled heading into the final media timeout of the half. Hedderson's free-throw try was off the mark, however, and Havel scored the game's next two baskets, both on passes from junior Allison Papenfuss.

First, Papenfuss hit the cutting Havel in stride with a bounce pass. Then, the two connected again, with Havel hitting a right-side jumper for a 33-25 lead. Hedderson responded with another three-point opportunity, this time making the free throw, and Baccas scored inside to cut BG's lead to just three points.

Matthews knocked down a trey with 40 seconds left in the half, doubling the Falcons' lead and starting the aforementioned 10-0 run that bridged the halftime break.

Another Matthews three-point try rimmed out as the halftime buzzer sounded, leaving the Falcons' advantage at six points.

That 10-0 run continued slowly, as neither team scored in the first 92 seconds after the intermission. But, Slagle got herself to the foul line and knocked down both shots, and Steffen was fouled on a three-point try just 22 seconds later, hitting two of the three throws.

Rogers stepped out beyond the three-point line, took a pass from Matthews and knocked down a triple for a 43-30 lead. But, the Bulls got four-straight points to cut the margin to single digits heading into the first media timeout of the period.

The Falcons' five starters combined to score the team's first 45 points of the game, but the bench players hit the scoresheet for the next four. Papenfuss was fouled while grabbing an offensive rebound, and made one of her two free-throw attempts.

Then, sophomore Jillian Halfhill took a Steffen pass and hit a three-pointer from the right corner, in front of the BG bench. That shot restored the Falcons' 13-point lead, at 49-36, with 14:05 remaining.

The lead was 11 points when Slagle converted a layup, was fouled and made the ensuing free throw with 10:27 on the clock.

The Bulls answered with a three-point play from Gupilan, and Hopkins followed with a long-range shot to cut the lead to single digits for one final time. But, the Falcons began that 14-0 run with a Slagle three-ball at the 9:06 mark.

Rogers scored the game's next eight points, knocking down a pair of free throws, then hitting an easy layup as Slagle drove the lane and dished the ball to the redshirt soph. Then, Rogers scored four points on BG's next possession.

First, Rogers hit an 'and-one' layup after a Matthews assist. Her charity toss was no good, but Havel's offensive rebound kept the ball in BG's hands, and Rogers was fouled once again. She hit a pair of throws for a 19-point lead.

That lead ballooned to 22 points as sophomore Noelle Yoder came up with a steal and found Matthews for a three-pointer from in front of her team's bench.

The Bulls attempted to cut into that 22-point lead, but the Falcons seemed to have an answer each time. Slagle put together another three-point play with five-and-a-half minutes on the clock, and BG got layups from Yoder and fellow soph Jill Stein, along with a pair of Deborah Hoekstra free throws, down the stretch.

The Falcons and RedHawks will meet, as mentioned, on Thursday evening (Jan. 19). Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Miami's Millett Hall.