Kirkpatrick, Falcons Ground RedHawks, 66-53

Saturday, January 24

Bowling Green, OH

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

9-9, 2-5MAC

Miami

3-15, 0-7MAC

Miami

Bowling Green

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

January 24, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Redshirt freshman scores a career-high 18 points to pace four double-digit scorers

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Bowling Green State University redshirt freshman Kennedy Kirkpatrick more than doubled her previous career-best scoring effort, outscoring Miami University by herself in the first half, as the Falcons downed the RedHawks, 66-53, Saturday afternoon (Jan. 24) at the Stroh Center.

Kirkpatrick scored 18 points to pace four double-digit scorers for the Falcons (9-9, 2-5 Mid-American Conference). Senior Deborah Hoekstra had a double-double, with 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds as the Falcons had a 39-32 advantage on the glass, while sophomore Rachel Konieczki and freshman Rachel Myers each chipped in with 10 points.

Hannah McCue was the lone double-digit scorer for the RedHawks (3-15, 0-7 MAC), pacing the visitors with 18 points.

The Falcons built a 31-9 halftime lead, largely due to an epic stretch of dominant defense. BGSU held Miami scoreless for a span of over 11 minutes in the first half. MU missed 17-straight shots, and BG scored 17-straight points during that time.

BGSU allowed the RedHawks to shoot just 14.3 percent from the field in the first half, as Miami made only four shots in 28 attempts in the opening 20 minutes.

BGSU built a game-high 24-point lead early in the second period, before the RedHawks began to close the gap. Miami rallied to get as close as eight points midway through the period, and a McCue three-pointer made it a nine-point game with four-and-a-half minutes on the clock, but BG would build the lead back out as high as 16 points, largely by hitting shots from the free-throw line down the stretch.

"This was a hard-fought game," said BGSU head coach Jennifer Roos. "When you are playing a rival, and when both teams are in need of a win, the game is going to be a hard-fought game for 40 minutes. I thought our kids did a good job of limiting them in the first half, and we were able to extend the lead going into halftime. But, we knew they were going to make a comeback, and they did. Credit our kids for staying composed.

"We are one of the top free-throw shooting teams in the country, and we did a good job again at the line today. We also did a good job of limiting their turnovers, and we outrebounded them, even with a five-guard lineup."

The Falcons went 27-of-33 at the free-throw line on Saturday afternoon (81.8%). BG made 17-of-20 shots from the stripe in the second half, including 11-of-14 in the game's final three-plus minutes.

Kirkpatrick's career day saw her go 6-of-8 from the field, including a perfect 2-for-2 from three-point range. She also hit 4-of-5 shots from the free-throw line.

"Our bench play, and Kennedy in particular, gave us a lot of momentum today," said Roos. "She missed only two shots, and I thought both of those shots were going to go in as well."

Kirkpatrick outscored the RedHawks by herself in the first half, coming off the bench to score 13 points as BG built that 31-9 lead at the intermission. Hoekstra scored nine of her 13 points in the second half to pace a balanced attack, as Myers added eight points and Konieczki seven in that second stanza.

Both offenses got off to a slow start. Neither team scored until Jessica Rupright's jumper gave the visitors the lead with 1:36 gone, and McCue doubled that lead with a layup at the 16:45 mark. The Falcons got on the board with a pair of Hoekstra free throws 30 seconds later, beginning a 5-0 run.

That run culminated with a long two-pointer by Myers, and the Falcons had a 5-4 lead. Kayla Brown knocked down a three-point try with 13:54 left in the half, giving the RedHawks the lead once again, but Miami would not score for the next 11:12, as BGSU scored the next 17 points while forcing MU to miss 17-straight shots.

During that stretch, the RedHawks went scoreless on 16 consecutive possessions. The BGSU defense held the visitors to a 'one-and-done' on 14 of those 16 possessions, getting the defensive rebound in each case. Miami got a total of two offensive boards during that time, but missed a second shot on one possession and committed an offensive foul on the other.

Freshmen and sophomores combined to score all 17 points during that BGSU run. Kirkpatrick led the way with nine points -- as many as Miami scored during the entire half -- while Konieczki and freshman Sarah Baer had three points apiece and freshman Haley Puk two during that stretch.

Kirkpatrick checked into the game for the first time with 13:10 left in the half. Eight seconds later, she scored on a pull-up jumper from the left baseline after receiving a pass from junior Miriam Justinger, tying the game at 7-7.

Moments later, Hoekstra found Kirkpatrick on the other side of the court, and her long two-pointer gave the Brown and Orange the lead for good.

After entering the contest for the first time, Kirkpatrick was directly involved in the scoring of the game's next 14 points, scoring nine points herself and assisting teammates for two other buckets. She threw the ball inside to Baer, who spun and hit a layup for an 11-7 advantage. Then, Kirkpatrick found Konieczki on the left wing for a three-pointer at the 8:35 mark. After a Miami miss, the ball went out of bounds to BG, and Kirkpatrick's three-ball on the next possession made it a 17-7 game and prompted a Miami timeout.

But, after another MU miss, and one of Hoekstra's 14 rebounds, BG had the ball once again. A shot was off the mark, but Puk tracked down the rebound and whipped a pass to Kirkpatrick for a jumper from just inside the three-point line. The shot found nothing but the bottom of the net, giving BG a 19-7 lead as the RedHawks used another timeout.

The Falcons got three more points, all at the free-throw line, before Jazz Smith finally ended Miami's lengthy drought with a layup with just 2:42 left in the half. But, the home team proceeded to score the final nine points of the period.

That run, just like the previous one, began with Kirkpatrick scoring, as the Lawrence, Kansas, native grabbed an offensive rebound, was fouled and hit a pair of shots from the stripe. MU's next possession saw Baer block a Baleigh Reid jumper, with the Falcon freshman getting the rebound and passing it to Myers. Myers fired a long pass downcourt to a sprinting Hoekstra, who hit a transition layup in traffice for a 26-9 lead.

A steal by Baer gave the ball back to BG, and Kirkpatrick hit two more free throws with 1:18 left in the half. With time winding down in the period, Hoekstra spotted Justinger on the left side of the court, and the junior's three-pointer was on the mark, giving BG that 31-9 lead at the break.

Miami, as mentioned, was just 4-of-28 from the field in that opening half. Despite missing 24 shots, the RedHawks wound up with only three second-chance points in those 20 minutes.

Kirkpatrick scored 13 points in the half, with no other player on either team scoring more than four points. Hoekstra and Justinger had four points apiece, with Hoekstra getting eight rebounds in the period.

While MU made only four field goals in the entire first half, the RedHawks hit four shots in the first 3:19 of the second half. BG nearly matched Miami during that span, however, hitting three field goals and a pair of free throws. Hoekstra scored on the Falcons' first possession of the half, then spun through the lane and dished the ball to Baer for a layup inside.

Myers made two free throws, then hit a driving layup with the shot clock winding down, and the Falcons had a 24-point lead, the largest of the day, at 39-15.

Miami, though, went on a 14-2 run over the next five minutes, holding the Falcons to just a pair of Myers charity tosses in that time. Smith scored five points during the run, and when McCue knocked down a three-pointer at the 12:21 mark, the 'Hawks had scored nine-straight points to cap that 14-2 surge, and BG's lead was down to 12 points, 41-29. The visitors went 5-of-7 from the field during that stretch.

BG stopped the run momentarily, when the Falcons passed the ball around the perimeter from right to left. Kirkpatrick found Myers, who fired a pass to Justinger, and Justinger in turn hit an open Hoekstra in the left corner. The senior's three-point try was on target, giving BG a 44-29 lead.

But, Brown's jumper began a 7-0 run for the visitors, and when McCue made two free throws, BGSU's lead was just 44-36 with 8:53 remaining.

The hosts responded, however, by scoring seven-straight points of their own, as Hoekstra got an offensive rebound, was fouled and hit two tosses at the 7:40 mark. Then, after a Miami turnover, Justinger drove and kicked the ball to Kirkpatrick for a three-pointer from the left corner.

After a Miami turnover, Kirkpatrick again took a pass in the left corner. This time, she faked a three-point try, dribbled past her defender and knocked down a baseline jumper, giving BG a 51-36 lead with six minutes to go.

McCue, however, banked home a three-pointer, then hit a more conventional triple try to cut the margin to single digits once again. Kirkpatrick found Justinger for a layup, making it a 53-42 game with 4:06 to go, and BG's lead never dropped below 10 points again.

McCue split a pair of free throws, but Hoekstra and Justinger each scored twice from the stripe. After Reid's layup with 3:11 remaining, neither team scored again until Myers hit a floater with only a few seconds left on the shot clock, giving BG a 59-45 lead with 1:40 remaining. The Falcons' lead stayed between 14 and 16 points until two Courtney Larson free throws with 1.8 seconds left provided the final 13-point margin.

Kirkpatrick's previous career-high point total was eight, in the Falcons' win at Illinois State on Dec. 19. She had made a career-best three field goals on three occasions, before doubling that total on Saturday vs. MU.

The Falcons posted season-high totals in free throws made and attempted with that 27-of-33 performance from the stripe. Seven of the eight BG players to see action on Saturday hit at least one free throw and scored at least two points in the game.

Hoekstra's double-double was her fourth of the season, and the fourth of her BGSU career. All four double-doubles have come in the Falcons' last six games.

Hoekstra, Justinger and Kirkpatrick each dished out three assists as the Falcons had 11 assists on 17 buckets. Both BG and Miami made five three-point field goals, with the Falcons attempting 15 long-range shots to the RedHawks' 25.

Justinger had eight points and Baer five for the Falcons. Baer made her first collegiate start in the game.

The Falcons now head to the MAC's 'West Coast' for a Wednesday (Jan. 28) game against Northern Illinois University. Then, BGSU returns home for the next two games, beginning with a Saturday (Jan. 31) contest vs. the University of Toledo.