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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Miami (OH) (Semifinal)
Austin, Again! Falcons Advance To MAC Title Game On Another Buzzer-Beater
March 12, 2004 | Women's Basketball
March 12, 2004
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Lindsay Austin simply does not want her senior season to end.
For the second consecutive game, the Bowling Green State University point guard made a shot at the buzzer, giving the Falcons a one-point win. This time, the victim was top-seeded Miami University, and the final score was 75-74 in Kraft Mid-American Conference Tournament action Friday afternoon (March 12) at Gund Arena in downtown Cleveland.
With the win, the fourth-seeded Falcons advance to the MAC Tournament's championship game for the first time since 1994. BGSU, now 21-9 on the season, will face second-seeded Eastern Michigan University, a 75-70 winner over Marshall University in Friday's second semifinal. The championship tilt begins Saturday (March 13) at 1:00 p.m. at Gund Arena.
Austin's jumper capped a 9-0 BG run to end the game, as the Falcons held the RedHawks scoreless for the final three minutes.
Freshman Ali Mann had 21 points to pace four Falcons in double digits in the scoring column, as BGSU rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit. Melanie Kozlowski had 15 points off the bench to lead five RedHawk players in double figures.
The trip to the MAC Championship is the first for the Falcons since 1994. BGSU will enter Saturday's game with a perfect 6-0 record in league championship contests.
BGSU jumped out to a 16-6 lead early in the first half, but Miami countered with a 10-0 run of its own to tie the game, before taking a 20-18 lead on Cindi Merrill's two free throws with 7:55 remaining. After over three scoreless minutes, Merrill sank two from the charity stripe, launching another RedHawk run. Miami's run continued, as the RedHawks ended the half on a 34-9 streak to take a 40-25 lead at the intermission.
After the teams split the first two hoops of the second half, the Falcons scored nine consecutive points to creep within 42-36 at the 17:29 mark. Austin and freshman Liz Honegger combined for 13 consecutive Falcon points after a Stefanie Wenzel layup to begin the half.
After BG got within that six-point margin, the RedHawks answered by restoring the double-digit lead. A Kim Lancaster jumper with 12:38 left gave MU a 58-45 lead. Then, the Falcons went to work.
BGSU scored the next 15 points of the game, with Mann and fellow freshman Carin Horne combining for the first 13, to take a 60-58 lead. Horne hit a three-point field goal at the 11:03 mark, and Mann followed with a triple of her own to cut the MU lead to 58-55 with 10:30 left. Another Horne trey tied the contest at the 9:38 mark.
A pair of Wenzel free throws completed the 15-0 run and gave BG a two-point lead, and two more Wenzel tosses gave BGSU a 62-61 lead with 8:20 remaining.
The RedHawks responded with a pair of treys, by Nicki Motto and Colleen Day, to take a 67-62 lead with 6:03 on the clock. After BG narrowed the lead to a single point, the RedHawks scored seven-straight points, capped by another Motto triple that gave MU a 74-66 lead with 2:59 left. But, the 'Hawks would not score again.
After Mann split a pair of free throws, Wenzel hit a three-pointer at the 1:24 mark, cutting the MU lead to four points. Then, Honegger got a steal, and Wenzel drew a foul with 36.2 seconds left. She made both free throws to cut the lead to two points.
The Falcons got another steal, and Mann grabbed the ball and was fouled with 9.2 seconds remaining. She made the first free throw, cutting the MU lead to 74-73, but missed the second. Day grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Honegger with 7.0 ticks on the clock.
Day missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, and Horne rebounded. BGSU headed the other way, and Austin drove against MU's Cindi Merrill. With time winding down, she took a 14-foot jumper from just to the left of the free-throw line, and her shot found nothing but net.
Austin ended the game with 12 points, while Wenzel (14) and Honegger (10) joined her in double digits. Honegger grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, tying for game honors, and had six steals.
