Thursday, March 15
Bowling Green, Ohio
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
71
vs
72
VCU (First Round)
Senior Jessica Slagle drives for 2 of her career-high 23 points against VCU's Andrea Barbour. Barbour hit a layup at the buzzer to give her team the win (photo by Brandon Heiss)
Falcons Drop a Heartbreaker to VCU, 72-71
March 15, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Slagle is stellar in her final collegiate game
Andrea Barbour went coast-to-coast for a layup at the buzzer, lifting VCU to a 72-71 victory over the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team Thursday night (March 15). The game, a first-round contest in the WNIT, was held at the Stroh Center.
FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
PHOTO GALLERY: photos by Brandon Heiss, BGSU Marketing & Comm.
POSTGAME AUDIO: Jessica Slagle | Curt Miller
POSTGAME VIDEO: Jessica Slagle | Curt Miller
Videos are also available at the bottom of the page
With the win, the Rams improve to 18-14 on the season, and advance to the second round. VCU will take on Saint Joseph's on Sunday in Philadelphia. The Falcons see the season come to an end with an overall record of 24-7.
Barbour and teammate Courtney Hurt combined for 50 points in the game, including all 14 of VCU's points in the final 2:42 of the game as the Rams completed a furious comeback.
BGSU trailed for a total of 12.3 seconds in Thursday night's game. The Falcons lost for just the second time at the Stroh Center, with both setbacks by one point, and BG fell for only the fourth time in the last 64 home games.
Hurt, who entered the game ranked in the top 10 in the nation in both scoring and rebounding, lived up to her advance billing, with game-high totals of 30 points and 17 rebounds. Barbour, like Hurt, had a double-double, with 20 points and 11 boards. The duo combined for 15 offensive rebounds, including seven in the final 3:03.
BGSU senior Jessica Slagle was nothing short of stellar in what proved to be her final game, scoring a career-high 23 points. The last two points came at the free-throw line, as she sank a pair of tosses with just 5.1 seconds left to give BG a 71-70 lead.
Slagle made 7-of-11 shots from the field, hitting both of her three-point attempts on the night. BGSU drained nine triples in 22 tries from long distance.
The Falcons led by as many as 17 points midway through the first half, and the hosts took a 34-25 lead into the intermission. VCU, after taking a 2-0 lead, trailed for nearly 39 minutes before taking the lead on Hurt's offensive board and putback with just 6.4 seconds remaining.
After BGSU inbounded the ball, Slagle was fouled by Barbour in the backcourt, and the tri-captain calmly went to the line and swished both free throws. VCU, with no timeouts left, inbounded the ball to Barbour, who raced down the right sideline and hit the game-winning layup just before the final horn.
Freshman Jasmine Matthews had 13 points for the Falcons, including a game-high three three-pointers, while junior Chrissy Steffen scored 12. Redshirt sophomore Alexis Rogers had nine points and a team-leading nine rebounds for the hosts.
Junior Allison Papenfuss and soph Jillian Halfhill had six and five points, respectively, off the bench for the Brown and Orange. For the Rams, both Christina Carter and Carleeda Green scored seven points.
The Falcons spotted the Rams a 2-0 lead, as Hurt put back her own miss. But, just 11 seconds later, Steffen took a pass from Rogers and hit a triple from the right wing. Another Steffen trey from nearly the same spot put the Brown and Orange up by a 6-2 count.
Hurt scored again, but Matthews took a Slagle pass and hit the Falcons' third trey of the night, also from the right wing. BGSU had a 9-4 lead, and VCU coach Beth Cunningham used a timeout at the 16:44 mark.
Barbour scored out of the timeout, but Slagle answered with a layup for an 11-6 lead, and Rogers grabbed an offensive rebound and laid the ball up and in. After another Barbour layup at the 13:50 mark, the Falcons proceeded to score the next 12 points.
First, Matthews drove and dished the ball to Slagle for a three-pointer from the left side. Then, Rogers picked Green's pocket at midcourt and sailed in for a layup. After a VCU turnover, Steffen drove the lane and dished the ball to Papenfuss for a layup, and after another Rams turnover, Slagle knocked down a pull-up jumper in the paint. BG's lead was 22-8.
That lead grew to a game-high 17 points, as Halfhill dribbled around the top of the arc, pulled up and drained a trey midway through the half.
VCU ended a scoreless drought of just over four minutes on an 'and-one' layup by Barbour. She missed the ensuing free-throw try, but Hurt came up with the rebound, and the possession ended up with Hurt hitting a layup to cut BG's lead to 25-12.
After a pair of BG charity tosses, the Rams scored seven-straight points, culminating in a three-point play by Carter. With just under five minutes left in the half, the Falcons' lead was down to eight points, 29-21.
The teams traded baskets for the next several minutes, with making a baseline cut and taking a pass from Rogers for a layup. After Barbour put back her own miss, Slagle nailed a triple at the 2:39 mark for a 34-23 lead. Chelsea Snyder's jumper in the final minute cut her team's deficit to single digits at the half.
Rogers, after a spin move in the paint, converted a one-handed shot on the Falcons' first possession of the second half, and a Rogers layup put the hosts ahead by a 40-27 count with several minutes gone in the period. But, Barbour scored five quick points, with a three-point play and a jumper, to cut the lead to eight.
After two Steffen free throws, Matthews took a pass from Slagle and drained a three-pointer from the right elbow, restoring the home team's 13-point lead. Hurt, however, answered with a trey on the next possession. Slagle hit a layup, but Hurt responded with a jumper, and BG's lead was 47-37 at the 12-minute mark.
After a VCU hoop, Matthews scored five-straight points, knocking down another 3 after a pass from Halfhill, then scoring on a driving layup. Matthews had eight points in a two-and-a-half-minute span, and the Falcons had a 52-39 lead.
And, BG had an answer for each VCU score during that stretch. After Robyn Parks hit a jumper, Steffen made a pair of shots from the stripe. Carter scored, but Steffen got back to the line and made both shots again. BG led, 56-43, with 9:10 left.
But, the Rams stayed within striking distance. Over the next few minutes, the Falcons did not let the lead drop below nine points, but BGSU could not increase the lead past 11. Finally, with just under five minutes remaining, redshirt junior Danielle Havel's three-point try from the left corner hit the rim, bounced up in the air and dropped through. BG's lead was 12, 65-53.
Green, however, scored five points in a row, with her three-ball cutting the Falcons' lead to 65-58 at the 3:47 mark. Slagle came back with a jumper, but Hurt hit two free throws, then converted a transition layup after a steal by Barbour. The lead was down to five points with 2:29 left.
Slagle made a pair of tosses, but Hurt scored on another layup, and Barbour split a pair of free throws with 1:31 left. She made the first toss and missed the second, but Hurt came up with the rebound and layup to cut BG's lead to just two points, 69-67.
BG missed a shot as the clock ticked under 60 seconds, and Hurt got to the line with 43.8 seconds left. She made her first free throw, but saw the second bounce off the iron. Rogers came up with the rebound for the Falcons, but BG turned the ball over with 23 seconds left. VCU took the ball into the frontcourt and called timeout with 17.0 seconds left.
Out of the timeout, Barbour missed a jumper with approximately nine seconds left, but Hurt grabbed the miss and scored with 6.4 seconds remaining. After fouling Slagle roughly 75 feet from the basket, Barbour redeemed herself with the winning hoop at the horn.
For the game, the Rams shot 45.7 percent from the field to the Falcons' 43.1%. VCU held a 45-32 advantage on the boards. BGSU went 18-of-26 from the line (69.2%), including a 16-of-18 (.88.9%) effort in the second period, while VCU made only 6-of-15 free throws.
Green and Slagle each had four assists to lead their respective teams. Rogers had three assists and three steals, as did Barbour.
The Falcons lose two seniors, Slagle and Maribeth Giese, off of the 2011-12 team. The rest of the 15-woman roster featured four juniors, four sophomores and five freshmen.
FINAL STATISTICS: HTML | PDF
PHOTO GALLERY: photos by Brandon Heiss, BGSU Marketing & Comm.
POSTGAME AUDIO: Jessica Slagle | Curt Miller
POSTGAME VIDEO: Jessica Slagle | Curt Miller
Videos are also available at the bottom of the page
With the win, the Rams improve to 18-14 on the season, and advance to the second round. VCU will take on Saint Joseph's on Sunday in Philadelphia. The Falcons see the season come to an end with an overall record of 24-7.
Barbour and teammate Courtney Hurt combined for 50 points in the game, including all 14 of VCU's points in the final 2:42 of the game as the Rams completed a furious comeback.
BGSU trailed for a total of 12.3 seconds in Thursday night's game. The Falcons lost for just the second time at the Stroh Center, with both setbacks by one point, and BG fell for only the fourth time in the last 64 home games.
Hurt, who entered the game ranked in the top 10 in the nation in both scoring and rebounding, lived up to her advance billing, with game-high totals of 30 points and 17 rebounds. Barbour, like Hurt, had a double-double, with 20 points and 11 boards. The duo combined for 15 offensive rebounds, including seven in the final 3:03.
BGSU senior Jessica Slagle was nothing short of stellar in what proved to be her final game, scoring a career-high 23 points. The last two points came at the free-throw line, as she sank a pair of tosses with just 5.1 seconds left to give BG a 71-70 lead.
Slagle made 7-of-11 shots from the field, hitting both of her three-point attempts on the night. BGSU drained nine triples in 22 tries from long distance.
The Falcons led by as many as 17 points midway through the first half, and the hosts took a 34-25 lead into the intermission. VCU, after taking a 2-0 lead, trailed for nearly 39 minutes before taking the lead on Hurt's offensive board and putback with just 6.4 seconds remaining.
After BGSU inbounded the ball, Slagle was fouled by Barbour in the backcourt, and the tri-captain calmly went to the line and swished both free throws. VCU, with no timeouts left, inbounded the ball to Barbour, who raced down the right sideline and hit the game-winning layup just before the final horn.
Freshman Jasmine Matthews had 13 points for the Falcons, including a game-high three three-pointers, while junior Chrissy Steffen scored 12. Redshirt sophomore Alexis Rogers had nine points and a team-leading nine rebounds for the hosts.
Junior Allison Papenfuss and soph Jillian Halfhill had six and five points, respectively, off the bench for the Brown and Orange. For the Rams, both Christina Carter and Carleeda Green scored seven points.
The Falcons spotted the Rams a 2-0 lead, as Hurt put back her own miss. But, just 11 seconds later, Steffen took a pass from Rogers and hit a triple from the right wing. Another Steffen trey from nearly the same spot put the Brown and Orange up by a 6-2 count.
Hurt scored again, but Matthews took a Slagle pass and hit the Falcons' third trey of the night, also from the right wing. BGSU had a 9-4 lead, and VCU coach Beth Cunningham used a timeout at the 16:44 mark.
Barbour scored out of the timeout, but Slagle answered with a layup for an 11-6 lead, and Rogers grabbed an offensive rebound and laid the ball up and in. After another Barbour layup at the 13:50 mark, the Falcons proceeded to score the next 12 points.
First, Matthews drove and dished the ball to Slagle for a three-pointer from the left side. Then, Rogers picked Green's pocket at midcourt and sailed in for a layup. After a VCU turnover, Steffen drove the lane and dished the ball to Papenfuss for a layup, and after another Rams turnover, Slagle knocked down a pull-up jumper in the paint. BG's lead was 22-8.
That lead grew to a game-high 17 points, as Halfhill dribbled around the top of the arc, pulled up and drained a trey midway through the half.
VCU ended a scoreless drought of just over four minutes on an 'and-one' layup by Barbour. She missed the ensuing free-throw try, but Hurt came up with the rebound, and the possession ended up with Hurt hitting a layup to cut BG's lead to 25-12.
After a pair of BG charity tosses, the Rams scored seven-straight points, culminating in a three-point play by Carter. With just under five minutes left in the half, the Falcons' lead was down to eight points, 29-21.
The teams traded baskets for the next several minutes, with making a baseline cut and taking a pass from Rogers for a layup. After Barbour put back her own miss, Slagle nailed a triple at the 2:39 mark for a 34-23 lead. Chelsea Snyder's jumper in the final minute cut her team's deficit to single digits at the half.
Rogers, after a spin move in the paint, converted a one-handed shot on the Falcons' first possession of the second half, and a Rogers layup put the hosts ahead by a 40-27 count with several minutes gone in the period. But, Barbour scored five quick points, with a three-point play and a jumper, to cut the lead to eight.
After two Steffen free throws, Matthews took a pass from Slagle and drained a three-pointer from the right elbow, restoring the home team's 13-point lead. Hurt, however, answered with a trey on the next possession. Slagle hit a layup, but Hurt responded with a jumper, and BG's lead was 47-37 at the 12-minute mark.
After a VCU hoop, Matthews scored five-straight points, knocking down another 3 after a pass from Halfhill, then scoring on a driving layup. Matthews had eight points in a two-and-a-half-minute span, and the Falcons had a 52-39 lead.
And, BG had an answer for each VCU score during that stretch. After Robyn Parks hit a jumper, Steffen made a pair of shots from the stripe. Carter scored, but Steffen got back to the line and made both shots again. BG led, 56-43, with 9:10 left.
But, the Rams stayed within striking distance. Over the next few minutes, the Falcons did not let the lead drop below nine points, but BGSU could not increase the lead past 11. Finally, with just under five minutes remaining, redshirt junior Danielle Havel's three-point try from the left corner hit the rim, bounced up in the air and dropped through. BG's lead was 12, 65-53.
Green, however, scored five points in a row, with her three-ball cutting the Falcons' lead to 65-58 at the 3:47 mark. Slagle came back with a jumper, but Hurt hit two free throws, then converted a transition layup after a steal by Barbour. The lead was down to five points with 2:29 left.
Slagle made a pair of tosses, but Hurt scored on another layup, and Barbour split a pair of free throws with 1:31 left. She made the first toss and missed the second, but Hurt came up with the rebound and layup to cut BG's lead to just two points, 69-67.
BG missed a shot as the clock ticked under 60 seconds, and Hurt got to the line with 43.8 seconds left. She made her first free throw, but saw the second bounce off the iron. Rogers came up with the rebound for the Falcons, but BG turned the ball over with 23 seconds left. VCU took the ball into the frontcourt and called timeout with 17.0 seconds left.
Out of the timeout, Barbour missed a jumper with approximately nine seconds left, but Hurt grabbed the miss and scored with 6.4 seconds remaining. After fouling Slagle roughly 75 feet from the basket, Barbour redeemed herself with the winning hoop at the horn.
For the game, the Rams shot 45.7 percent from the field to the Falcons' 43.1%. VCU held a 45-32 advantage on the boards. BGSU went 18-of-26 from the line (69.2%), including a 16-of-18 (.88.9%) effort in the second period, while VCU made only 6-of-15 free throws.
Green and Slagle each had four assists to lead their respective teams. Rogers had three assists and three steals, as did Barbour.
The Falcons lose two seniors, Slagle and Maribeth Giese, off of the 2011-12 team. The rest of the 15-woman roster featured four juniors, four sophomores and five freshmen.
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