Loans Arena after winning the MAC championship by beating Toledo 62-53. (Enoch Wu)
Postgame audio from coach Curt Miller, Tournament MVP Lauren Prochaska and senior Tara Breske: MAC_Championship_Falcons_Postgame.wav
CLEVELAND -- The BG women's basketball team is going dancing.
The Falcons have punched their ticket to the Big Dance, receiving the automatic bid to this year's NCAA Tournament after defeating arch-rival Toledo 62-53 for the Mid-American Conference championship Saturday afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
"We can't express how excited we are," BG coach Curt Miller said. "What an unbelievable feeling. It's just a great finish to MAC play for us this year."
BG started the game sluggish and the Rockets were clicking on all cylinders, jumping out to a 22-12 advantage at the 8:19 mark. The Falcons would dominate down the stretch of the first half, however, going on a 17-2 run to take a 29-24 lead into the break.
Prochaska scored 12 first-half points, essentially setting the tone for an offense that struggled early on.
"We were down big early and I think nerves got to us," Prochaska said. "We were a little impatient and weren't running our offenses, [but] as we settled down we were able to execute our plays better and get the shots that we wanted to get."
Down five at the break and victim of a 17-2 run, Toledo's Melissa Goodall opened the second-half with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three at the 19:42 mark - the Rockets' first points since 3:35 remaining in the first half.
Two minutes and 32 seconds later and the Rockets would regain the lead, 30-29, off Naama Shafir's layup.
The final 17:29 went back-and-forth, as the game saw two ties and seven lead changes, but the biggest lead change of the game occurred with 6:20 left in the game, when Maggie Hennegan's layup gave the Falcons the lead for good.
Possibly BG's biggest play of the day would come with 1:15 remaining in the game when the Falcons led 56-53, as senior Tara Breske blocked a shot from Shafir that eventually setup a foul at the other end of the court - putting one of the best free throw shooters in the country at the line in Prochaska.
Prochaska sunk both free throws and Tamika Nurse and Tracy Pontius followed in their teammate's footsteps - making each of their free throws down the stretch to seal the nine-point win.
The Falcons went to the free-throw line 24 times and converted on 16 of them. Toledo went to the line just nine times and made five. BG's knack for getting to the line was a credit to their inside presence - outscoring Toledo 32-24 in the paint - which was crucial in getting the win.
Breske, who finished with six points and nine rebounds, knew that winning the battle inside the paint was going to play a big factor in defeating their arch-rival.
"We just battled," Breske said. "We know that their inside presence is huge for them."
Leading the way for the Rockets was Tanika Mays, Goodall and Shafir, who finished with 18, 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Despite allowing three players to score in double-figures, BG's defense stepped up when it needed it most, and the offense picked up as a result - including Prochaska's 29-point effort.
"I think today my teammates and coaches did a great job of calling plays for me," Prochaska said. "I was able to get open shots."
The Falcons will now have to play the waiting game, as they won't find out who their opponent is for the NCAA Tournament until Monday.
Two minutes and 32 seconds later and the Rockets would regain the lead, 30-29, off Naama Shafir's layup.
The final 17:29 went back-and-forth, as the game saw two ties and seven lead changes, but the biggest lead change of the game occurred with 6:20 left in the game, when Maggie Hennegan's layup gave the Falcons the lead for good.
Possibly BG's biggest play of the day would come with 1:15 remaining in the game when the Falcons led 56-53, as senior Tara Breske blocked a shot from Shafir that eventually setup a foul at the other end of the court - putting one of the best free throw shooters in the country at the line in Prochaska.
Prochaska sunk both free throws and Tamika Nurse and Tracy Pontius followed in their teammate's footsteps - making each of their free throws down the stretch to seal the nine-point win.
The Falcons went to the free-throw line 24 times and converted on 16 of them. Toledo went to the line just nine times and made five. BG's knack for getting to the line was a credit to their inside presence - outscoring Toledo 32-24 in the paint - which was crucial in getting the win.
Breske, who finished with six points and nine rebounds, knew that winning the battle inside the paint was going to play a big factor in defeating their arch-rival.
"We just battled," Breske said. "We know that their inside presence is huge for them."
Leading the way for the Rockets was Tanika Mays, Goodall and Shafir, who finished with 18, 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Despite allowing three players to score in double-figures, BG's defense stepped up when it needed it most, and the offense picked up as a result - including Prochaska's 29-point effort.
"I think today my teammates and coaches did a great job of calling plays for me," Prochaska said. "I was able to get open shots."
The Falcons will now have to play the waiting game, as they won't find out who their opponent is for the NCAA Tournament until Monday.
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