Lauren Prochaska saves a loose ball in the first half of BG's 81-49 win against Akron in semifinal
play of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. (Christina McGinnis)
Final Stats | Photos
By Sean Shapiro
Sports Editor
CLEVELAND -- It was dominance in every sense of the word.
The Falcons hung 81 points on the conference's best defensive team and then gave them a taste of their own medicine holding Akron to a dismal 34 percent shooting from the field.
"They beat us in every facet of the game," Akron coach Jodi Kest said.
The end result? A 81-49 shellacking.
BG took control of the game early, hitting three deep 3-pointers in the game's opening minutes and they never looked back, as they ran Akron out of the gym in a Mid-American Conference semifinal win.
The 81 points were the most that Akron had allowed all season, as BG found rhythm from outside the arc and inside the paint leaving the Zips with no answer to cover them.
"I couldn't of dreamed about getting 80 points against that Akron defense," BG coach Curt Miller said. "But we needed the game uptempo and that start gave us the confidence we could get the game uptempo."
Six different Falcons hit 3-pointers while senior Tara Breske helped lead a post effort that grabbed 40 rebounds, including 13 on offensive end.
"Once we started getting the ball inside, it opened up our 3-point shooting and helped a lot in our scoring," Breske said.
Any inkling that it was still a ball game was erased in the second half, as BG exploded for 43 points allowing for all 16 players on the roster to see at least one minute of action. The Falcons led 38-24 at halftime.
Akron's season came to an end with a school best 18-13 record, while BG will look to improve upon its 26-6 record tomorrow.
With the win, BG will meet rival Toledo in tomorrow's MAC Championship game.
The Rockets won the lone regular season matchup between the teams, pulling off a 66-63 upset victory in front of the largest regular season crowd in MAC women's basketball history.
While it will be the seventh straight MAC title game for BG, senior transfer Tamika Nurse made the move from Oregon for an opportunity to play for championships.
"I'm really excited. I've never had the opportunity to play for a championship," Nurse said. "And to just kind of see that dream turn into a reality, it's an opportunity."
l tip-off at 1 p.m. tomorrow from Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena.
"I couldn't of dreamed about getting 80 points against that Akron defense," BG coach Curt Miller said. "But we needed the game uptempo and that start gave us the confidence we could get the game uptempo."
"Once we started getting the ball inside, it opened up our 3-point shooting and helped a lot in our scoring," Breske said.
Any inkling that it was still a ball game was erased in the second half, as BG exploded for 43 points allowing for all 16 players on the roster to see at least one minute of action. The Falcons led 38-24 at halftime.
Akron's season came to an end with a school best 18-13 record, while BG will look to improve upon its 26-6 record tomorrow.
With the win, BG will meet rival Toledo in tomorrow's MAC Championship game.
The Rockets won the lone regular season matchup between the teams, pulling off a 66-63 upset victory in front of the largest regular season crowd in MAC women's basketball history.
While it will be the seventh straight MAC title game for BG, senior transfer Tamika Nurse made the move from Oregon for an opportunity to play for championships.
"I'm really excited. I've never had the opportunity to play for a championship," Nurse said. "And to just kind of see that dream turn into a reality, it's an opportunity."
l tip-off at 1 p.m. tomorrow from Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena.
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