CLEVELAND -- Teams live and die by the 3-pointer, and against Miami, the BG women's basketball team was living large as they hit 65 percent (13-for-20) from behind the arc to defeat the RedHawks 91-58 in the Quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland Wednesday.
Down 7-5 early, the No. 1 seed Falcons took an 8-7 lead off a 3-pointer from MAC Player of the Year Lauren Prochaska at the 17:34 mark and never looked back, increasing their lead to as high as 14 points leading to a 40-29 advantage at the break against No. 8 Miami.
BG connected on 5-of-8 shots from behind the arc in the first half and much of the credit goes to the Falcons' inside presence, which was dominated by senior Tara Breske.
Breske tallied 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the first half, essentially setting up an outside presence for the Falcons.
"That made our 3-ball easier because we were playing inside-out," BG coach Curt Miller said. "I'm really excited because we've looked for that all year. That was a big difference in the game."
BG connected on 5-of-8 shots from behind the arc in the first half and much of the credit goes to the Falcons' inside presence, which was dominated by senior Tara Breske.
Breske tallied 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the first half, essentially setting up an outside presence for the Falcons.
"That made our 3-ball easier because we were playing inside-out," BG coach Curt Miller said. "I'm really excited because we've looked for that all year. That was a big difference in the game."
The second half was much of the same story for the Falcons, as 8-of-12 3-pointers coupled with 26 points in the paint propelled the Falcons to a 33-point win.
Breske was named the player of the game, finishing with a game-high 20 points on 9-of-15 from the field in 24 minutes of work. She also was active on the rebounding end grabbing six.
Breske was just one of four Falcons to finish in double-figures, as Prochaska, Tamika Nurse and Jen Uhl posted 15, 14 and 11 points, respectively. As a team, BG shot 50 percent (36-for-72) from the field, including 13 from long distance.
"When we have a balanced attack inside and outside it leads to good results," Breske said.
For the RedHawks, Kirsten Olowinski led the way with a team-high 16 points, while MAC Freshman of the Year Courtney Osborn struggled to find her shot, finishing with 10 points on just 4-of-15 from the field.
BG held Miami to a dismal 36 percent (23-for-64) from the field, and as good as the Falcons have been this season, Wednesday's matchup with the RedHawks was one of their best.
"That's as good as we've played all year," Miller said.
Fifteen players saw action for the Falcons against Miami, including four freshmen. Jessie Tamerlano, Allison Papenfuss, Chrissy Steffen and Simone Eli combined for 23 minutes on the floor.
With the win, the Falcons advance to the semifinals on Friday to play No. 4 Akron, who easily took care of No. 5 Eastern Michigan 72-46 Wednesday night. BG went 2-0 against the Zips during the regular season.
Breske was named the player of the game, finishing with a game-high 20 points on 9-of-15 from the field in 24 minutes of work. She also was active on the rebounding end grabbing six.
Breske was just one of four Falcons to finish in double-figures, as Prochaska, Tamika Nurse and Jen Uhl posted 15, 14 and 11 points, respectively. As a team, BG shot 50 percent (36-for-72) from the field, including 13 from long distance.
"When we have a balanced attack inside and outside it leads to good results," Breske said.
For the RedHawks, Kirsten Olowinski led the way with a team-high 16 points, while MAC Freshman of the Year Courtney Osborn struggled to find her shot, finishing with 10 points on just 4-of-15 from the field.
BG held Miami to a dismal 36 percent (23-for-64) from the field, and as good as the Falcons have been this season, Wednesday's matchup with the RedHawks was one of their best.
"That's as good as we've played all year," Miller said.
Fifteen players saw action for the Falcons against Miami, including four freshmen. Jessie Tamerlano, Allison Papenfuss, Chrissy Steffen and Simone Eli combined for 23 minutes on the floor.
With the win, the Falcons advance to the semifinals on Friday to play No. 4 Akron, who easily took care of No. 5 Eastern Michigan 72-46 Wednesday night. BG went 2-0 against the Zips during the regular season.
Leave a comment