Article published January 07, 2009
Bowling Green women will get early MAC test at Kent
By MAUREEN FULTON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
BOWLING GREEN - The way the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team breezed through its nonconference schedule, the Falcons seem like they couldn't be any more well prepared to begin gunning for their fifth straight Mid-American Conference regular-season title. By late tonight, BG will know a lot more about whether the last two months prepared the Falcons.
The Falcons enter tonight's game at Kent State on an 11-game winning streak, emerging victorious the past 1 1/2 months after dropping their first two contests. Kent State (11-1) has been just as successful, bouncing back from a down season last year to win its last eight games. The squads boast the top two records in the MAC entering league play.
BG's 11-2 record comes with a small asterisk, though. Its non-conference slate was the weakest in the MAC, ranked 280th out of 340 Division I teams by rpiratings.com. To have a double-digit win total before league play begins for the third straight year is nevertheless a sign of a team that has jelled quite well.
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BGSU at Kent State
Time: 7 p.m.
Records: BG is 11-2, Kent State is 11-1
Radio: 88.1 FM
Series: BG leads 40-27
Notes: The Mid-American Conference opener for both teams. ... BG plays its first two league games on the road. ... The Golden Flashes are eighth in the country, making 39 percent of their 3-point attempts, and the Falcons rank 10th in the MAC in defending that category. ... BG is on a double-digit win streak for the fourth straight season. The Falcons won 19, 18 and 10 games in a row in the three years prior. ... BG is 4-2 on the road. ... The teams last met in last year’s MAC tournament, with the Falcons winning by 28 points. ... Kent State’s only loss came to Clemson in late November. |
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"Right now at 11-2 we've certainly overachieved and are really proud of that," BG coach Curt Miller said.
Kent State also didn't play a tough schedule, ranked 263rd. The Golden Flashes, 4-0 at home, are led by 6-foot-4 senior center Anna Kowalska (18 points, eight rebounds a game). Kent has already surpassed its win total from last season's 9-21 mark and returns all five starters.
"It's a great game for us to see where we're at," Miller said. "My staff thought Kent State would be the best team in the league this year on paper. They have lots of weapons offensively. They play as good of a 2-3 zone as there is in the entire Midwest."It is a really tough matchup for us, but it will be a good test to see how far we've come since October and November."
Since losing their first two games to Temple and Valparaiso, each by more than 10 points, the Falcons have boosted their scoring defense to best in the MAC - allowing opponents 58.2 points per game and winning by an average margin of nearly 16 points.
BG has made nearly twice as many free throws as its opponents and leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.
"That's what nonconference is for, getting ready for conference," senior Lindsey Goldsberry said. "I feel we grew a lot the last month, month and a half. We know what's coming and we're ready for it."
The Falcons have won nine straight over Kent State and coach Bob Lindsay. A win tonight would give BG an early leg up on the MAC East race and send a message that this latest win streak is no fluke. Miller is counting on his veterans to introduce the younger players to the rigors of conference play.
"The tradition that we've started, they want to uphold that tradition," Miller said. "The upperclassmen feel a sense of responsibility to keep this going for the recent graduates."
The Bowling Green men's game at home Saturday against Akron has been moved to an 8 p.m. start time. The contest will be broadcast on ESPNU.
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