Seniors roll for BG as Horne, Mann start Falcons on new streak

Carin Horne grabs a rebound against Miami.

BGSU players, from left, Lindsey Goldsberry, Megan Thorburn, Ali Mann and Kate Achter celebrate at the end of the game.

BOWLING GREEN - At halftime the score was such that a few fans might have wondered if Bowling Green State University's five seniors would ever win in Anderson Arena again.

Just 3 1/2 minutes into the second half against Miami last night, that was no longer a worry.

The short-handed Falcons went on a big scoring spree early in the period to secure a 92-62 win in their final regular-season game and erase the loss to Ohio on Saturday that ruined their perfect Mid-American Conference season.

No. 19 BGSU will play next on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the MAC tournament quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The Falcons will play the winner of Sunday's game between the University of Toledo and Buffalo.

Carin Horne grabs a rebound against Miami.

Four of the Falcons' seniors scored in double figures, Carin Horne leading the way with 23 points and eight rebounds. Ali Mann scored 22 and also pulled down eight boards.

A turnover-plagued first half meant the Falcons only led 37-33 at halftime. But an 18-5 run put BGSU up by 17 at the 16:32 mark.

"The seniors wanted to go off in style, and they were as fired up to play tonight as I've seen them in a long, long time," BGSU coach Curt Miller said.

BGSU (26-3, 15-1) was without backup point guard Jasmine McCall for reasons Miller declined to specify. He also did not say if McCall would rejoin the team for the MAC tournament.

"I will address it when I have some answers," Miller said. "We will evaluate as all the information becomes available to me."

The Falcons used just seven players for most of the game, and Mann was the point guard when Kate Achter needed a rest.

Players said McCall was not at practice on Monday or Tuesday, so Mann had a few days to prepare. Miami (12-17, 6-10) trapped and applied a lot of pressure to the ball, but the Falcons were still able to find teammates for easy layups.

"I thought Ali did a very admirable job at the point guard position in a tough situation," Miller said. "She is clearly the best option out there for us. She understands the plays and what we're trying to accomplish."

The Falcons only led by four at halftime. The Falcons had 11 turnovers in the first half, Achter with six.

"I was pressing from the beginning. I thought I had to play the perfect game, and I was really out of control," Achter said. "Once I finally calmed down, I played better, and we played better as a team."

BGSU scored 27 points in the first eight minutes of the second half.

Achter scored 13 and had eight assists, and seniors Liz Honegger and Amber Flynn scored 11 each. Miami coach Maria Fantanarosa said BGSU's second-half run "deflated" her team.

"Bowling Green is physical, and they have players that intimidate you," she said. "Bad timing for Miami to be the team to have to play Bowling Green on senior night after a loss."

NOTES: Perrysburg native Laura Markwood started for the RedHawks and had five points and five rebounds. The Falcons missed 11 of their 33 free throws.

Contact Maureen Fulton at:

mfulton@theblade.com

or 419-724-6160.