UT, BG women's basketball preview

11/10/2011
BLADE SPORTS STAFF
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    UT's Andola Dortch drives to the basket, passing AU #12, Alyssa Miller, on the way.

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    • UT's Andola Dortch drives to the basket, passing AU #12, Alyssa Miller, on the way.
    UT's Andola Dortch drives to the basket, passing AU #12, Alyssa Miller, on the way.

    Nobody could have imagined the excitement and buzz generated last April by the University of Toledo women's basketball team winning the 2011 Women's National Invitation Tournament with six home victories over some of the top programs in the nation.

    After winning an outright Mid-American Conference regular season title for the first time in a decade, the Rockets had set out to win the conference tournament and advance to the NCAA tournament. When things didn't go as planned, there was a clear sense of disappointment and frustration throughout the entire program.

    The 18-day journey in the WNIT turned out to be just the remedy UT needed and quite the blessing in disguise.

    Sell-out crowds at Savage Arena watched the Rockets defeat UNC-Charlotte in the WNIT semifinals and then take down Southern California in the finals, with guard Naama Shafir being named WNIT MVP.
    Read more UT women's basketball preview...

     

    Bowling Green's Lauren Prochaska, right, drives to the basket as Georgia Tech's Chelsea Regins defends during the first half of a first round NCAA women's college basketball tournament game.
    Bowling Green's Lauren Prochaska, right, drives to the basket as Georgia Tech's Chelsea Regins defends during the first half of a first round NCAA women's college basketball tournament game.

    BOWLING GREEN -- The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team graduated six seniors who combined for 5,812 points, 2,854 rebounds, and 695 assists -- not to mention three Mid-American Conference titles and 103 victories.

    That spells doom for the Falcons, right?

    Hardly. Those are the numbers from the group that graduated following the 2007 season. All that followed was another outstanding group that racked up 5,469 points, 2,246 rebounds, and 927 assists -- along with 110 wins and two more MAC crowns.

    So losing four starters and six letterwinners from last season's team, which posted a 28-5 record and was 13-3 in the MAC while earning the program's fifth NCAA Tournament berth in seven seasons, isn't quite as daunting a task as it may seem. Read more BG women's basketball preview...