The Falcons’ 83-76 loss to the Wright State Raiders featured more than two first-year head coaches and two squads with almost identical records. On paper, you could have also said that both teams were coming into the game without a bonafide scorer. Perhaps what transpired Saturday night gave credence to the old saying, “you can’t judge a book by its cover”.
When BG sophomore Stefanie Wenzel scored the first points of the game and five of BG’s first 15 points, it appeared Wenzel would have another big game and the Falcons would keep the momentum of a 13-0 start. However, only one would hold true.
Much of the reason was due in large part to Wright State freshman Tiffany Webb who, with 11 minutes left in the first half sparked a rally that saw the Raiders climb back from a 26-9 deficit, to end the half on a 33-10 run.
Wenzel and Webb combined to score 31 of the 78 points in the half. The second half saw the two matched up with one another for the first time in the game, as each continued to connect on critical baskets for their teams.
However, it was Webb who kept the hot hand going down the stretch, propelling her team to the victory.
Webb ended the game with a season-high 33 points for the Raiders going 8-12 from the field, including 4 -7 from three-point range and 13-15 from the free throw line, while playing the entire 40 minutes of the game.
“In the first 7 minutes I really didn’t look for my shot,” Webb said. “Towards the end of the first half I started to settle down and look for my shot, and we made a comeback.”
Wenzel, who established a new career-high with 25 points, also shot 6-17 from the field – 3-8 from beyond the arc – and 10-11 from the line.
With the return of Francine Miller and Pam Brown still in question, Wenzel has began to assert herself as a legitimate scoring threat for the Falcons with the absence of those two key components. She has scored 65 points in her last four games after scoring just 48 in her first 21 games as a Falcon.
“Stefanie has been absolutely tremendous for us,” BG women’s coach Curt Miller said. “She got to the foul line, made her 3-pointers and played good defense. I can’t ask for more from her.”
“I was struggling with my shot in practice, but they started falling today, and it was feeling good,” Wenzel said. “I just wanted to win…we just need to get over the hump.”
