YPSILANTI, Mich. – The women’s basketball team took care of business once again on Saturday as they traveled to Eastern Michigan and came home with the win.
The Falcons, now 17-2 (6-0 MAC), dominated the Eagles from the games opening tip, going on a 16-2 run to start the game and never looking back.
“The beginning of the game is important. So coming out and being aggressive from the start is something we know we need to do,” Niki McCoy said.
The start, for all intensive purposes, did win BG the game. The rest of the game was filled with some of the sloppiest basketball the Falcons have played in a while.
“That start was very important for us because the rest of the game was really even after that,” head coach Curt Miller said.
In fact, the rest of the game was exactly even. After the big opening run BG led 16-2, and at the game’s end, BG led 69-55, a difference of 14 in both cases.
The Eagles now stand at 4-14 (0-6 MAC). Their conference record is the exact opposite of BG’s, and on paper the Falcons probably should have never even let the game be close.
Yet, while the lead was never really in danger, the Falcons experienced some mental lapses, made foolish turnovers and still had all five starters on the floor in the late minutes of the game.
“They’ll be disappointed with the way they played for the next few hours,” Miller said.
Still, it obviously wasn’t all bad for the Falcons, who proved that with all of the success they experience, even a 14 point win can sometimes be looked upon poorly.
Individual performances were big for the Falcons, who had three players come up one rebound short of a double-double.
McCoy, who had a game high 18 points, also pulled down nine rebounds. However, her pitfall in the game was the fact that she had eight turnovers, making up more than half of her team 14 total.
Lauren Prochaska was once again productive for the Falcons. She finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Still, for her, this game wasn’t one of her better ones, as she went 3-11 from the field in the game.
Tara Breske was the third player to come up one rebound shy of a double-double, matching Prochaska’s point total on 6-10 shooting.
Defense, as is usually the case with these Falcons, played a big factor in determining the outcome as well.
While the Falcons were committing 14 turnovers on the offensive end, they were still able to turn around and force 14 of their own on the defensive end.
Along with pressuring the passes, the Falcons also did a good job of keeping the Eagles from getting easy shots. The first half saw the Eagles shoot 18.5 percent from the field, which translates into a depressing 5-27.
BG came away from the game knowing that they could’ve played better, but at the same time, could’ve played worse.
The win is their 17th in a row. Only two teams in the country, Auburn and Connecticut, who have 19 and 18, respectively, have longer winning streaks than the Falcons currently have.
“We care more about 6-0 (in the conference) than we do about 17 straight,” Miller said.
Throughout the streak, Miller has done a fantastic job of getting his players prepare more from game to game and not get too concerned with the streak.
“We leave the game immediately, we’re on to the next game,” Miller said.
For news, notes and opinions on all BG sports, check out www.bgnewssports.com.
Contact sports reporter Jason Jones at [email protected].
