It was a great day for the women’s basketball team. The Falcons, who had dropped their last four Mid-American Conference games, rebounded in a big way by defeating Toledo 66-62 Saturday at Anderson Arena.
It was Falcons’ coach Curt Miller’s first career win over the arch-rival Rockets.
Miller said that he was pleased with the way the team rebounded after a poor performance against Central Michigan.
“It hasn’t really hit me, I am just really excited for our kids,” Miller said. “This group has given me everything in a year and a half that you could ever ask for, and that’s their reward for not quitting.”
Toledo coach Mark Ehlen made no excuses after the loss. The Rockets had won seven in a row before Saturday.
“I give Bowling Green a lot of credit,” Ehlen said. “I thought they had a great game plan, and they played well.”
Miller used a different starting lineup, using Megan Jerome, Jill Laus and Tene Lewis to begin the game. Miller said that despite the different group of starters, he had made it clear that the whole team would have to do their part to get the win.
“I thought it was time to make a change,” Miller said. “We started the five people who sparked us against Toledo the last time.”
One of those players was Tene Lewis, who had seven rebounds, three steals and six assists in the win, despite being held scoreless. Falcons’ forward and leading scorer Francine Miller talked about the important role Lewis played in the game.
“Her job is to play defense, and she knows that,” Francine said. “Every game that we’ve had this year, she came up with a big defensive stop. Tene is our defensive stopper.”
Lewis said she was happy with her performance.
“I did what I did best,” Lewis said. “[My teammates] did what they did best, and we came up with a win.”
Miller said that Lewis’ play was the most important factor in the win.
“Obviously, in my opinion, she was the MVP,” Miller said. “She’s our go-to defender, she’s all energy…she’s unselfish, she hustles, she defends, she makes plays for other people and never wants any of the credit.”
Toledo was without top player Tia Davis, who is out for the season with a knee injury. Davis was averaging 18.1 points per game. While Ehlen said the loss of Davis wasn’t the reason the Rockets lost, it did change their game plan.
“We were really playing great basketball, and then you take someone out of the lineup…and I’m not making excuses for this game because Bowling Green beat us,” Ehlen said. “But our substitution patterns are different, and we are trying to do different things.”
Miller talked about what a strong player Davis was, and expressed sympathy about her being out for the season.
“I feel really sad for Tia Davis and the Toledo program,” Miller said. “Tia Davis was playing like MAC player of the year…at Bowling Green, Tia Davis will still get our vote for player of the year.”
The win improved BG to 3-6 in the MAC. Its next game will be on the road against Buffalo on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
By Elliott Schreiner
Sports Reporter
The aroma of upset was in the air Saturday and it couldn’t have smelled sweeter for Francine Miller and the rest of the Falcons as they upset arch-rival Toledo 66-62.
The victory was made all the sweeter for Miller and senior teammates Kim Griech, Karen Stocz and Megan Jerome when considering it would be their last game against the Rockets. “I’m really, really happy for our seniors that are in uniform,” head coach Curt Miller said. “They’ll remember this win for many, many years.”
Each of the seniors contributed in their own way.
Megan Jerome had five points and two assists and handled Toledo’s pressure when she was called on.
Karen Stocz played big inside with eight points and four rebounds.
Kim Griech poured in 13 points, none more important than her four clutch free throws in the final minute of the game. All of those numbers came despite some changes in the starting lineup.
“Karen Stocz played big, Kim Griech, obviously, was tremendous, and no one worried about who started.” Miller said. “They handled it well, and with maturity, and we stepped up and won as a team.”
But no matter how well each of them played, none of them could outshine fellow senior Francine Miller, who finished with a game-high 23 points to go with her five rebounds.
“You saw the spark in her eyes tonight,” Miller said. “She wanted the ball and she wasn’t going to be denied.” These numbers come as no surprise as Miller has been putting up similar numbers all year.
Coming into the game, she was averaging 13.1 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game.
But not all has been roses for Miller as she and the Falcons have found themselves in a rut as of late, losing a season-high four games in a row.
A streak that was recently capped by a 42-30 setback to Central Michigan in which she only had eight points on 3-11 shooting.
Those stats make this most recent game all the more important.
“We’ve been stuck on nine wins for a long time, and just couldn’t get over the hump,” Miller said. “We’re ecstatic to come out with a win.”
Miller acknowledged the vast importance of this game and the sentimental value of the victory.
“We had talked about it before the game, that this was the seniors’ last chance to play against Toledo,” Miller said. “It’s always a big rivalry, and we’re happy to come out with the win.”
Miller noticed the up-beat play of the seniors and expressed his happiness for them.
“We haven’t had as much team success as Toledo,” he said. “But for our seniors to be able to beat Toledo in our last game against them — I’m so happy and proud for them because they are tremendous people with tremendous character.”