CLEVELAND – Bowling Green point guard Lindsay Austin has been considered by BG coach Curt Miller and teammates as the undeniable heart and soul of the team all season long, helping in large part in the resurgence of the Falcon women’s program. She proved it again Wednesday in thrilling fashion, hitting a runner from just inside the 3-point line as time expired that lifted the Falcons to a 63-62 win over Western Michigan in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament. For its trouble, BG, now 20-9, gets a date with No. 1 seed Miami in Friday’s semifinals at noon.
The win came just a month and two days after Austin hit another last-second shot ‘ against Western Michigan ‘ Feb. 9 at Anderson Arena, a win that put the Falcons on the proverbial MAC map with the victory over the defending MAC tournament champions.
For the second time [against Western Michigan late in the game] you saw us go without a timeout,’ Miller said of his decision not to call timeout with 11 seconds remaining. ‘I knew Lindsay would have the ball in her hands, and I knew we’d win and lose with our seniors. I was very comfortable that Lindsay could go and create for herself.
Western had taken a 62-61 lead with just 11 seconds remaining as Kelly Koerber hit two free throws. Austin brought the ball into the forecourt, and handed to Ali Mann at the top of the key. Mann then gave it back to Austin, who drew contact from Western’s Maria Jilian. Jilian fell to the floor, giving Austin enough daylight to get the 18-foot game-winner.
I was trying to set something up, and when I got the ball back, I knew time was coming down,’ said Austin, who scored 11 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed eight rebounds. ‘I just tried to create space for myself and get a shot off, and luckily I did.’
The tilt wasn’t as exciting as the final 11 seconds the entire way, especially after the Falcons looked to be in cruise control early after building a 31-12 lead with 3:23 remaining in the first half. Western, though, hung around and cut the lead to 31-21 at the break as BG failed to score the rest of the half.
Western, capitalizing off of BG’s turnover troubles ‘ the Falcons turned the ball over 23 times, leading to 20 Bronco points — scored 10 of the first 12 of the second half, an extension of the first-half closing run that cut the BG lead to one with 15:36 to play. The Broncos gained their first lead with 13:02 left, and opened a 53-48 lead with 7:49 left after a Maria Jilian jumper. BG struggled throughout the second half with the Broncos’ zone defense, a problem further complicated by freshman center Liz Honegger’s foul trouble. BG’s Kelly Kapferer, though, hit a couple big baskets for the Falcons, opening up the Falcons’ perimeter shooters. After WMU gained that five-point lead, Austin, Carin Horne and Stefanie Wenzel each hit a trey to help BG garner a 57-53 advantage.
Western deserves so much credit,’ Miller said. ‘They are so talented in their zone; every year they lead the league in deflections and steals and out turnovers made me want to pull my hair out. But, that’s the way they play. It took our lead to give us enough confidence that even through their runs, we were going to be able to make plays at some point.
The Falcons, however, hit three straight treys ‘ by Austin, Carin Horne and Stefanie Wenzel ‘ to give them a 57-53 lead.
Jilian scored again with 32 seconds remaining, and Austin like the teams’ first meeting ‘ missed a free throw on the Falcons’ ensuing possession.
The Falcons out-rebounded the Broncos 48-34 and grabbed 23 offensive rebounds that helped lead to 16 second-chance points. Wenzel led BG with 15 on five 3-pointers, while Austin and Honegger scored 11 apiece and Kapferer chipped in 10.
NEXT UP: The Falcons will play Miami in a rematch of the teams’ earlier matchup this season, a game that the RedHawks won in Oxford, 92-81. That 11-point win is the Falcons’ lone defeat by double digits since Dec. 22. Miami survived a late run by ninth-seeded Ball State in an 85-71 win over the Cardinals. Miami was paced by first-team All-MAC selection Colleen Day, who scored 23 points and grabbed 14 points. Amanda Jackson scored 21 and Kim Lancaster and Cindi Merrill 13 apiece.
Miami is the No. 1 seed by virtue of a 14-2 record in MAC play. The RedHawks; lone losses came at the hands of Kent State, the No. 3 seed in the tournament.
HONORS, HONORS: Austin was honored Tuesday as the MAC’s Defensive Player of the Year, while Ali Mann, who was named to the All-MAC freshman first team Monday, was named the Freshman of the Year Tuesday. Miller was second in the Coach of the Year voting to Miami’s Maria Fantanarosa.
