2008 Woodie Awards
One more time
Falcons move on with defense, timely shooting
By: Chris Voloschuk
Issue date: 3/21/08 Section: Sports
Last night's game wasn't "The Big Dance" that those involved with the BG women's basketball team have grown accustomed to over the last three years.
But even with the tune changed to the Women's National Invitational Tournament, it was the Falcons who still knew all the right moves.
In front of 1,654 deafening fans at Anderson Arena, BG took down the University of Dayton, 64-52, and secured themselves a spot in the second round of the WNIT.
The extra home game was another chance to send senior guards Kate Achter and Whitney Taylor out on a good note, and the team was able to take advantage.
"Win or lose tonight, it was a great way to send off Kate Achter and Whitney Taylor," said BG head coach Curt Miller. "But clearly, the better way to send them off from Anderson Arena was a win. And that win tonight was so meaningful and so many ways."
Miller wasn't kidding. Achter broke the program's all-time assist record, which had stood for 25 years. Guard Lauren Prochaska broke the record for most points scored in a season by a freshman. Miller and his staff also picked up career-win No. 150.
"It's a great honor," Achter said. "And it will be a great honor five years from now when I look back, and until then I'm just going to play for the moment and enjoy it."
Both teams were very familiar with each other coming into the game. They scrimmaged one another during the preseason and both coaching staffs study with each other during the summer months. Miller said that the teams were mirror images of each other.
But it was clear at the end of the game that BG was much more on point. The Falcons were able to win due in large part to their tough, aggressive defense and the ability to force turnovers.
"I thought our defense was terrific," Miller said. "[Dayton] still shot a good percentage against us, but what we really did tonight was force turnovers, and that was the story."
The Falcons applied pressure at the defensive end all game, forcing UD into 26 turnovers. That number was very uncharacteristic, given that UD only averaged 13 turnovers a game during the regular season. Still, they shot 46.5 percent from the field compared to BG's 33.9 percent.
Dayton forward Nikki Oakland and guard Karah Cloxton each finished with 14 points, but it wasn't enough.
While BG played aggressively on defense, timely shooting on the offensive end paced them throughout. Prochaska, Achter and forward Lindsey Goldsberry finished with 11, 15 and 16 points, respectively. Center Tara Breske added nine.
The team's offensive performance was a good sign for Miller.
"Tonight I knew we were going to have trouble scoring," Miller said. "[Dayton] is the best defensive team we were going to play all year."
In the end, BG was able to survive UD's defense and extend their WNIT journey.
"[The win] was very special to me, because it was finally the last time I was going play in Anderson Arena," Achter said. "And for the program in general, it's just a good note to end on here, especially with all the fan support."
But even with the tune changed to the Women's National Invitational Tournament, it was the Falcons who still knew all the right moves.
In front of 1,654 deafening fans at Anderson Arena, BG took down the University of Dayton, 64-52, and secured themselves a spot in the second round of the WNIT.
The extra home game was another chance to send senior guards Kate Achter and Whitney Taylor out on a good note, and the team was able to take advantage.
"Win or lose tonight, it was a great way to send off Kate Achter and Whitney Taylor," said BG head coach Curt Miller. "But clearly, the better way to send them off from Anderson Arena was a win. And that win tonight was so meaningful and so many ways."
Miller wasn't kidding. Achter broke the program's all-time assist record, which had stood for 25 years. Guard Lauren Prochaska broke the record for most points scored in a season by a freshman. Miller and his staff also picked up career-win No. 150.
"It's a great honor," Achter said. "And it will be a great honor five years from now when I look back, and until then I'm just going to play for the moment and enjoy it."
Both teams were very familiar with each other coming into the game. They scrimmaged one another during the preseason and both coaching staffs study with each other during the summer months. Miller said that the teams were mirror images of each other.
But it was clear at the end of the game that BG was much more on point. The Falcons were able to win due in large part to their tough, aggressive defense and the ability to force turnovers.
"I thought our defense was terrific," Miller said. "[Dayton] still shot a good percentage against us, but what we really did tonight was force turnovers, and that was the story."
The Falcons applied pressure at the defensive end all game, forcing UD into 26 turnovers. That number was very uncharacteristic, given that UD only averaged 13 turnovers a game during the regular season. Still, they shot 46.5 percent from the field compared to BG's 33.9 percent.
Dayton forward Nikki Oakland and guard Karah Cloxton each finished with 14 points, but it wasn't enough.
While BG played aggressively on defense, timely shooting on the offensive end paced them throughout. Prochaska, Achter and forward Lindsey Goldsberry finished with 11, 15 and 16 points, respectively. Center Tara Breske added nine.
The team's offensive performance was a good sign for Miller.
"Tonight I knew we were going to have trouble scoring," Miller said. "[Dayton] is the best defensive team we were going to play all year."
In the end, BG was able to survive UD's defense and extend their WNIT journey.
"[The win] was very special to me, because it was finally the last time I was going play in Anderson Arena," Achter said. "And for the program in general, it's just a good note to end on here, especially with all the fan support."
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