Wbk decade of dominance

A DECADE OF DOMINANCE

Curt Miller, Jennifer Roos & Company arrived in 2001, & it didn’t take long for them to return the Falcons to prominence. BGSU won over 20 games in 11 consecutive years, and made national postseason appearances in 10-straight seasons.

A

2001-02 & 200

• Curt Miller was hired as BGSU’s head coach in May of 2001, and Jennifer Roos was his first hire shortly thereafter. The new staff inherited a team with 11 returning players.

• The Falcons went 9-19 that season, and posted a 12-16 record in his second year. But, the groundwork was being laid for future success.

• Miller spoke of a five-year plan to return BGSU to the upper echelons of the Mid-American Conference. He promised that the Falcons would be the hardest-working team in the league, and he and his staff hit the ground running.

• While the team went a combined 21-35 in those two seasons, the foundation was being laid for future success.

A NEW ERA BEGINS

02-03: LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN

C

2003-04: AUST

• Two seniors, Lindsay Austin and Stefanie Wenzel, decided to accelerate the new staff’s five-year plan.

• Austin and Wenzel, along with a large freshman class, helped the Falcons to one of the top turnarounds in the nation. BGSU, picked to finish sixth (i.e., last) in the MAC’s West Division, tied for second with a conference record of 11-5. Overall, the Falcons finished with a 21-10 record, marking a ninewin improvement over the prior season.

• Austin made no fewer than three buzzer-beating shots during the year, with the last two coming in wins over Western Michigan and top-seeded Miami in the MAC Tournament at Gund Arena in Cleveland. BG advanced to the tourney championship game.

• Austin was named the MAC’s Defensive Player of the Year, while Ali Mann was voted the league’s Freshman of the Year. Austin, Mann and Wenzel all earned allleague honors.

CHANGE OF PLANS

TIN, WENZEL & THE FRESHMEN HELP BG TO MAC TITLE GAME

TOG

2004-05: F

• Jennifer Roos was elevated to associate head coach prior to the season. After advancing to the MAC Tournament’s championship game in 2004, BGSU captured the school’s first title in 11 years with an 8175 win over Kent State in ‘05.

• Having lost two starters – both 1,000-point scorers – from the prior year’s team, the Falcons were picked to finish third in the MAC’s West Division. But, BGSU won the league’s regular-season title with a 13-3 mark.

Overall, the Brown and Orange went 23-8.

• After a 3-4 start to the season, the staff altered the starting lineup, inserting freshman Kate Achter at point guard. With Achter in the lineup, and senior Tene Lewis providing a spark off the bench, BG went 20-4 the rest of the way. Achter was named the MAC Tournament’s MVP. • Four starters – Achter and sophs Liz Honegger, Carin Horne and Ali Mann – averaged at least 11.0 points per game, while junior Casey McDowell had 6.8 ppg.

GETHER WE DANCE

FALCONS WIN MAC REGULAR-SEASON & TOURNAMENT TITLES

• After winning the MAC regular-season and tourney titles the prior year, the Falcons found they could no longer sneak up on anybody. With the bull’s-eye squarely on their backs, though, the prohibitive MAC favorites proceeded not only to successfully defend their titles, but to set a record in the process.

• BGSU went 28-3, setting a new school – and a new MAC – record for wins in a season. The Falcons rolled through the league tourney, capping that run with a 64-39 win over Kent State in the title game.

• The Falcons became just the fifth team in MAC history to complete the league regular-season schedule with a perfect record, going 16-0.

• Curt Miller repeated as MAC Coach of the Year, and also was named Region 4 Coach of the Year by the WBCA. Ali Mann became BG’s first All-MAC First-Team selection in six years, and also was named the MAC Tournament MVP.

BACK TO BACK

2005-06: BGSU GOES 28-3 & RUNS THE TABLE IN THE MAC

2006-07: FALCON

• Any pressure the Falcons might have faced in 200506 was nothing compared to the expectations placed upon the ’06-07 team. BGSU more than lived up to those expectations, setting school and MAC records in wins for the second-straight season. The Falcons went 31-4 overall, the highest win total by a MAC basketball team – men’s or women’s – in history.

• The six-member senior class of Amber Flynn, Julie Gompers, Liz Honegger, Carin Horne, Ali Mann and Megan Thorburn made a fourth consecutive trip to the league tourney championship game.

• BG won MAC regular-season and tourney titles for the third-straight year, and downed Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt to become the MAC’s first-ever women’s basketball team to advance to the ‘Sweet Sixteen’ of the NCAA Championships.

• Mann shared MAC Player-of-the-Year honors, while Miller was league Coach of the Year yet again. Horne earned MAC Tournament MVP honors.

THREE-PEAT!

NS SET MAC RECORD WITH 31 WINS EN ROUTE TO ‘SWEET 16’

2007-08: ACHTER, TAYLOR GUI

• After BGSU graduated five of the top seven players from the ‘Sweet Sixteen’ team, many thought 2007-08 would finally be the year the Falcons came back to the pack. But, seniors Kate Achter and Whitney Taylor led a young team to yet another MAC regular-season title.

The Falcons went 26-8 overall and 13-3 in conference.

• After three consecutive MAC Tournament titles, BG’s run in Cleveland finally came to an end with a doubleOT loss in the semifinals. But, the Falcons earned a national postseason berth, and defeated Dayton in the first round of the WNIT at Anderson Arena.

• Achter was named MAC Player of the Year, and the stellar point guard also set the school’s career assists record. BG pulled off an unprecedented sweep of the league’s major awards, as Curt Miller and Lauren Prochaska took Coach- and Freshman-of-the-Year honors, respectively.

• Achter and Taylor helped the Falcons to 108 wins – an average of 27 per year – during their BGSU careers.

FOUR IN A ROW

IDE THE YOUNGSTERS To another MAC TITLE, WNIT BERth

2008-09: FALCONS RID

• The Falcons began the season with a pair of doubledigit losses on the road, but bounced back in a big way. BGSU put together a school-record 25-game winning streak, going without a loss from late November to early March.

• That winning streak enabled the Falcons to capture a fifth consecutive MAC regular-season title. BGSU had an overall record of 29-5, and a league mark of 15-1.

• The 29-win total was the second-highest in both BGSU and MAC history at the time.

• Lauren Prochaska was named the MAC Player of the Year. Tracy Pontius joined Prochaska on the AllMAC First Team, and Pontius also earned honorable mention on the Associated Press All-America Team.

• BG’s lone senior, Lindsey Goldsberry, finished her career as the winningest player in MAC basketball history. BGSU had a record of 114-20 (59-5 MAC) during her four years.

DRIVE FOR FIVE

DE A SCHOOL-RECORD WIN STREAK TO ANOTHER MAC TITLE

2009-10: BGSU WINS SIXTH-S

• The Falcons won the MAC’s regular-season title outright for the sixth consecutive year. BGSU also captured the MAC Tournament for the fourth time in that six-year span.

• The Falcons won 27 games, reaching that milestone for the fourth time in the last five years. BGSU went 14-2 in conference play.

• Lauren Prochaska was named the MAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, and also was named the MAC Tournament MVP. She set school single-season records for points scored (609) and three-point field goals made (92).

• The Falcons headed to Louisville, Ky., the hometown of Jennifer Roos, for the first round of the NCAA Championships.

SIX-SHOOTERS

STRAIGHT MAC CROWN, RETURNS TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

CLO

2010-11: BGSU ENDS A

• For the first time since 2004, the Falcons did not win the MAC’s regular-season title outright. But, BGSU did win the East Division crown again, then captured the MAC Tournament championship for the secondstraight March and the fifth time in seven years.

• The Falcons went 28-5 overall and 13-3 in MAC play, marking the program’s eighth consecutive season of 20 or more wins.

• On Feb. 5, Lauren Prochaska became BGSU’s career scoring leader, breaking the record set by Jackie Motycka. Motycka was in attendance at venerable Anderson Arena, as both players were among 13 named to the All-Anderson Team that afternoon.

• The Falcons ended the Anderson Arena Era in style, going 14-1 at home in 2010-11. BG won 46 of the final 48 games in the building, and had an all-time record of 333-116 (74.1%) at “The House That Roars”.

OSING THE DOORS

ANDERSON ARENA ERA IN STYLE, WITH ANOTHER MAC TITLE

2011-12: FALCONS BEGIN

• After losing six seniors and nearly 5,500 points from the previous year’s team, the Falcons proceeded to win the MAC’s regular-season title outright for the seventh time in eight seasons. BG went 14-2 in the MAC with nine freshmen or sophomores on the roster.

• The Falcons won over 20 games for the ninth consecutive year, a MAC record. BGSU advanced to national postseason play for the eighth time in as many seasons, participating in the WNIT. • When Curt Miller was sidelined due to illness midway through the MAC schedule, interim head coach Jennifer Roos guided the Falcons to a pair of victories.

• The Falcons began the Stroh Center Era by going 14-2 at the team’s new home. Both losses came by a single point, to nationally-ranked Purdue in November and to VCU in the first round of the WNIT in mid-March.

STROH SHOW

N THE STROH CENTer ERA WITH A REGULAR-SEASON CROWN

2012-13: THE ROOS ERA BEGIN

• The Jennifer Roos head-coaching era began in 2012-13, and the program’s winning ways continued.

The Falcons went 24-11, winning over 20 games for the 10th year in a row to extend the school and MAC records.

• Roos and the Falcons set several program standards at the defensive end of the floor. BGSU allowed just 54.3 points per game, a new school record. That broke the mark of 55.7 ppg allowed, set the previous year.

• The Falcons allowed MAC foes to score just 51.9 points per contest, again breaking a school record that had been set the year before.

• BGSU’s school record-tying total of 14 home wins included a 25-point dismantling of nationally-ranked Dayton. The Falcons won two WNIT games for the first time, before losing by just three points to the eventual champions in the third round.

FEAR THE ROOS

NS AS BG WINS 24 GAMES, ADVANCES TO WNIT THIRD ROUND

2013-14

• Jennifer Roos guided the Falcons to a 30-5 record, the second-highest single-season win total in school and Mid-American Conference history.

• For the ninth time in the last 10 seasons, BGSU earned a MAC banner, going 17-1 in conference play to win the league’s outright regular-season title.

• BG won at least 20 games for the 11th-straight year, and advanced to national postseason play for the 10th consecutive season, both MAC records by far.

• BGSU won three national postseason games in a season for the first time in school history, advancing to the quarterfinal round of the WNIT. • Entering the 2016-17 season, BGSU has had five or fewer total losses in a season 10 times since MAC play began. The rest of the teams in the conference have combined for only six such seasons.

# THIRTY #

4: Falcons win 30 gameS & a ninth MAC TItle in 10 years