Saturday, March 19, 2011

NCAA Tournament Blog

The BGSU Athletics Department (in particular, Jason Knavel) will be blogging during today's women's NCAA Tournament game against Georgia Tech, which is set for an 11:20 AM tip-off. Follow right here all day for the latest news.
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1:17 PM - It is now over here at St. John Arena. Georgia Tech defeats Bowling Green 69-58. So ends the careers of six Falcon players. Lauren Prochaska and Tracy Pontius got huge ovations after being checked out with 10 seconds left. We'll have much more on BGSUFalcons.com later today!

1:06 PM - Into the final media timeout, BG has begun to find the range from long distance but the Falcons will need a bunch here late. Down 63-52 with 3:53 to go, the Falcons are going to have to play perfectly down the stretch to get back into this.

12:54 PM - BG in a really critical stretch now, down 12 with 8 minutes left. Falcons are going to have to find a way to get a rhythm going offensively.

12:40 PM - Sasha Goodlett picked up a couple of fouls after Georgia Tech's lead ballooned to nine. The Falcons came back with four straight to get back to within five.With Goodlett on the bench, GT's biggest post presence can't hurt the Falcons.

12:32 PM - Lauren Prochaska has been active to start the second half but much of the rest of the team looks a bit tentative. As such, GT went on a 10-4 run to get a little breathing room. Falcons trail 43-36 with 15:40 left. Sooner or later, BG is going to need some three-pointers it appears to open things up.

12:22 PM - BGSU without a three-pointer in the entire first half and still down just one? Georgia Tech with a lot of foul trouble heading into the second half. Lauren Prochaska played the best half of basketball I've seen her play in awhile with 15 points and taking it aggressively to the tin. This second half will be a doozy.

12:08 PM - Danielle Havel provided BG with a huge lift at the end of the half. It felt like Georgia Tech was taking over with an 8-0 run to take a 33-28 lead. Havel knocked down a big jumper with 28 seconds left and the shotclock running down. After GT took a shot with about 10 seconds left, BG pushed the ball. Tracy Pontius' shot was tipped but Havel picked up the rebound and put it up and in as time expired. 33-32 Georgia Tech at the break.

11:58 AM - Crazy to think that BG has attempted just 1 three-pointer and made none but still leads Georgia Tech 28-27 at the final media timeout of the first half. Neither team has hit a long range shot yet and the Yellow Jackets are in a heap of foul trouble with two players have three fouls each and Sasha Goodlett with 2 fouls. We'll see if Georgia Tech's depth is very strong.

11:49 AM - Lauren Prochaska has come to play today. Already 13 points (7/7 FT) and will be at the line to shoot 1-and-1 following the media timeout. Georgia Tech leads 25-24 but this feels like a game that will be close late.

11:36 AM - Both offenses have settled in a bit. Georgia Tech is so much bigger and is killing the Falcons on the boards. BG, on the other hand, is running some solid offense and getting good looks in good spots. 16-14 Georgia Tech leads but Prochaska will be at the line to shoot two shots after the media timeout.

11:28 AM - At the first media timeout, BG is tied 6-6. Prochaska and Steffen have combined to go 4/4 at the free-throw line but Georgia Tech has scored four straight. The Yellow Jackets have been really physical so far but have committed five fouls. That could loom large as we get deeper into this game.

11:09 AM - National Anthem just concluded. I finally looked at the crowd behind me and the BG "unofficial" sections looked totally packed. What a GREAT crowd here today. It's awesome to see.

10:59 AM - BGSU enters the court for the final time with 18 minutes left on the clock (3 more minutes until tip after that). The Falcon fans far outnumber the Georgia Tech fans. Let's hope the sixth man is key today!

10:41 AM - Starting lineups have now been provided. For BGSU -- Guards Tracy Pontius and Lauren Prochaska, forwards Chrissy Steffen and Jen Uhl, and center Maggie Hennegan. For Georgia Tech -- Guards Deja Foster and Metra Wathour, forwards Chelsea Regins and Alex Montgomery, and center Sasha Goodlett.

10:40 AM - Got an update on the BGSU fan busses. Falcon Club brought two busses with about 85 people and they have arrived. Great to have them in the house!

10:36 AM - The BGSU band is now in the arena. Looking forward to a little Ay Ziggy Zooma this morning! The band, by the way, gets the privelege of playing the National Anthem before today's game.

10:21 AM - You can take a look at the ESPN coverage map here to see if you will be able to watch BG/Georgia Tech in your locale: ESPN Coverage Map

10:18 AM - Just received the list of officials for today's game. Mark Zentz, Michael McConnell, and Angela Enlund if that means anything to you or if you care.

10:16 AM - So, the Blade's John Wagner and I were standing on press row talking and a song came on over the PA system. Sadly, John knew that it was Justin Bieber and he started singing along to it, "Baby, Baby, Baby". I've lost all respect for him now.

10:14 AM - I'll try to do the rundown of all the ways to follow today's game. Watch it on ESPN2 or on your computer at ESPN3.com. You can listen to the game in BG on 88.1 FM or else via the live audio link at BGSUFalcons.com.

10:07 AM - Shook hands with MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher this morning when he arrived at St. John Arena. It's great to see the support from the MAC offices for the Falcons!

9:59 AM - BGSU is the first team to take to the floor this morning. Georgia Tech followed about four minutes later.

9:53 AM - The team arrived at St. John Arena safely. Saw a lot of BG fans walking from the check-in gate to the locker room. Can't wait to see the sea of orange in the arena today.

7:50 AM - There was a nice article on Lauren Prochaska in today's Columbus Dispatch. You can read it at the Dispatch Website (click here for link). As the media relations director, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the work John Wagner at the Blade and Jack Carle at the Sentinel-Tribune have done all year in covering this team. You can read John's story on the pressure BGSU will face today (click here for link). You can view Jack's stories leading up to today's game at the Sentinel-Tribune website (click here for link).

7:31 AM - Welcome to the blog for today's game against Georgia Tech. The team just finished breakfast and is getting ready to leave the hotel for the game in a couple of hours. Everyone seems pretty loose and excited to play.