Marist next for Falcons

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Bowling Green’s Tracy
Pontius (5) goes to the basket as Ohio State’s Samantha Prahalis defend during the first half of the
second round of the NCAA college basketball Women’s National Invitation Tournament game in Columbus,
Ohio, Sunday, Nov 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)

Bowling Green travels to Marist Saturday for a consolation game in the Preseason Women’s WNIT.
Tipoff is at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WBGU-FM 88.1.
In the it’s strange, but true category here are some facts:
¥ The Falcons are 1-1, having won a Preseason WNIT first-round home game before going on the road and
losing in the second round. The Marist Red Foxes also are 1-1 on the year, having won at home in the
first round before suffering a second-round loss on the road.
¥ The Falcons are coming off a 29-win season in which they won the Mid-American Conference (MAC)
regular-season title. Marist also won 29 games last year, and won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
(MAAC) championship.
¥ Marist has won six consecutive MAAC regular-season titles. BG has won five consecutive MAC
regular-season crowns.
¥ Both the Falcons and the Red Foxes advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Championships in 2007. BG
downed Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt in the national tourney. Marist topped Ohio State and Middle
Tennessee.
¥ Curt Miller took over the BG program prior to the 2001-02 season, while Marist coach Brian Giorgis
assumed the helm in 2002-03. Both teams suffered losing records in the 2002-03 campaign, but then won
20-plus games in 2003-04, beginning a streak of six consecutive 20-win seasons.
¥ Both Miller and Giorgis are the winningest coaches at their respective schools.
¥ Each team returns a conference player of the year, as BG junior Lauren Prochaska won the MAC honor last
season, while Marist senior Rachele Fitz is a two-time MAAC player of the year.
SCORING: BG has four players averaging in double figures through the first two games of the season. Tracy
Pontius and Tamika Nurse are averaging 14.0 ppg, Prochaska is at 12.0 and Jen Uhl is averaging 10.0 ppg.

For Marist, two players who played high school basketball in Ohio lead the team in scoring.
Fitz, a 6-0 senior from Seven Hills, is averaging 24.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while Erica
Allenspach, 5-8 junior from Miamisburg, is averaging 19.5 points per game. Fitz is 15-of-18 from the
free-throw line and Allenspach is 6-of-11 from beyond the 3-point arc.
The two have combined for 88 of Marist’s 130 points this season.
For her career, Fitz has scored 1,893 points.
NEXT: BG travels to Oakland (Mich.) on Tuesday.
Marist heads to a warmer spot, playing in the Junkannoo Jam on Grand Bahama Island next weekend. Marist
opens with Oklahoma and then faces either George Washington or Michigan State.

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