CLEVELAND — Throughout a stellar basketball career, Lauren Prochaska has earned numerous ribbons, plaques
and trophies.
None is more important than the piece of paper given to Bowling Green head coach Curt Miller after the
Falcons’ 51-46 win over Eastern Michigan in the Mid-American Conference tournament Saturday.
Miller was given Bowling Green’s invitation to the NCAA women’s tournament for the second straight year.

That invitation, which was earned by winning the MAC tournament, is something that Prochaska and her
fellow seniors have strived for during their four years with the Falcons.
“This is what we’ve been working for all year long; all the hard work, all the practices, all the ups and
downs we’ve had this year. It all comes down to this game and winning it makes everything worth it,”
Prochaska said. “This is the way we (the seniors) wanted to go out. We’ve been talking about it. We
didn’t want to go back to the WNIT this year, we wanted to go to the NCAA tournament.”
“It means a lot, especially with six seniors. Going out on top is always a great thing,” BG’s Tracy
Pontius said.
“I’m just proud of our veteran group, especially tor the seniors,” BG head coach Curt Miller said.
MR. NASTY: Miller admitted that he pushed the Falcons very hard in practices this season.
“I frankly was not the nicest person to them this year, because this is what I wanted them to feel (the
joy of winning the MAC tournament). The emotion, the energy and the feeling they have right now is why I
pushed so hard this year for this team to try to get to this point,” Miller said. “They not have always
liked me throughout the year, but they are liking the moment right now in that locker room.”
PHYSICAL: At times Saturday, the game resembled a middleweight fight.
“Eastern is a very physical team. Especially in tournament time you are not going to get those little,
touchy fouls,” Pontius said. “I think we stayed composed, ran our offense and finally got some calls
down the stretch.
‘”We’ve been here in wars and we know how physical it is.”
BG was 19-of-22 from the free-throw line, all from two players. Prochaska was 13-of-15, making 11
straight at one point, and Maggie Hennegan was 6-of-7.
“It was real physical,” EMU’s Cassie Schrock said. “We knew it was going to be physical; it was the MAC
championship.”
DEFENSE: Bowling Green (24.1 percent) and Eastern Michigan (24.6 percent) were both below 25 percent
shooting from the floor in a game where both coaches stressed defense.
“That was a real pretty game,” Miller said with a laugh. “At this time of year, it’s all about teams
grinding each other out. The defenses at both ends were just terrific.

“We don’t have great individual defenders, we have team defense … Our defense bailed us out on a night
where we didn’t shoot the ball well and we got killed on the boards,” Miller continued. “But that’s what
this time of year is all about.”
Prochaska led the defensive effort, working against Schrock, who is EMU’s leader. Schrock came into the
game averaging 14.9 ppg, but finished with nine on 2-of-12 shooting.
“She’s a great player. She’s really physical. She has a lot of ways that she scores,” Prochaska said. “I
just tried to stay in front of her and keep her off the foul line.”
Prochaska blocked three of Schrock’s shots. Schrock had seven of EMU’s 12 turnovers in the game.
“She really frustrated Schrock with her size and her length,” Miller said about Prochaska’s effort.
“We’re going to miss her offense next year, but we can’t and won’t ever replaced the type of defender
she’s been.”
BG also limited Paige Redditt, 9.4 ppg, to four points and Sydney Huntley, 11.2 ppg, to eight.
Schrock, Redditt and Huntley had combined for 50 points in Eastern’s 61-55 semifinal win over Toledo.
Of BG’s four losses, one was to Toledo on Jan. 26 in Anderson Arena, in a game where Miller said the
Falcons were unable to compete in a tough game.
“Come full circle after that Toledo loss … Today in a game where they are more physical than us and
more athletic than us, we found a way with our defense to hang in there and get to the finish line.,”
Miller said.
TITLES: The MAC tournament championship was Bowling Green’s fifth in the last seven years and 11th as a
program, which is the most in conference history.