The end of an era
Talented senior class leaves its mark with solid tournament run to end great careers
By: Colin Wilson
Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: Sports
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The amazing season had to end sometime for the BG women's basketball team. A 67-49 loss in the Sweet 16 put an end to a magical season and a few great careers.
No one is hanging their heads though, BG is proud.
A team that gets its whole starting lineup back after two straight NCAA berths has a lot to prove. They were expected to keep climbing higher than the year before. BG did that with consistency.
"We had tons of pressure on us to do what we did," said coach Curt Miller. "We had everybody back from a back-to-back championship team and the pressure was daunting at times. We just handled it every night."
There were plenty of tears in the locker room after the game, but the Falcons know that they did some special things throughout their careers.
"We've done things that people never thought that we could do and it feels great to go out like this, especially to make it to the Sweet 16," said forward Ali Mann, who led BG with 15 points. "There is no better feeling than that."
It wasn't easy for BG to remember the good times though. Saying goodbye to six of its 12 players brought plenty of emotions to BG's tight-knit locker room.
"It's pretty difficult. It's not all sinking in yet," said Kate Achter who struggled in the game with eight turnovers. "Now that the season is over its all going to [eventually] sink in and we're all going to realize how lucky we are to be where we are."
BG's final record is 31-4, the best win total ever for any MAC Basketball team, men or women. It was the first women's team to advance to the Sweet 16 in conference history. Its senior class finished with a final record of 103-25 and scored a combined 5,766 points.
"It has been an incredible ride and I'm just glad that I got to do it with this group of girls. It's been real," said BG forward Amber Flynn.
No one has been happier about the team's accomplishments over the past four seasons than its coach.
"It has been an unbelievable four-year journey with this class," Miller said in the postgame press conference. "I can't be more proud to be called their coach and also their friend."
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