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BG wins 87-64 to move to 8-1 on the season. Another strong performance from the ladies as they continue their early season run of success.

You've got to be excited about the way this team is playing. Five players in double figures along with a double-double from Alexis Rogers. I know Wisconsin-Milwaukee is only 2-6, but that was another dominating performance. This team is close to knocking down the door to the Top 25.

Great to see BG rolling again...8-1 with the only loss to fellow mid major power Marist. Together we continue to attack!

Falconfreak90 wrote:Great to see BG rolling again...8-1 with the only loss to fellow mid major power Marist. Together we continue to attack!

Yeah, Marist is just 4-4, but they've played a whale of a schedule so far and are 17th in RPI. I have little doubt that they will rack up a bunch of wins come conference play. That's not a loss that's going to hurt us.

Even some of the folks on rebkell forum did a double take when we beat Ohio State. If BG beats Purdue, we may have to start comparisons between this bunch and the 2006-2007 squad that went to the Sweet 16. That team went 30-4, and I believe one of their defeats was against then #1 Duke by 9, so its a lot to be compared to that lofty group, but I think it starts to become warranted if this year's team starts 3-0 in the B1G!

And has anyone noticed that Deb Hoekstra has literally "exploded" on the scene, after two yrs. off the bench? What a pleasant surprise. Probably not to the coaching staff who recruited her, but to the fans who faithfully watch the ladies play. Go DEB ( and all the Falcons)

I also have been a bit surprised by Hoekstra. I was worried when Bailey Cairnduff left. I thought that we needed her to replace Steffen. If Hoekstra keeps shooting like she has, it will be a moot point.

This team is off to a great start and I think the coaches and players have really done a very fine job. But, in the MAC, we will have to really redouble our effort defensively. You will not beat Akron or CMU without a 40 minute defensive effort. And a few other MAC teams perhaps. I am sure we can indeed give a 40 minute defensive effort. For example, we played very good team and individual defense on nearly every possession vs OSU. We didn't do that versus Milwaukee, likely because our team knew we would outscore them easily after the first 6 minutes.

While the Purdue game will be interesting, I am ready to get into MAC play w this team.

Go Falcons!

I, too, agree that Deb Hoekstra is playing lights out for the Falcons. She has progressed from being a somewhat timid, post-up 3-point shooter into an aggressive and confident scorer. She has discovered that, not only can she effectively shoot the 3-ball, she also has the quickness to penetrate the paint, get to the rim and finish. Her quickness and scrappy play is resulting in rebounds and steals that have really been a shot in the arm for the Falcons the last few games. In her first two years with the Falcons, it seemed that her time on the bench was meant for watching and learning the ropes from the starters. But I truly believe that Deb Hoekstra's recent play will inspire the rest of the team to desire to play with the intensity that she has displayed the last few games. She has been a true spark plug off the bench, and I commend her for all the hard work she put in to help her play at this high level. Deb, keep doing what you're doing! Go Falcons!!!

falconfan1 wrote:This team is off to a great start and I think the coaches and players have really done a very fine job. But, in the MAC, we will have to really redouble our effort defensively. You will not beat Akron or CMU without a 40 minute defensive effort. And a few other MAC teams perhaps. I am sure we can indeed give a 40 minute defensive effort. For example, we played very good team and individual defense on nearly every possession vs OSU. We didn't do that versus Milwaukee, likely because our team knew we would outscore them easily after the first 6 minutes.

While the Purdue game will be interesting, I am ready to get into MAC play w this team.

Go Falcons!

I agree, falconfan1, that we especially had some defensive lapses against Milwaukee, especially on the one inbounds play under their basket when their player got a wide open layup. Also, we are giving up way too many 3-balls to our opponents, as well. Curt Miller always said he'd rather have a team beat us 2x2 instead of 3x3, and he's right. Great defense will help carry you through any offensive droughts you may have during the course of the game. Offensively, our post players need to finish their layups under the basket, as we've missed far too many bunnies this year. Also, a 55-60% team free throw percentage is unacceptable, given how great our players are in their individual shooting abilities. We don't have the Prochaskas and Cairnduffs any more who shoot over 90% from the stripe, but that doesn't mean that each player shouldn't strive to achieve that. A team can lose several games a season just from mediocre free throw shooting. It may sound like I'm a little hard on our team, but hey, we're 8-1, it's still early in the season, and I know these things I mentioned will get ironed out as the season progresses. Hopefully, our freshmen will see more minutes as well, as we will need them to step up and take some pressure off of the starters through the grueling MAC schedule ahead.