• 2000-01 MAC Player of the year | ||
| Source: DN Research |
A two-time All-America selection, a Mid-American Conference Player of they Year, Bowie has solidified her place as arguably the best female basketball player to ever at Ball State.
In only her second game of of her final season at Ball State, the 6-foot post player broke the 15-year-old career scoring record set by Emma Jones with her 27-point effort against the University of Houston, Friday night.
Bowie added 26 more points to her record against the Hoosiers, running her total to 1,540 points. With her two-game output, Bowie was a unanimous selection for tournament MVP.
Bowie started the game needing 25 points to tie the record, and she started the game like she wanted it.
It took her only 45 seconds to get on the board as she hit a three-point shot from the top of the key as she sparked a Cardinal 20-0 run to start the game. Bowie had 14 points in the first 4:30 as she led the Cardinals to victory.
After a more conservative second half, head coach Tracy Roller began subbing in players with a little more than two minutes left in the game with Bowie only one point away from breaking the mark.
"Really, I had no idea how many points she had," Roller said.
Bowie said she was not thinking about the record, and it was obvious as she was left wide open at the top of the key, and as she looked at the basket, she decided to step back to run more time of the clock, thus benefiting the team.
"I was just trying to do what coach told me," Bowie said. "I didn't want her to pull me at the end."
With time running down, it seemed as if Bowie would rather set complacent with her 25 points. Still, with 25 seconds left and the shot clock running down, Bowie beat her defender, like she had done all game and found an open layup to break the record.
"This is just one more thing for Tamara Bowie," Roller said. "She played a great game and she deserves what she accomplishes."
Saturday night Bowie and the Cardinals faced Indiana in the championship game of the Indiana Classic, and IU head coach Kathy Bennett said she knew she had to adjust to make up for Bowie's dominating style.
"We knew when she got on the block we were going to bring some double teams," Bennett said. "She is able to do a lot, and we just tried to get a hand in her face and keep her off the boards."
Nonetheless, the team-first minded Bowie said all the records are not really something she cares about, but rather wants the team to accomplish its goals.
"(The record) is just one more thing for me to look back on," Bowie said. "It probably won't hit me until the end of the season. But these things are not really something I was aiming for it just happened."
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