Editor's note: Ball State's Tamara Bowie, last season's Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season.

Feb. 11, 2002

Hello one and all! Since the last time I posted a diary, we've had two games and a birthday party! On Saturday after our game with Buffalo, we celebrated Amy Zercher's birthday. Even though her actual birthday was Jan. 27, this was the first time we could get together to celebrate. It was a good time with some of her friends from high school and teammates. Happy Birthday, Z!

	Tamara Bowie averaged 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds as a sophomore in 2000-01.

Last week we played two games and pushed our winning streak to eight. Like I said last week, we thought the Eastern Michigan game would be a tough one for us because of the style of play. We opened the game with a big run and kind of took control from the start.

To the Eagles' credit they rallied back to make it a close game at halftime. In the second half, Eastern closed to within five points with 15 minutes to play, but I hit a 3 and senior Shala Crook hit a 3 to push the lead back to double figures. If it wasn't for sophomore Johna Goff's 24 points, the game could have been longer than it was. The final score was 89-71.

Buffalo was another game that we thought was going to be hard because of the defense. We knew our post play would have to be a big factor in order to win the game, and I think the post players did a really good job. Everyone was clicking in the second half, and we pulled away for our 10th victory at home with a 72-59 win. It was also our 18th win of the season, marking the best record for a BSU team after 22 games in school history.

Captain Crook
Against Buffalo, Shala posted her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 assists. She also scored her 1,000th career point to go along with more than 500 assists and 300 steals. I have played with Shala for nearly six years now both at J.W. Sexton High School in Lansing and then here at Ball State. Shala and I have been through a lot together.

At Sexton, we won the school's second-ever Capital Area Conference Championship when she was a senior. If history repeats itself, the time has come.

The summer before her senior year of high school, there were about nine of us who would pile into my friend's big blue van that we called "The Big Buford." We would go hoop from about noon until 2 a.m. in the morning. We would shootaround from 12-2, practice and condition for our high school team from 2-4 and then go to this church that had a light pole and a hoop in the parking lot. We would play there until the wee hours of the morning. (Whoa, I sound like a Muncie native ....)

The one thing Shala has taught me is to always be looking for the ball. Believe me, I learned the hard way. One day in high school, she was penetrating the lane and did some funky move with a no-looker right at me. The ball hit me so hard in the chest, it knocked the wind out of me and I had to be taken out. Then, last year during practice, I was standing out of bounds and she thought I was in the game. She did a baseball pass right at me again, so I now I have to watch out for her even if I am out of bounds!

Playing with Shala has been a blessing. She's a very good athlete and an unselfish player. I have come to love her as if she was a sister. I congratulate her on the success she is having here at Ball State. We both know it's not over yet. Congratulations, Shala and good luck in the future.

The next five games for us can determine a lot. We know that we have to be focused and ready to play each game. Every team is looking for us. We are working hard in practice on starting games better. This week it's off to Kent State on Wednesday and then a game Saturday at Eastern Michigan.

One Love,

Bowie