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. 18, 2002

For the first time this year, I am writing this diary after two losses. We went on the road to Kent State and to Eastern Michigan last week. The games didn't quite turn out the way I wanted them to, but last week taught us two important lessons as we hit the home stretch of the season.

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

The first lesson was with the Kent State game. Our slow starts finally caught up with us that night. We fell behind early and trailed by 12 at the break, but we battled back in the second half. We started playing the way we should, know how and can, to take a 54-50 lead with about 3 minutes to play. It seemed like all the battling we did took something out of us, though, and we couldn't finish the game. It was Kent State's 58th win in 59 league games at home, so other teams left the building the same way. But for us, it was different because we didn't finish the deal, which brings me to lesson No. 2 ...

We have to finish games! In our past games, it seems that after we get a lead, we get content and instead of finishing games off, we let teams back in. Case in point, Eastern Michigan on Saturday. We built a double-figure lead in the first half and much of the second half, but then I don't know what exactly happened. OK, I guess I do -- we just failed to execute down the stretch and makes plays when we needed them. But we're the Cardinals; we will bounce back.

Three games left and a lot is on the line. We know two things could happen -- we either move backwards or we move forward. The team has talked and we chalked those two losses up as just that. We can't -- and we won't -- let two losses break our season. We will overcome adversity and after today's practice, I think we have our "swagger" back. It's time to play basketball.

Oh brother
Saturday's game for me was a chance to get back to Michigan one last time this season and play close to home. I like playing close to home because my family is there. Speaking of family, congratulations to my brother, Brandis, who just earned a football scholarship to Ferris State! It just seems like he has grown up so fast. I am proud of him. Good thing the scholarship is for football, because he can't hang with me in basketball.

Brandis and I used to play in our neighbor's backyard one-on-one every day in the summer. I would always beat him, but the only way was to back him down and then hit a fade-away jumper. He would start crying and quit, saying the only reason I beat him was because I was tall. Brandis would get back at me in football, though. He would be running the football and come right at me to run me over. He only made me tougher.

We have about two weeks left in the regular season and three games to play. We play our last two at home this week with Northern Illinois and Central Michigan. The Central Michigan game is Senior Day and a chance for our two seniors -- Shala Crook and Amy Fuller -- to be honored for their career. Then it's off to the finale at Toledo next week.

This is the time of year everyone plays for ... March Madness is right around the corner.

One Love,

Bowie