ATHENS, Ohio — Turnovers and missed free throws cost the Bowling Green State University women’s basketball team a chance to beat Ohio in a Mid-American Conference game Saturday at the Convocation Center.
The Falcons turned the ball over 22 times, including seven in the first and fourth quarters, and connected on just 7-of-15 free throws (46.7 percent) in a 69-58 loss.
"I thought we did a good job in a lot of areas except taking care of the ball and handling [their] trap,” BG coach Jennifer Roos said. “They flustered us a little bit.
“When it bothered us, we turned it over; when we handled it, we got a wide-open look. It just can't be that hit or miss."
Carly Santoro finished with 16 points to lead Bowling Green (10-15, 2-12 MAC), which now has lost its past eight games. Caterrion Thompson had 11 and Sydney Lambert added 10 for the Falcons.
Amani Burke led Ohio (14-11, 8-6) with 15 points, while Taylor Agler scored 12, and Gabby Burris 10.
The Bobcats made the first run of the game, scoring 11 consecutive points to take a 15-5 lead at the 4 minute, 24 second mark of the opening quarter. But the Falcons responded with an 11-2 run that cut their deficit to 17-16 with 1:32 left in the period.
Ohio’s Burke and Dominique Doseck made a 3-pointers to offset a basket by BG’s Kennedy Williams at the buzzer that gave the Bobcats a 23-18 lead.
Bowling Green’s Jane Uecker got the second started with a 3, but Ohio used a 10-2 spurt to build a 33-23 lead with 7:05 to play. The two teams stayed even for the rest of the half, with the Bobcats leading 40-30 at the break.
The Falcons made the first run of the third, using a 7-0 push to cut their deficit to 43-40 with 5:49 to go. But OU responded with an 8-0 run to establish an 11-point lead, and BG needed a 6-0 finish to the quarter to make it 51-46 entering the fourth.
Then Bowling Green struggled offensively to start the quarter, turning the ball over on its first six possessions. A 3 by Agler keyed a 7-0 run that gave Ohio a 58-46 lead with 7:02 left.
The Falcons managed to cut their deficit to 60-55 with 3:59 to play, but Burke rebounded her own missed shot and scored on the next possession, and BG came no closer the rest of the way.
"We did a good job of getting to the foul line late, but when you go 7-of-15 at the foul line — and we're well over 70 percent as a team — that's tough," Roos said. "We make more 3’s than they do, we outrebound them, we win in a lot of areas.
“It was a a lot closer than what the score resulted in, which is why this one stings a little bit more."
Bowling Green hosts Buffalo at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
First Published February 17, 2018, 8:21 p.m.
