Feb. 13, 2010
Final Stats
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Juniors Carolyn Barnett and Thia Gholson each scored in double figures, and Ohio battled the East's top team tooth and nail on the road, but a pair of key Bowling Green runs lifted the Falcons past the `Cats 73-57 in a hard-fought contest that was closer than the final count indicated.
With the score tied late in the first half, a big BGSU run put the Falcons up by nine going into the break. A few minutes into the second half, with Ohio pulling to within five, BGSU again made a run that built a lead the `Cats just were not able to overcome.
The Green and White enjoyed a strong shooting day, finishing at 44 percent on the day. The Falcons, meanwhile, shot 47 percent from the field and outrebounded Ohio 35-28, including 13 on the offensive glass.
Coming off a career-high 29 against Northern Illinois last time out, Barnett (North Chicago, Ill.) enjoyed her second double-figure outing in as many games with 14 points, while Gholson (Louisville, Ky.) once again feasted on the Falcons' post players with 12 points. Jennifer Bushby (Gahanna, Ohio) chipped in eight points and a team-high four assists to go with a pair of steals.
The Green and White came out strong the first couple minutes and took a 6-4 lead after Danielle Woodmore (Louisville, Ky.) drove for a jumper inside. The `Cats kept their strong play going over the next few minutes and took a three-point lead following a trey from Barnett with 12:03 left in the half.
Barnett kept her hot hand from Northern Illinois going with a pair of buckets that helped Ohio build its lead to 16-11 after Gholson found Barnett inside with 9:11 left in the half. The Falcons would not go away, however, and cut the Ohio to lead to one. BGSU tied the contest following a trey from Tracy Pontius, but a long jumper from Bushby and a triple from Jenny Poff (St. John's, Mich.) gave the Green and White a 23-18 advantage.
The Falcons would not allow the `Cats to get out any further and tied the action at 25 following five points from Lauren Prochaska. Prochaska struck again a short time later to give BGSU a lead, before Barnett knocked down her second triple of the contest to tie the score at 28 with 2:26 left in the half. The Falcons shooting stayed strong over the last part of the frame as they ripped off a big 11-2 run the rest of the half to take a 39-30 lead into the lockerroom.
Ohio shot the ball well in the half, hitting at a 50-percent clip, while BGSU's late surge put the Falcons at 44 percent for the stanza, including six big treys, after the `Cats had held them to just three field goals in their first 15 attempts of the half. BGSU also controlled the first-half battle on the glass, outrebounding the Green and White 19-14 for the half. The Falcons also took advantage of Ohio miscues with 16 big points off Bobcat turnovers.
Five quick Ohio points to start the second half pulled the `Cats to within four, but BGSU took advantage of another big 10-0 run to extend its lead to 49-35 with 17:17 left. Buckets from Barnett and Gholson cut the deficit to 10, but a Falcon bucket inside put them back up by 12. Action stayed even over the next couple minutes, before a pair of Symone Lyles (Silver Spring, Md.) free throws cut the lead to 10 with 10:32 left.
The `Cats cut the lead to nine on two occasions over the next few minutes, but only to see BGSU extend the lead back to 12 each time. The Falcons led 61-49 with 6:29 left. Ohio continued to push over the next couple minutes of play, but BGSU was equal to the task and knocked down 11-of-14 free throws in the second half en route to the win.
Prochaska led two Falcons in double figures with a game-high 222 points and nine rebounds. Allison Papenfuss added 13 for BGSU.
Ohio will now have a week off before continuing the second half of MAC East play with a three-game homestand beginning next Saturday, Feb. 20. First on the agenda is a date with Kent State, which will be shown live on FSN Ohio. Tip-off is set for noon.
