On the road in front of a crowd of nearly 5,000, the Bowling Green State University Women’s Basketball team had its three game win streak snapped with a 75-61 road loss to rival Toledo.
After hot shooting from behind the arc spurred a winning streak to get them one game below .500, the Falcons struggled shooting the ball against the Rockets. Bowling Green is now 8-10 on the season, with a 4-5 record in conference play.
“We knew this would be a tough environment to play in. Toledo played really well, made some shots,” head coach Jennifer Roos said. “Both teams were well scouted. We knew their play calls, they knew our play calls. Executing to a finish came down to a couple of late possessions that really helped turn the corner for them.”
Three players scored in double figures for the Falcons, with redshirt-senior Lauren Tibbs leading the way with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Freshman Sydney Lambert had 13 points and 5 rebounds, while senior Miriam Justinger tallied 10 points and 4 rebounds.
The Falcons got off to a quick start, with a layup by Ashley Tunstall and a three-pointer by Justinger opening up a 12-4 run. The Rockets called a timeout at the 6:41 mark and followed with a 15-6 run of their own to close out the quarter with a 19-18 lead.
After scoring the last nine points of the opening quarter, the Rockets proceeded to go on an 11-3 run to start the second quarter, pushing their lead to 30-21 before Bowling Green’s Abby Siefker scored on a midrange jumpshot. Tibbs converted in the lane on the next possession for the Falcons, while Siefker made another jumper and Lambert hit back to back three-pointers to close Toledo’s lead to four points. The two teams traded baskets as the half wound down, with Toledo holding a 38-35 lead at the intermission.
The Falcons were able to stay within striking distance after a back and forth third quarter, but Toledo was able to pull away in the fourth. Hitting three three-pointers in the final ten minutes, the Rockets controlled the perimeter and held Bowling Green scoreless from behind the arc. Toledo finished with a comfortable fourteen point win against its rival.
“Every play they ran today we knew they were going to run. They ran them very crisply, and they play well at home,” Roos said. “They did exactly what we thought they would do, and we made shots early on, but they didn’t fall at the end. Both teams were extremely well prepared for this game.”
While Toledo shot almost 50 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range, the Falcons only converted 43 percent of their field goals and an ice-cold 21 percent of their three-pointers. Giving up 38 points in the paint, the Falcons simply could not keep up with their opponent.
“We had some really good looks, we just weren’t able to knock a few down,” Justinger said. “But they were good looks and we’ll get them next time.”
The Falcons will return to action on February 5th when they travel to Mount Pleasant for a matchup against Central Michigan. They will then return to the Stroh Center to play against Western Michigan on Feb. 10.
