It was a tough night for the women’s basketball team. BG’s offense just couldn’t get on track as the Falcons fell to Butler, 61-54, last night at Anderson Arena.

A late run for the Falcons prevented the score from being more lopsided.

Falcons coach Curt Miller praised Butler’s play after the game. “Tonight was a disappointing loss,” Miller said. “But to Butler’s credit, they played very hard.”

Guard Angel Mason led Butler in scoring with 16 points, and Nancy Bowden had 10 assists to go along with 10 points. Miller said that Bowden was the key to the game.

“Even though Nancy Bowden only had 10 points…she dominated the game,” Miller said. “What Nancy Bowden does for them both offensively and defensively is what we feel Lindsay Austin needs to do for us.”

Austin, sidelined by injury for BG’s first three games, did not see action until the second half. She had six points in 10 minutes. The Falcons started the game with a 6-0 run, while the Bulldogs were held scoreless until Mason scored with 15:49 remaining in the half. They then took a 10-9 lead after a three-pointer by Stephanie Boeke with 12:52 to go, and never lost the lead. The Falcons trailed 34-23 at halftime.

Butler head coach Beth Couture, who is in her first season, was happy with the way the Bulldogs played. Butler came into the game 1-3, and like BG, has a roster full of young players.

“We’re just battling right now to improve in all areas,” Couture said. “I was real proud of the girls. There were a few times we could have hung our heads a little bit, but we stepped up and played hard.”

Mason had 13 of her points in the first half, coming off the bench. Couture said Mason has worked hard to fit into the new coach’s system.

“She’s the complete athlete…she has been tremendous,” Couture said. “She gets loose balls, she gets offensive rebounds [and] she makes all those hustle plays.”

The Falcons opened the second half in zone defense, and Butler countered with the three-point shot. Lisa Pryor hit two to open the half, and extended Butler’s lead to 40-23 with 18:52 left in the second half. BG would not make an offensive run until the final minutes of the game.

Miller said the decision to go to zone defense was an attempt to shut down Butler’s inside game. The Bulldogs had outscored the Falcons 24-10 in the paint in the first half.

“You have to roll the dice,” Miller said.

BG was led on offense by Kim Griech, who had 14 points in the loss. Miller thought that while the Falcons’ offense struggled, the defense had a good game. BG held Butler to shooting 37 percent from the field.

“To only give up 61 points, and not feel like you were ever in the game down the stretch is a disappointment,” Miller said. “I thought we played well enough defensively to win tonight.”

BG made the game closer with a 14-8 run in the final 6:46, while Francine Miller scored seven of her 13 points in the last 1:29. Couture said she was impressed by BG’s run in the final minutes. “I think Bowling Green has to get credit for that run,” Couture said.

“They started playing hard and getting steals and transition buckets. But we got the lead big enough early and withstood that run.”