Bowling Green State University’s women’s basketball suffered a tough loss last night, falling on the road in Muncie to the Ball State Cardinals, 73-81. 

Midway through the first quarter, Bowling Green pushed for a 12-6 lead but eventually lost control. The Orange and Brown only scored two more points, falling behind in a one-point deficit at the end of the first.

A back-and-forth battle for both teams continued into the second quarter. The Falcons managed a six point run, giving themselves a one-point advantage with just over four minutes left in the second quarter. However, BG’s attempts to regain their strength failed when the Cardinals responded with an 11-0 surge. Bowling Green came up short, going into intermission trailing 39-28. 

The Falcons did their best in the third quarter, trying to keep up the fight. With only five minutes left, the Orange and Brown were three points away from tying  the Cardinals. Yet again, the Cardinals responded with a crushing nine-point run. 

The Cardinals continued their climb to victory in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. With Bowling Green refusing to give up, the teams continued to trade points back and forth with just over three minutes left. The Falcons’ attempt to come back and win the conference opener never came, as even Nyla Hampton’s jumper in the last eight seconds, the shot  made no difference, and the Cardinals walked away with the win, 81-73. 

The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Falcons. Allison Day managed to scrape a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Bowling Green did keep their streak of finishing with fewer turnovers against their opponent for the 13th time this season. 

Though it may have been a rough start to MAC play, there is always room for the Falcons to learn and improve. 

“This was a tough loss,” Head Coach Robyn Fralick said. “I think we’ll learn a lot from this game moving forward. I think we can play tougher and smarter at times, but we will learn from this one and get better. We’ve got a quick turnaround, so we’ve got to get ready for another tough game on Saturday.”

The Falcons return home at the Stroh on Saturday, Jan. 7 against Eastern Michigan with tipoff set for 1 p.m.

For more information about the team, visit the athletic department’s website.