BGSU women’s basketball (1-2) fell to Cleveland State (2-1) on the road on Tuesday night, marking the second straight loss for the Falcons.
However, this contest finishes the Falcons’ two-game stint against Horizon League opponents.
Early in the game, the threes ran superior for the Falcons as they sprinted out to an early 21-8 lead.
Sophomore guard Paige Kohler was responsible for nine of those points, hitting three shots from beyond the arc. Senior guard Amy Velasco was right behind her with nine points and two assists.
More notably, they were able to hold graduate student guard Mickayla Perdue to two points after one quarter of play.
Graduate student guard Sara Guerreiro totaled six of the team’s 10 first quarter points.
With a 25-10 lead heading into the second quarter, the defense dominated on both sides. Each team scored two second quarter points through the first three minutes.
It wasn’t until senior guard Colbi Maples made a three with 6:26 left in the half that both offenses started to break through.
Fouls also were a huge factor. There was a total of 15 free throws between the two teams.
As the quarter continued, the Falcons were able to knock down some really timely threes to regain much-needed momentum and give them a 42-32 lead heading into the locker room.
Out of the halftime break, Cleveland State scored five unanswered points to cut their deficit in half at 42-37.
Another Cleveland State graduate student guard, Destiny Leo, hit two consecutive threes, including a wide-open one, to cut the deficit to 46-45.
CSU gained its first lead of the night at 47-46 with 4:44 left in the third thanks to a Maples basket, then extended it minutes later, making it 49-46.
Down 56-50 late in the quarter Paige Kohler made a and-one to make it 56-53 heading into the conclusion of the third period.
Defense once again took over to start the fourth quarter. Each team scored three points three minutes into it, and each was one of two from the floor.
This trend continued through the middle minutes as each team added two more field goals to their total; however, made free throws by CSU and a nearly three-minute scoring drought heading into the final minute hurt the Falcons. With 58 seconds to play, they found themselves trailing 68-61.
After a multitude of fouls and free throws in the late stages, Cleveland State was able to hold on and receive their second consecutive victory, 75-68.
Amy Velasco led the team in points with 28 and played the entire contest for a second consecutive game. She also once again earned Falcon Media Food and Drink Player of the Game for her efforts.
Paige Kohler had a fantastic start to the game, scoring 12 points in the first half, but was held to three in the second half.
After being one rebound away from a double-double in both games, sophomore forward Taya Ellis grabbed 12 rebounds and scored 10 points.
Sara Guerreiro led the Vikings in points (19), rebounds (nine) and assists (five). Junior forward Jordana Reisma had a total of 17 minutes. Finally, Mickayla Perdue led the team in minutes with 38 and totaled 16 points.
Next, the Falcons will square off against the Bonnies of St Bonaventure this Saturday, Nov. 16, at noon on WBGU 88.1 FM. Falcon Media Sports Network’s Lucas Kleimeyer and Kaden Knapp will be on the call.
