BGSU women’s basketball (11-10, 4-6) fell to the Toledo Rockets (11-8, 6-3) in the first round of the Battle of I-75 en route to a 59-49 defeat. Toledo had the edge against Bowling Green in large part because of the Rockets’ ability to out-rebound the Falcons, and by winning the second-chance battles 9-1.
“We just ran out of gas a little bit, and didn’t hit some shots that we normally hit,” said head coach Fred Chmiel. “They’re physical, they keep the physicality, keep a body on you, and so I think it wears on you physically.”
From the jump, Toledo could do no wrong after storming to an 8-0 lead against Bowling Green. The Rockets capitalized on the Falcons’ five early turnovers, which led to a 50% shooting clip after the first break of action.
Following the initial stoppage, the Orange and Brown’s offensive woes worsened, as they finished the quarter shooting 18.2% from the floor, which resulted in a 23-9 Toledo lead.
Defensively, Bowling Green was forcing pressure on the Rockets, coercing UT into multiple bad passes as they totaled seven turnovers early on, yet Bowling Green could not capitalize on Toledo’s miscues. Meanwhile, the Rockets feasted on the Falcons’ nine first-quarter turnovers, scoring 12 points off BG’s blunders.
Following another disastrous offensive start, Bowling Green quickly climbed back in the second quarter by going on a 17-0 offensive run with under five minutes in the half, which shrank UT’s lead to one, 23-22.
Sophomore guard Johnea Donahue ignited the Orange and Brown’s group by turning their defense into offense. Donahue finished the half with a team-high 10 points and three steals.
After shooting 18.2% in the first quarter, Bowling Green responded in the second quarter by shooting 42.9% in the second frame, resulting in a 31-26 UT lead entering halftime.
Upon a roller coaster of a first half, both Bowling Green and Toledo stifled each other defensively, holding each other to below 30% shooting midway through the third quarter.
Although the Falcons turned the ball over numerous times throughout the first period, as the game progressed, they took much better care of the ball, reaching only 12 turnovers towards the end of the third quarter. Instead, UT continued to lose possession after handling the ball over 22 times before the fourth quarter began.
During the waning minutes of the third period, junior forward Taya Ellis muscled herself up as she scored a layup, uplifting BGSU to their first lead of the game, 40-39.
As the fourth quarter continued to unfold, the Rockets relentlessly found ways to attack the basket, leading to multiple scores, including several second-chance opportunities, yielding Toledo a 50-47 lead with three minutes in the game.
Although BG aggressively fought back, graduate guard Patricia Anumgba connected on a triple, increasing her point total to 12 on the night, and increasing UT’s lead to 55-49.
In the end, Toledo prevailed over Bowling Green, winning 59-49 largely due to UT’s clutch shots made down the stretch.
Toledo’s junior guard Ella Weaver and Anumgba together led Toledo in scoring, combining for 28 of UT’s 59 points on the night. For BG, Donahue finished her night with a game-high 19 points, six rebounds, and four steals against Toledo.
Toledo handily won the battle down low, eclipsing 54 total rebounds, and 19 of those rebounds were offensive boards. The Orange and Brown only tallied 26 rebounds, and seven of their 26 rebounds came on the offensive side of the ball.
“We played a small lineup,” said Chmiel. “We had four guards out there for the majority of the game, so it’s a tough box out, and a tough rebounding game, but I thought that was our best lineup tonight.”
Now, Bowling Green sets their sights on the Kent State Golden Flashes this upcoming Wednesday at 7 P.M. as they continue with this short road trip.
“We’re going to give the same effort, which is our best effort; we’re going to give the same focus, which is 100% of our focus, and we’re going to prepare for Kent State, just like we did today,” said Chmiel.
Falcon Media Sports Network will have full coverage of the game on bgfalconmedia.com.
