BGSU women’s basketball (13-11, 5-7) downs the Buffalo Bulls (2-22, 0-12) by a final score of 72-61. Bowling Green was led by junior guard Paige Kohler, who finished her night nearly completing a double-double in points and rebounds, finishing with a game-high 26 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.

“We need her,” said head coach Fred Chmiel. “We need that calming presence when things go south and when we take our foot off the gas. We need her presence, we need her to make plays, and we need her voice. She’s an important piece to our puzzle, and she’s only a junior, and I think her game is going to continue to grow.”

Kohler played a pivotal role early by sinking several 3-pointers early in the ball game, and ultimately finishing her night by going 6-7 from distance and 8-11 from the floor.

“I had in my head that every shot was going to go in,” said Kohler. “My teammates did a great job of setting screens to get me open, and then whoever had the ball found me as well.”

The Orange and Brown had to heavily rely on Kohler’s offensive and defensive efforts tonight, especially when sophomore guard Johnea Donahue went down in the middle of the third quarter with an apparent injury.

“She sets the pace for us, and she’s a very good decision maker, so not having her was challenging,” said Kohler. “She drives the ball really hard, she finds teammates, she was the one finding me in the first half as well, so not having her hurts us especially on the defensive end as well.”

The Falcons will now look towards their next game against the Ball State Cardinals this upcoming Saturday at 11 a.m. inside Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana.

Falcon Media Sports Network’s Adam Duffin and Trey Kennedy will be calling the game on WBGU 88.1 FM.