RedHawks Hold On for 59-51 Win

Wednesday, February 25

Oxford, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

2-139-17; MAC

Miami

3-126-20; MAC

Bowling Green

Miami

Rachel Myers vs. Kent State - Feb 21 2015 - Clapper photo

Rachel Myers led the Falcons with 13 points at Miami Wednesday night

Photo by: Larry Clapper

February 25, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BGSU comeback bid falls just short in Oxford

By: OXFORD, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team nearly came all the way back from a 15-point deficit, but the Falcons fell just short, as host Miami University claimed a 59-51 win Wednesday night (Feb. 25). The Mid-American Conference game was held at Millett Hall.

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POSTGAME AUDIO: Coach Roos

Freshman Rachel Myers led the Falcons (9-17, 2-13 MAC) with 13 points in the game, while junior Miriam Justinger and sophomore Rachel Konieczki and freshman Haley Puk scored eight points apiece. Justinger tied her career high with 10 rebounds on Wednesday night.

Redshirt freshman Kennedy Kirkpatrick, who made her first collegiate start, and senior Deborah Hoekstra had seven points each. Hoekstra had nine rebounds as the Falcons and RedHawks each had 33 boards.

BGSU made 10 three-point field goals in 23 attempts on the night, with each of the six aforementioned players hitting at least one shot from beyond the arc.

Miami (6-20, 3-12 MAC) made 8-of-19 shots from long distance in the game, with Hannah McCue leading the way. McCue, who entered the game having gone 5-for-50 from three-point range during the conference schedule, was 4-of-7 from beyond the arc on Wednesday night.

Baleigh Reid led the RedHawks in scoring with 15 points, while McCue scored 14 and grabbed 10 rebounds. Courtney Larson had 12 points for the hosts.

The home team built a game-high 15-point lead midway through the first half, before BGSU got within seven points at the half. After spotting Miami the first four points of the second half, the Falcons slowly but surely crept closer, with a Kirkpatrick jumper cutting the RedHawks' lead to just two points, 41-39, with 13:03 remaining.

After MU split a pair of free throws on the next possession, a BG three-point attempt that would have tied the game did not drop, and Larson hit a triple at the other end of the court to double the home team's lead.

The Falcons closed that MU lead to three points when Puk drilled a three-pointer midway through the period, but after the teams traded baskets on the next two possessions, BG would go three-and-a-half minutes without a point and nearly nine minutes without making a field goal. That field goal, a Konieczki trey in the final minutes of the game, put the Falcons within five points, but BG would draw no closer.

Miami shot just over 40 percent (40.8%) on Wednesday night, while BG shot just under the 40% mark (39.6%). The Falcons went 6-for-12 from three-point distance in the second half.

The Falcons, who entered the game ranked second in the nation in free-throw percentage, shot an uncharacteristic 3-for-7 from the stripe, while the RedHawks were 11-for-20 at the line.

The Falcons took an early 3-2 lead when Kirkpatrick took a pass from Justinger and drained a triple on BG's first offensive possession of the night, but that lead was short-lived as a Larson three-ball began an 8-2 run. BG's only bucket during that time was a Justinger floater, and McCue's first trey of the night gave the RedHawks a 10-5 lead. Myers cut the lead to two points with a driving 'and-1' layup, hitting the ensuing free throw at the 16:24 mark.

But, the hosts held the Falcons off the scoreboard for nearly seven minutes, scoring 13-straight points. That run began with a McCue straightaway three-pointer, and Jessica Rupright hit a shot from nearly the same spot on the floor, giving MU a 16-8 lead. The margin reached double digits for the first time when McCue knocked down her third triple in as many tries, and two Rupright tosses were followed by a Reid layup that gave the 'Hawks a 23-8 lead with 10:53 left before halftime

But, the Falcons responded with a run of their own. Justinger followed her own shot, grabbing a rebound in traffic and laying the ball up and in to stop BG's scoring drought. Then, Konieczki took a pass from Myers and drained a long three-point try. When Myers hit a foul-line jumper, the run was 7-0 and the Falcons' deficit was eight points, 23-15.

Moments later, Hoekstra's 'extra pass' found Justinger open in the corner, and the junior's three-point try found nothing but net. But, Kayla Brown made a three-ball of her own with the shot clock winding down, and the home team led by a 28-18 score with under four minutes left in the half.

The 'Hawks scored inside to take a 12-point lead, but Konieczki scored on a driving layup, then spotted Puk for a corner three to cut the MU lead to 30-23 in the final minute of the half. The score remained the same as the clock ran out, and the RedHawks took that seven-point advantage into the intermission.

Both teams shot just over 39% in the first half, with Miami gong 6-for-13 and BGSU 4-of-11 from beyond the arc. BGSU enjoyed a 21-12 rebounding advantage in the first 20 minutes, but the Falcons turned the ball over 13 times while forcing MU into just four miscues before halftime.

The second half saw Larson's crazy runner bank off the glass and through the hoop, and Reid rebounded a Larson miss and scored inside for a 34-23 Miami lead with just under two minutes gone. Triples by Myers and Hoekstra got the Falcons within seven points, but Reid's three-point play gave MU an 11-point lead once again, 40-29, with just over 15 minutes remaining.

Hoekstra came right back with another three-pointer, and when Puk's nifty drive and kick resulted in a Myers trey, the MU lead was just 41-35. That lead dwindled to four points when Puk again drove the lane, this time laying the ball off glass and in. Miami took a timeout with 13:24 to go.

Out of that timeout, the RedHawks were whistled for an offensive foul, and Kirkpatrick's layup made it a two-point game. Reid split a pair of free throws, and the Falcons' potential game-tying three-point try on the next possession did not drop. Larson quickly hit a three at the other end, giving the RedHawks a 45-39 advantage.

Back came the Falcons, as Justinger's pass led to Puk's corner three midway through the half, but McCue's fourth trey of the game restored her team's six-point lead. Myers hit a shot with her toe on the three-point line, and the MU advantage was 48-44. But, that would be BG's last successful field goal until the final minute of the game.

An unorthodox-looking jumper by McCue somehow went in, and after Justinger split two tosses from the line, BG got a stop at the other end of the court. Konieczki dove to the floor for a loose ball, giving the ball back to BG.

The teams traded turnovers, however, and the Hawks missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity with 3:36 to go. Kirkpatrick came up with the rebound, but the Falcons could not score on the next trip up the floor.

BG got a defensive stop, as Puk's defense forced Rupright to travel, and Hoekstra was fouled on a drive, hitting one of her two free-throw tries to cut the MU lead to 52-46 with 2:36 to go.

BG forced a missed shot, but the Falcons were called for an offensive foul with just over two minutes remaining. The RedHawks proceeded to use the entire 30-second shot clock before taking, and missing, a shot, and BG rebounded the ball and used a timeout.

On the next possession, though, a Hoekstra three-point try rimmed out, and the Falcons fouled on the rebound. But, McCue missed both of her free-throw attempts with 1:12 on the clock. BG, however, could not score at the other end, and Molly McDonagh made a pair of charity tosses with 59.3 seconds remaining, giving Miami a 54-46 lead.

Konieczki hit a three-pointer and BG called a timeout with 37.8 seconds to go, but after another BG foul, Larson made two shots to give her team a seven-point lead. A Kirkpatrick layup made it a 56-51 game, but BG would get no closer. Brown split a pair of free throws, and Reid stole a BG pass and hit a layup with 8.5 seconds left to close the scoring.

BGSU returns to the road this weekend, playing at MAC-leading Ohio University on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 28). Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. at The Convo in Athens.