Bobcats Use Fourth-Quarter Run to Get Past Falcons, 79-68

Wednesday, March 1

Athens, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

8-21 (4-13MAC)

Ohio

20-8 (11-6MAC)

Bowling Green

Ohio

Sydney Lambert v Ferris St - Nov 5 2016 - Christine Nelson photo

Photo by: Christine Nelson, BGSU Marketing & Communications

March 01, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Lambert leads Falcons with 19 points on Wednesday night

By: ATHENS, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Host Ohio University, clinging to a two-point lead with over 30 minutes gone, used an early fourth-quarter run to hold off the Bowling Green University women's basketball team, 79-68, Wednesday night (March 1). The Mid-American Conference game was held at the Convocation Center.

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Sophomore Sydney Lambert scored 19 points to pace three BGSU players in double digits on the night. Senior Ashley Tunstall had 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting while sophomore Carly Santoro had 10 points. Santoro had a BG-best nine rebounds as the Falcons outrebounded the Bobcats by 10, 41-31.

Quiera Lampkins had a game-high 23 points for the hosts, with Yamonie Jenkins and Amani Burke scoring 11 apiece and Jasmine Weatherspoon 10.

The Falcons never led in the game, and Ohio surged ahead by as many as 13 points early in the second quarter. But, the Brown and Orange battled back to within four points in just over three minutes, and BG was still within four points at the half.

The 'Cats scored the first seven points of the third quarter to retake a double-digit lead, but again, BG responded. The Falcons were within two points at the end of the third period, and it was still a two-point contest early in the fourth quarter.

But, the hosts went on an 8-0 run, holding the Falcons scoreless for nearly three minutes, to take a 64-54 lead. BG got to within four points when Lambert capped a quick 5-0 spurt with a three-pointer. But, Ohio's Dominique Doseck answered that triple with one of her own, then fed Lampkins for a layup on the Bobcats' next possession to give the home side a nine-point advantage with under four minutes to go.

BGSU shot 43.3 percent from the field, and the Falcons shot better than 50% in the second h alf. Ohio shot 47.9% from the field on the night, with BG making 26 total field goals to the Bobcats' 23. The Falcons, by virtue of a 12-6 advantage in offensive rebounds, had a 17-4 margin in second-chance points. Both teams attempted 24 three-pointers, with Ohio making eight and BG seven.

But, the 'Cats went to the free-throw line 36 times, making 25, while BG was 9-of-13 at the stripe. Ohio was 11-of-15 at the line in the fourth quarter.

"We had it cut to two, cut to four, at various times late in the game, but we were unable to get over the hump," said Falcon head coach Jennifer Roos. "They weren't necessarily scoring out of their offense in that fourth quarter; they were doing a good job of putting their head down, drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line.

"We outrebounded them by 10, we had 17 second-chance points, and we had the same number of points in the paint. We became a little stagnant in the fourth quarter, but the difference was at the foul line. Ohio got there consistently, and we've just got to do a better job of not fouling. That's been a point of emphasis for us, and that 16-point disparity at the foul line was the difference in the game tonight."

Ohio led by 10 points after the first quarter. The hosts took an early lead, with BG answering. Lambert lobbed a pass inside to Tunstall for a layup and BG's first points, and junior Haley Puk's pull-up jumper cut the 'Cats' lead to 5-4. Santoro's right-side banker made it an 8-6 game midway through the period.

But, Taylor Agler hit a pair of layups, with the second giving the hosts a 13-6 lead. Lambert answered quickly, absorbing contact and still hitting a right-wing three-pointer, but Burke came right back with a triple of her own, and Doseck's layup gave the hosts an 18-9 lead as the Falcons used a timeout.

Santoro took a Lambert pass and knocked down a three-ball out of that timeout, and Santoro then came up with a steal, was fouled and split a pair of free throws at the 1:54 mark. But, Weatherspoon's layup began a 5-0 run to end the first quarter, and Ohio scored five of the first seven points of the second period, with a Lampkins three giving the 'Cats a 28-15 lead with just over eight minutes left in the half.

But, back came the Brown and Orange. Lambert hit a nifty pull-up jumper from the right side, then found Santoro for a right-wing three-ball. Santoro hit Andrea Cecil with a cross-court pass, and the freshman knocked down a corner three. BG's run was eight-straight points, and the Falcons were within five.

Lampkins ended that run with a layup, but Tunstall grabbed an offensive rebound and, while being knocked to the ground, flipped the ball to Cecil for another three-pointer that cut Ohio's lead to 30-26.

The 'Cats responded with five consecutive points, as Katie Barker's trey hung on the rim forever before finally rolling in to give the home team a nine-point lead, but Lambert answered with a coast-to-coast drive, a layup and a three-point play, and sophomore Maddie Cole grabbed an offensive board, was fouled and hit a free throw to cut the BG deficit to five.

Weatherspoon scored three-straight points, but Tunstall hit a nifty up-and-under layup while driving against her much taller defender, ,and Puk's putback in the final seconds of the half cut the Ohio lead to 38-34 at the intermission.

Two fouls on the Falcons in the first 20 seconds of the third quarter resulted in Jenkins going to the line and hitting a pair, and a Karlis steal and layup made it an eight-point lead. A left-wing triple by Jenkins capped a 7-0 run and gve the hosts a double-digit lead at 45-34.

Puk hit a straightway trey, though, and Tunstall converted a nice driving one-hander. Karlis responded with a three, but Tunstall lobbed the ball inside to fellow senior Abby Siefker for a layup, and Siefker returned the favor, finding Tunstall for a hesitation layup. When Tunstall scored off of a Lambert inbounds pass, the Ohio lead was just five, at 50-45.

Moments later, Lambert nailed a jumper, and after Burke hit a shot at the other end, Tunstall scored off of an inbounds pass from Lambert again. When Lambert drove the right side of the paint and banked a shot off glass and in, Ohio's lead was down to three, 54-51, in the final minute of the quarter.

In the final seconds of the quarter, the Falcons got a stop, Siefker came down with the rebound and the Bobcats were whistled for a foul on the play. The senior from Ottoville hit a free throw with 4.3 seconds to go, and Ohio's lead was a scant two points after 30 minutes.

The Falcons shot 53% in that third quarter, going 8-of-15 from the floor while holding Ohio to just a 4-of-12 (33%) effort during that time. BG outscored the 'Cats, 12-4, in the paint in those 10 minutes.

Lampkins was fouled on the first fourth-quarter possession and opened the period's scoring with a pair of charity tosses. But, Cecil's right-side jumper cut Ohio's lead to two points once again. But, Lampkins lobbed the ball inside to Weatherspoon, who converted an and-one layup as the Falcons were whistled for one of the most absurd fouls in the long history of phantom foul calls. The free throw, fittingly, was no good. But the bucket began an 8-0 run that gave the hosts a double-figure lead.

Lampkins scored inside, and Burke's left-corner three-point try hit the rim, bounced high in the air and dropped through the hoopo for a nine-point lead. Lampkins free throw with 6:54 to go gave Ohio a 64-54 lead.

Puk's driving layup ended the Cats' run, and after another Lampkins shot from the stripe, Lambert pushed the ball upcourt quickly, resulting in five BG points in the next two possessions.

First, the sophomore point guard drove into the lane, turned and flipped the ball to Siefker for a trailing jumper. Then, Lambert corralled a rebound at the defensive end, headed across the midcourt line, pulled up and knocked down a right-wing three. Ohio's lead was 65-61 with just over five minutes left.

But, on the next possession, Doseck made a three-pointer with the shot clock winding down, and she found Lampkins for a layup and a 70-61 Ohio lead as the teams headed into the final media timeout of the night.

The lead fluctuated between nine and 11 points over the next few minutes, with Lambert hitting a pair of buckets, before the Bobcats got a stop with just over a minute remaining. Jenkins was fouled and hit a pair of free throws to give Ohio a 13-point lead, and BG then outscored the 'Cats, 3-1, at the stripe over the final minute to provide the final margin.

Tunstall and Siefker had seven rebounds apiece for the Brown and Orange, while Puk scored nine points and Cecil added eight. Cecil, Lambert and Santoro each hit two of the Falcons' seven long-range attempts.

Siefker had seven points on the night, and Lambert dished out six of the Falcons' 10 assists.

The Falcons will return home for the final game of the regular season. BGSU will face Miami on Saturday (March 4) at the Stroh Center, with tipoff set for 12:00 p.m. Saturday will be Senior Day, as the Falcons' four seniors will be recognized in ceremonies prior to the game.