Falcons Topple Buffalo, 78-72, at the Stroh

Wednesday, February 13

Bowling Green, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

8-14

Buffalo

16-6

Buffalo

Bowling Green

Photo by: Larry Clapper

February 13, 2019 | Women's Basketball

Box Score BGSU-Buffalo Box Score BGSU-Buffalo Photo Gallery (Larry Clapper)

Cecil scores 26 to pace five double-digit scorers

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Junior Andrea Cecil scored 26 points to pace five double-digit scorers on Wednesday night (Feb. 13), as the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team topped the University at Buffalo, 78-72, in Mid-American Conference action at the Stroh Center.

NEXT HOME GAME
• For the second-straight home game, BGSU will host a team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament's "Sweet Sixteen" a year ago, as the Falcons will face Central Michigan at the Stroh next Wednesday (Feb. 20). The CMU game was originally scheduled for Jan. 30, but was postponed due to inclement weather and travel concerns.
• The BGSU-CMU game will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh.

For tickets, CLICK HERE or call 419-372-0000.

Senior Sydney Lambert scored 13 points for the Falcons, who are now 8-14 overall and 1-10 in the MAC. Sophomore Madisen Parker's 12 points included a perfect 9-for-9 performance at the free-throw line, while freshman Kadie Hempfling had 11 points.

Hempfling's well-rounded game included a team-leading nine rebounds, five assists and a game-high five steals.

Senior Maddie Cole rounded out the quintet of twin-figure scorers with 10 points.

Cierra Dillard had 26 points to lead three double-digit scorers for the Bulls (16-6, 8-3 MAC).

The Falcons shot 60 percent or better from the floor in each of the first three quarters, and BGSU shot a season-high 56.8% from the field for the night, to 41.3% for the Bulls. And, BG had a 35-28 rebounding advantage on the evening.

BGSU never trailed in the game, leading for over 39 minutes after Cecil opened the game's scoring. But, UB cut a 20-point deficit to a single point in the final minutes, before the Brown and Orange closed out the win over a 2018 NCAA Tournament 'Sweet Sixteen' team.

FIRST QUARTER
• The Falcons never trailed after scoring the first seven points of the game. Cecil took a Hempfling pass and knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Cole hit a driving layup, and Cecil pulled down a defensive rebound and pulled up for a jumper at the other end.
• After the Bulls got on the scoreboard, Cole converted a spin-arama layup for a 9-2 lead. BGSU was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor.
• UB's Marissa Hamilton hit a three-pointer, but sophomore Angela Perry scored inside, and Hempfling stole the ball and dished it to Cecil for a transition layup and a 13-5 lead. Then, Hempfling drilled a three-pointer and Lambert, who assisted on that Hempfling trey, then drew Dillard's second foul of the game before hitting a pull-up jumper for an 18-7 lead.
• Freshman Morgan McMillen and Cecil each drilled a pair of free throws, with Cecil's coming with just 1.5 seconds remaining, and BG took a 22-12 lead after 10 minutes.
• BGSU shot 61.5% from the floor (8-of-13) in the first 10 minutes, to UB's 31.3% (5-of-16). The Falcons held a 10-6 advantage on the boards as well.
• Cecil scored nine first-quarter points, going 3-for-4 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the stripe.

SECOND QUARTER
• After scoring the final two points of the first quarter, the Falcons proceeded to score the first 10 points of the second to take a 32-12 lead.
• Lambert lobbed the ball in to Cecil for a layup, and that duo hooked up once again in transition. Hempfling's offensive board led to Lambert finding Cole for an open layup, and Hempfling then hit Cecil for a driving layup on the break. When Hempfling was fouled and knocked down both shots from the stripe, the Falcons had a 32-12 lead at the 6:20 mark.
• Dillard grabbed a long rebound after a missed three-pointer, and hit a triple try at the 5:50 mark, snapping BG's 12-0 run.
• The Bulls crept within eight on an Autumn Jones corner three, but Cecil flipped the ball to a cutting Perry for a layup and a 34-24 lead. Then, Parker was fouled on a three-point play, and hit all three free-throw tries, putting BG up by 13.
• Parker was fouled at midcourt roughly one minute later, drilling both shots from the stripe for a 39-26 lead. Dillard responded with a three-point play but Hempfling took a Cecil pass and hit a left-wing three-pointer. BG lead, 42-31, at the break.
• BGSU went 6-of-10 from the field in the quarter, for an even 60% success rate. The Falcons were 5-of-7 from inside the arc in the quarter. Buffalo went 6-for-17 (35.3%) from the floor in the period. For the second-straight quarter, BG held a 10-6 advantage on the glass.
• Hempfling had five points and six rebounds -- matching UB's team total in the latter category -- in the period.
• In the first half, Cecil was 6-of-7 from the field en route to 15 points, and she had a +17 plus/minus rating.

THIRD QUARTER
• Summer Hemphill scored for the Bulls on the first possession of the period, but after a succession of turnovers at both ends of the court, Cole rebounded her own miss and laid the ball off to Lambert for a short jumper and a 44-33 lead.
• With the shot clock ticking down toward zero, Cecil took a Parker pass and drained a long three-pointer for a 47-35 advantage.
• The Bulls started to get into foul trouble, as first Theresa Onwuka, then Hanna Hall, picked up foul number three before the third quarter was four minutes old.
• Some nifty BG passing led to Cecil's 'extra pass' to Cole for a layup and a 49-38 lead. Dillard picked up her third foul at the 6:05 mark, and Lambert knocked down a corner three from in front of the BG bench. The Falcons led by 14.
• Hall was whistled for her fourth foul with 4:30 on the clock, and Dillard was assessed her fourth at the 3:59 mark. A pair of Cole free throws gave BG a 12-point lead, but Dillard came down and hit a three to bring UB within single digits, at 56-47.
• Lambert answered with a corner three, and Hempfling's and-one layup and free throw was followed by a Hempfling steal and Lambert transition layup. The Falcons led, 64-47, late in the quarter. The Bulls responded with four-straight points, but BG led by 13 after 30 minutes.
• Both teams shot the ball well from the field in the period. BGSU shot 66.7% in the third period, going 8-of-12 from the floor, while UB shot 61.5% (8-of-13) from the field in the quarter.
• Lambert scored 10 points in the third period, going 4-of-5 from the floor, including 2-for-3 from the arc.
• Dillard had eight points and Jones seven in the period for the Bulls.
• BG had a narrow 7-5 rebounding advantage in the quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER
• Cecil hit a pull-up jumper just over a minute in to give BG a 15-point lead, but Dillard's three-ball began an 8-0 run for the visitors. When she converted a three-point play at the 6:14 mark, the Bulls were within 66-59.
• Cecil kicked the ball out to Parker for a left-wing three, and moments later, Cole passed the ball out to Cecil for a triple at the top of the arc. Cecil's three-ball gave BG a 72-61 lead with 4:37 to go, but Brittany Morrison's free throws would cut the BG lead to eight, before Hemphill's layup made it just a six-point game with three minutes to go.
• Almost immediately, BG turned the ball over, and Hemphill's turnaround jumper cut the Falcons' lead to four. Then, Dillard's and-one layup and ensuing free throw made it a 10-0 UB run and a 72-71 game with 2:05 on the clock.
• BG missed a layup, but the Falcons forced a miss, and Cole grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Then, Cecil was fouled in front of the BG bench, and the junior split her charity tosses for a two-point lead with 1:11 to go.
• The Bulls missed a shot, but came away with the rebound as the possession arrow favored the Bulls with 56.2 seconds to go. On the ensuing inbounds pass, however, Hempfling ripped the ball away from Hemphill. The next possession saw Lambert fouled with 29.0 seconds on the clock, and the senior split a pair of free throws to give BG a 74-71 lead.
• Then, UB missed a possible game-tying three, and Cecil grabbed the rebound. Parker was fouled soon thereafter, and the soph swished both free-throw tries with 17.7 seconds to go. BG led, 76-71.
• UB's Courtney Wilkins fired a three-pointer that was off the mark, and went out of bounds to BG. The Falcons turned the ball back over, as an inbounds pass was tipped away and, after a lengthy review, ruled to be UB's ball with 15.0 seconds left.
• The Bulls then missed back-to-back long-range attempts, and Dillard rebounded the second miss and was fouled. She made her first shot at the stripe, but missed the second with only 5.7 seconds left. Hempfling rebounded the ball for the Falcons, and Parker was fouled with just 2.7 seconds to go.
• Parker knocked down her eighth and ninth charity tosses of the night, giving BG a six-point lead and capping the scoring.
• UB had a 41.2% field-goal percentage in the fourth quarter to BGSU's 33.3% success rate. Both teams were 6-of-8 from the free-throw line in the final period.
• Parker had a team-leading seven points in the fourth period, including four from the line. Cecil scored six points in the final quarter.
• Dillard had 12 points in the final period for the visitors.
• The quintet of Cecil, Cole, Hempfling, Lambert and Parker played the entire 10 minutes of the fourth quarter for Coach Robyn Fralick's club.

STATISTICS & NOTES
• The Falcons, as mentioned, shot 56.8% from the floor. BG's field-goal percentage was a season high, and helped to overcome 28 turnovers, also a season high. UB shot 41.3% from the field in the loss.
• BGSU went 8-for-18 from three-point range, with Hempfling a perfect 2-for-2. Cecil went 3-of-5 from the arc, while Lambert was 2-of-4.
• UB was 7-for-28 from long range, with Dillard and Jones hitting three triples each.
• Overall, Buffalo took 63 shots on the night, to just 44 for the Falcons.
• BGSU went 20-of-26 from the line, for a success rate of 76.9%. Parker led the way with a perfect 9-of-9 effort. The Bulls were 13-for-19 (68.4%) from the stripe.
• Cecil, in addition to her 26 points, had seven rebounds and five assists. Lambert had 13 points, four boards and four assists, and she drew seven UB fouls on the night.
• Just five days ago, Parker had never scored in double digits in her BG career. But, the sophomore had a career-high 13 points on Saturday (Feb. 9) vs. Miami, then nearly matched that total with 12 points against the Bulls on Wednesday.
• Hempfling's well-rounded line included 11 points, a team-high nine rebounds, five assists and five steals. She led BG in steals as well as rebounds, and tied for the team lead in assists.
• Cole had 10 points and five boards, going 4-for-5 from the floor. Wednesday marked the second double-digit point total of her BG career.

UP NEXT
• The Brown and Orange will hit the road this weekend, heading to Northeast Ohio for a Saturday (Feb. 16) matchup with Kent State. That game begins at 5:00 p.m. at KSU's M.A.C. Center.
• The Buffalo game began a three-game stretch in which two are against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16 a year ago, as the Falcons take on Central Michigan next Wednesday (Feb. 20). That game, which was originally scheduled for late January but was postponed due to weather and travel concerns, will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUwbb), Instagram (@bgsuwbasketball) and Snapchat (BGSU Falcons) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.