Huskies Outlast Falcons in OT, 92-87

Saturday, February 8

Bowling Green, OH

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

8-14,1-9MAC

Northern Illinois

7-14,3-7MAC

OT 1

Northern Ill.

Bowling Green

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

February 08, 2020 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats Madisen Parker Interview Coach Fralick Interview Photo Gallery

Northern escapes the Stroh with a win in extra time

By: by Mike Cihon, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team came up just short on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 8), falling in overtime to Northern Illinois University. The Huskies captured a 92-87 decision at the Stroh Center.

Junior Madisen Parker had 18 points to pace four double-digit scorers for the Orange and Brown, while fourth-year Falcon Caterrion Thompson had 17.

Thompson and Parker combined for nine of the Falcons' 13 three-pointers, but it was a late three-ball by NIU's Riley Blackwell that tied the contest and sent it to overtime.

Courtney Woods had a game-high 32 points to pace three double-figure scorers for the Huskies. Gabby Nikitinaite had 16 points and Myia Starks 15 for the guests.

BGSU got 15 points from junior Angela Perry and 12 from sophomore Kadie Hempfling. Hempfling and Perry had seven rebounds apiece to pace the home side. Hempfling also had a game-high seven assists, while six of her teammates had two helpers apiece.

The game featured 13 ties and 21 lead changes. The Falcons trailed by five points with under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but BG went on a 10-0 run to regain the lead. Buckets by Perry and fellow junior Mari Hill were followed by back-to-back triples from Parker and Thompson to give the hosts a 78-73 lead with 46.1 seconds to go.

But, Woods hit a pair of free throws, and Starks scored after a turnover, cutting the lead to a single point with 31.3 seconds left. The Huskies committed several fouls to reach five for the quarter, and Parker knocked down a pair of shots at the line with 21.9 ticks on the clock.

On the ensuing possession, however, Woods found Blackwell in the corner for a tying three-pointer with 5.1 seconds left. A BG shot did not fall, and the teams headed to overtime.

In the extra session, the Huskies took the lead on an Ally May layup 40 seconds in, and May's putback gave the visitors a four-point advantage with three minutes to go. When Woods hit a transition three, the Huskies' advantage was 87-80. BG got as close as three points in the final minute, but a pair of NIU free throws sealed the deal.

FIRST-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS
• The game was tied twice in the early going, before the Huskies went on a 6-0 run. A Starks pull-up jumper was followed by Nikki Salmi's corner three, giving the visitors a 10-6 lead.
• BG battled back, as freshman Elissa Brett hit a jumper, and after a pair of offensive rebounds by senior Clare Glowniak, the center kicked the ball out to sophomore Morgan McMillen for a three-ball that tied the game at 12-all.
• Brett knocked down another jumper, and Perry connected from the top of the arc for a 17-16 lead. But, Woods scored at the other end, and Nikitinaite hit a pair of free throws with just 4.8 seconds to go. But, Hill was fouled and hit a charity toss with 1.8 seconds remaining, cutting the NIU lead to 20-18 after 10 minutes.

SECOND-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS
• Freshman Olivia Trice found Hill for a corner three on BG's first possession of the period, and a Thompson triple gave the Falcons a 24-22 lead just over a minute in.
• The Huskies, however, scored the next six points as part of a 9-2 run. When Nikitinaite hit from beyond the arc, the Huskies led by a 31-26 count.
• Hempfling found Glowniak for a foul-line jumper, and Brett's long pass found Parker for a corner three that tied the game. Then, Trice connected from the corner, with her triple giving the Falcons an 8-0 run and a 34-31 advantage.
• The Huskies answered with a 5-0 run, as Mikayla Brandon knocked down a corner three and Woods put back a miss. Glowniak found Hempfling for a layup as the shot-clock wound down, tying the game once again with a minute left in the period. Woods hit a three, before Parker drained a pair of charity tosses in the final minute of play, cutting BG's deficit to 39-38 at the break.

THIRD-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS
• After Perry scored on BG's first possession, the Huskies scored the next four points to regain the lead. And, when Woods drove through traffic and scored inside, the visitors led by five, 47-42.
• But, the Falcons battled back. Brett hit a pair of charity tosses, Parker drilled a left-wing triple try, and when Hempfling found Thompson for a long-range shots, BG had a 50-49 lead.
• Back came the Huskies, as a pair of Woods free throws put NIU back up by three, but Hempfling found Thompson for another three-pointer that ied the game at 54-54. Blackwell threw in a shot, before Perry's free throw cut the Northern lead to one, 56-55, after 30 minutes of action.

FOURTH-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS
• Thompson's entry pass resulted in a Perry layup to begin the quarter, and after the visitors answered, Hempfling muscled her way inside for back-to-back buckets and a 61-60 lead.
• Thompson connected from the arc, giving the hosts a 64-62 advantage, but NIU answered with four-straight points. Hempfling scored inside again, and after a Woods triple, Brett's pull-up jumper cut NIU's lead to 69-68.
• NIU scored four-straight points, with two Starks shots from the stripe giving Northern a 73-68 advantage with 3:44 to go. But, the Falcons then went on the aforementioned 10-point run. Perry's turnaround one-hander began that stretch, and Hill pulled up for a mid-range jumper with two minutes to go. After Woods was called for a travel, Hempfling kicked the ball out to Parker for a right-side trey and a 75-73 lead.
• And, Hempfling found Thompson for a left-wing triple and a five-point advantage with 46.1 seconds to go. The Huskies, however, battled back, and Blackwell's three-pointer with 5.1 seconds to go tied the contest and sent the teams to overtime.

OVERTIME HIGHLIGHTS
• May's back-door layup gave the visitors the lead, and May's putback made it an 84-80 game with three minutes to go. The teams exchanged three-point misses, but after a BG turnover, Woods pulled up on the break for a three-ball and a seven-point lead with two minutes left.
• Parker knocked down a triple after Hill found her in the corner, but NIU used all of the shot clock, with Starks knocking down a jumper with 52.4 seconds to go.
• NIU led by six, and a Parker three-pointer off of an inbounds pass was nullified as a BG foul was called away from the ball as she shot. NIU split a pair of free throws for a seven-point lead with 34.3 seconds remaining.
• Parker was fouled and connected twice from the line, and NIU missed two tosses at the other end. When Thompson hit a layup with 13.8 seconds left, BG trailed by three. But, Chelby Koker, who had missed two free throws seconds earlier, hit both of her tries with 12.2 seconds to go, restoring the visitors' two-possession lead.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons will conclude a brief two-game homestand on Wednesday (Feb. 12), taking on Eastern Michigan in a 7:00 p.m. start at the Stroh Center.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will hit the road for a pair of games, beginning with next Saturday's (Feb. 15) matchup with MAC-leading Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant.

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