Thursday, March 21
Indianapolis, Ind.
7 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
16-15,10-8MAC
63
at
75
Butler
15-16,6-12Big East
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2
3
4
F
Bowling Green
17
16
14
16
63
Butler
26
16
18
15
75
(photo by Alden Stone)
Falcons Fall, 75-63, in WNIT First Round at Butler
March 21, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Porter has career-high 32-point night in season finale'
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind – The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team saw the 2023-24 season come to a close Thursday night (March 21), as the Falcons fell to Butler University, 75-63, in WNIT First-Round action at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Erika Porter led all players in both scoring and rebounding, with a career-high 32 points and a game-best nine rebounds for the Falcons (16-15). Amy Velasco joined Porter in double figures in the scoring column, with 13 points.
For the Bulldogs (15-16), Caroline Strande had 24 points to pace three double-digit scorers. A total of seven players had six or more points for the hosts.
The Falcons shot nearly 49 percent from the field, while BU shot just under 46%. But, the Bulldogs made nine three-point field goals to the Falcons' two, and BU committed just five turnovers compared to 18 for the Orange and Brown.
Porter, one of the nation's leaders in field-goal percentage, went 12-of-19 from the floor, and also was 8-of-11 from the free-throw line vs. the Bulldogs.
The Falcons never led in the contest. It was tied, 2-2, after a Velasco pull-up jumper, but the Bulldogs then scored 12-straight points before a Velasco three-point play with just over four minutes gone.
After that 12-0 Butler run, Velasco's three-point play began an 11-1 surge for the Falcons, with a Porter layup cutting the BU lead to two. Strande, however, made back-to-back jumpers, and after Velasco answered the first one with a floater, the second Strande shot started a 9-0 run that pushed the lead back out to double digits.
The Falcons cut the deficit to nine points on several occasions, but could draw no closer.
FIRST QUARTER
• Amy Velasco scored the Falcons' first points of the night, hitting a pull-up jumper in the first minute of the game to tie the contest at 2-2. But, Rachel Kent's three-pointer began a 12-0 run for the hosts Karsyn Norman followed with a triple from nearly the same spot as Kent's make, and the run was capped by a Cristen Carter putback that gave the Bulldogs a 14-2 lead.
• The Falcons had five turnovers in the game's first four-plus minutes, and had attempted just two shots in the contest before Velasco snapped the BU run with a driving layup and a three-point play. Velasco's 'extra pass' resulted in a Paige Kohler three-pointer that made it a 14-8 game.
• Then, Kohler faked a shot and found Morgan Sharps for a triple, and Sharps spotted Erika Porter slipping past her defender for a layup that got BG within two points at 15-13.
• Caroline Strande's pull-up jumper ended an 11-1 run for the Orange and Brown. Velasco hit a runner, but Strande scored again, beginning a 9-0 surge for the hosts. Sydney Jaynes made a pair of free throws, and Jordan Meulemans knocked down a long-distance shot before Riley Makalusky's layup gave the Bulldogs a 26-15 lead. Porter hit a baby hook to cut the BU advantage to nine points at the end of the first quarter.
• The Falcons shot nearly 64% from the field in the first quarter, going 7-for-11. Butler went 9-of-17, but that included a 4-of-7 effort from the arc. And, BGSU committed seven first-period turnovers while BU had zero.
SECOND QUARTER
• Porter got a pair of offensive rebounds to keep a possession alive early in the second quarter, then hit a layup. But, Norman answered with a three-pointer that gave her team a 31-19 lead. Several minutes later, Kent hit a triple, and after Sophie Dziekan made a reverse layup, Butler answered with a pair of layups to take a 39-22 lead midway through the quarter.
• Porter scored out of the media timeout, and the Bulldogs then committed their first turnover of the game. Porter converted a three-point play, then made another hook shot to get the Falcons within 11 points, at 40-29.
• Jaynes answered with a layup, but Porter scored with a minute to go in the quarter, and after BG got a stop, a Velasco pull-up jumper dropped through the hoop in the final seconds to cut the BG deficit to 42-33 at the intermission.
• BGSU had a better first-half field-goal percentage (53.8% to Butler's 48.4%), but the Bulldogs were 6-of-10 from three-point range and had a 15-0 lead in points off turnovers.
THIRD QUARTER
• Olivia Hill came up with an offensive rebound and nifty putback in traffic early in the third period, but Makalusky made back-to-back jumpers that gave her team a 50-35 lead. Porter answered with a nice move that led to an open layup, but a Jaynes layup after a steal gave BU a 52-37 lead heading into the media timeout.
• Porter alertly spotted a cutting Velasco for a layup, and Velasco made a pair of charity tosses, but a possession in which Butler nearly turned the ball over several times ended with a corner three by Meulemans, and the hosts had a 57-41 lead.
• Porter made a layup after a pair of BG offensive boards, but Strande answered with a triple. Porter got to the line and made four free throws in the final 1:09 of the quarter, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 60-47.
FOURTH QUARTER
• The Bulldogs opened the fourth-quarter scoring, and the Falcons could not cut the lead under 15 points until a pair of Kohler free throws in the final minute of play. Porter had nine of BGSU's 16 points in the quarter, with Kohler scoring five, and both Porter and Taya Ellis had monster blocks of ill-fated Butler shot attempts in the final period.
• Dziekan scored the final points of her Falcon career with 2:08 to go, knocking down a contested shot in the paint. And, Porter ended her career night by hitting a layup with under 10 seconds left.
UP NEXT
• Butler, as mentioned, advances to face Purdue in the second round of the WNIT.
• The Falcons see the season come to an end with an overall record of 16-15. Thursday night marked the final career game for Sophie Dziekan, Olivia Hill and Morgan Sharps.
FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on Facebook (@BGWBB), Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUWBB) and Instagram (@bgsuwbb), as well as right here at BGSUFalcons.com.
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Erika Porter led all players in both scoring and rebounding, with a career-high 32 points and a game-best nine rebounds for the Falcons (16-15). Amy Velasco joined Porter in double figures in the scoring column, with 13 points.
For the Bulldogs (15-16), Caroline Strande had 24 points to pace three double-digit scorers. A total of seven players had six or more points for the hosts.
The Falcons shot nearly 49 percent from the field, while BU shot just under 46%. But, the Bulldogs made nine three-point field goals to the Falcons' two, and BU committed just five turnovers compared to 18 for the Orange and Brown.
Porter, one of the nation's leaders in field-goal percentage, went 12-of-19 from the floor, and also was 8-of-11 from the free-throw line vs. the Bulldogs.
The Falcons never led in the contest. It was tied, 2-2, after a Velasco pull-up jumper, but the Bulldogs then scored 12-straight points before a Velasco three-point play with just over four minutes gone.
After that 12-0 Butler run, Velasco's three-point play began an 11-1 surge for the Falcons, with a Porter layup cutting the BU lead to two. Strande, however, made back-to-back jumpers, and after Velasco answered the first one with a floater, the second Strande shot started a 9-0 run that pushed the lead back out to double digits.
The Falcons cut the deficit to nine points on several occasions, but could draw no closer.
FIRST QUARTER
• Amy Velasco scored the Falcons' first points of the night, hitting a pull-up jumper in the first minute of the game to tie the contest at 2-2. But, Rachel Kent's three-pointer began a 12-0 run for the hosts Karsyn Norman followed with a triple from nearly the same spot as Kent's make, and the run was capped by a Cristen Carter putback that gave the Bulldogs a 14-2 lead.
• The Falcons had five turnovers in the game's first four-plus minutes, and had attempted just two shots in the contest before Velasco snapped the BU run with a driving layup and a three-point play. Velasco's 'extra pass' resulted in a Paige Kohler three-pointer that made it a 14-8 game.
• Then, Kohler faked a shot and found Morgan Sharps for a triple, and Sharps spotted Erika Porter slipping past her defender for a layup that got BG within two points at 15-13.
• Caroline Strande's pull-up jumper ended an 11-1 run for the Orange and Brown. Velasco hit a runner, but Strande scored again, beginning a 9-0 surge for the hosts. Sydney Jaynes made a pair of free throws, and Jordan Meulemans knocked down a long-distance shot before Riley Makalusky's layup gave the Bulldogs a 26-15 lead. Porter hit a baby hook to cut the BU advantage to nine points at the end of the first quarter.
• The Falcons shot nearly 64% from the field in the first quarter, going 7-for-11. Butler went 9-of-17, but that included a 4-of-7 effort from the arc. And, BGSU committed seven first-period turnovers while BU had zero.
SECOND QUARTER
• Porter got a pair of offensive rebounds to keep a possession alive early in the second quarter, then hit a layup. But, Norman answered with a three-pointer that gave her team a 31-19 lead. Several minutes later, Kent hit a triple, and after Sophie Dziekan made a reverse layup, Butler answered with a pair of layups to take a 39-22 lead midway through the quarter.
• Porter scored out of the media timeout, and the Bulldogs then committed their first turnover of the game. Porter converted a three-point play, then made another hook shot to get the Falcons within 11 points, at 40-29.
• Jaynes answered with a layup, but Porter scored with a minute to go in the quarter, and after BG got a stop, a Velasco pull-up jumper dropped through the hoop in the final seconds to cut the BG deficit to 42-33 at the intermission.
• BGSU had a better first-half field-goal percentage (53.8% to Butler's 48.4%), but the Bulldogs were 6-of-10 from three-point range and had a 15-0 lead in points off turnovers.
THIRD QUARTER
• Olivia Hill came up with an offensive rebound and nifty putback in traffic early in the third period, but Makalusky made back-to-back jumpers that gave her team a 50-35 lead. Porter answered with a nice move that led to an open layup, but a Jaynes layup after a steal gave BU a 52-37 lead heading into the media timeout.
• Porter alertly spotted a cutting Velasco for a layup, and Velasco made a pair of charity tosses, but a possession in which Butler nearly turned the ball over several times ended with a corner three by Meulemans, and the hosts had a 57-41 lead.
• Porter made a layup after a pair of BG offensive boards, but Strande answered with a triple. Porter got to the line and made four free throws in the final 1:09 of the quarter, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 60-47.
FOURTH QUARTER
• The Bulldogs opened the fourth-quarter scoring, and the Falcons could not cut the lead under 15 points until a pair of Kohler free throws in the final minute of play. Porter had nine of BGSU's 16 points in the quarter, with Kohler scoring five, and both Porter and Taya Ellis had monster blocks of ill-fated Butler shot attempts in the final period.
• Dziekan scored the final points of her Falcon career with 2:08 to go, knocking down a contested shot in the paint. And, Porter ended her career night by hitting a layup with under 10 seconds left.
UP NEXT
• Butler, as mentioned, advances to face Purdue in the second round of the WNIT.
• The Falcons see the season come to an end with an overall record of 16-15. Thursday night marked the final career game for Sophie Dziekan, Olivia Hill and Morgan Sharps.
FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on Facebook (@BGWBB), Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUWBB) and Instagram (@bgsuwbb), as well as right here at BGSUFalcons.com.
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Team Stats
BGSU
Butler
FG%
.489
.459
3FG%
.222
.450
FT%
.750
.667
RB
32
28
TO
18
5
STL
2
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
32
FGM
12
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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