Falcons Fall on the Road at No. 2 South Carolina

Friday, November 7

Columbia, S.C.

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

1-1,0-0MAC

114

South Carolina

2-0,0-0SEC

Bowling Green

South Carolina

114

Photo by: Juan Blas/BGSU Athletics

November 07, 2025 | Women's Basketball

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By: by Vincent Briedis, BGSU Strategic Communications

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team continued its road slate to open the 2025-26 season on Friday night (Nov. 7), facing a tall test against No. 2-ranked South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena. The host Gamecocks showed why they are among the nation's elite, defeating the Falcons, 114-47, before a crowd of 16,649.

Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick led Bowling Green with 10 points, while Johnea Donahue and Taya Ellis led the Falcons with four rebounds apiece. Donahue added five steals. Paige Kohler scored seven points to go with five assists to round out the top BGSU performers.

Freshman Sofia Moschen knocked down a late three-pointer for her first collegiate points, while Lauren Gerken and Emily Siesel each contributed three-pointers of their own for the Falcons.

South Carolina was led by Joyce Edwards, who scored 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting, and Madina Okot, who added 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Gamecocks shot 63.6 percent from the field for the game, including 42.9 percent from long range.

BGSU shot 24.3 percent from the floor (18-of-74) and 23.1 percent from beyond the arc (6-of-26), while converting 5-of-6 free throws (83.3 percent). The Falcons were outrebounded, 53-25, but forced 14 South Carolina turnovers and registered 11 steals.

FIRST QUARTER
The Falcons struck first on a jumper by Donahue just 39 seconds into the game, but the Gamecocks responded with a 15-0 run and never looked back. South Carolina led 27-7 after the opening period, despite early hustle plays from Donahue and Bland-Fitzpatrick. Kohler hit her first three-pointer of the season midway through the quarter.

SECOND QUARTER
Gerken hit from long range early in the second, and Jasmine Fearne added a transition layup off a steal by Siesel to highlight a short BGSU spurt. Still, South Carolina's length and pace extended their advantage to 55-19 at halftime.

THIRD QUARTER
Bowling Green had its best offensive stretch of the night in the third, scoring 16 points behind a balanced effort. Kohler, Miller and Donahue all found the scoring column, while Jaedyn Cook converted inside. A Miller three-pointer midway through the frame gave the Falcons a brief lift, but South Carolina continued its efficient shooting to stretch the lead to 86-35 heading into the fourth.

FOURTH QUARTER
Bland-Fitzpatrick reached double figures with a layup early in the quarter, while Miller connected on another three-pointer from the wing. Donahue added a late bucket as BGSU closed the game on a 6-2 mini-run, but the Gamecocks' depth carried them to the 114-47 final.

NOTEWORTHY
• South Carolina's 16,649 attendance at Colonial Life Arena marked the largest crowds ever to see a Bowling Green women's basketball game. The previous record was 14,998 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 2, 2023 against then-No. 4 Iowa. That record previously broke a game at Virginia on Dec. 8, 2015 when 10,048 fans filed into John Paul Jones Arena.
• The Falcons and nine assists on BGSU's 18 field goals.
• Bland-Fitzpatrick scored in double figures for the first time in her BGSU career.
• The matchup marked BGSU's first game against a top-two opponent since facing No. 1 South Carolina on Dec. 19, 2023 at the Stroh Center.

UP NEXT
The Falcons continue their six-game road stretch to open the season, traveling to Wisconsin on Wednesday (Nov. 12) and Marquette on Friday (Nov. 14). BGSU then heads north for the Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 21-22). The home opener is set for Sunday, Nov. 30, when Purdue Fort Wayne visits the Stroh Center in a 2 p.m. start.