Minutewomen Eke Out a One-Point Win in Amherst, 65-64

Saturday, January 24

Amherst, Mass.

11 a.m.

Bowling Green State University

10-9,3-5MAC

Massachusetts

14-4,6-2MAC

Bowling Green

Massachusetts

Taya Ellis | Nov. 7, 2025, at #2 South Carolina

Taya Ellis was a perfect 9-for-9 from the field at UMass

Photo by: Juan Blas/BGSU Athletics

January 24, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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Ellis Goes 9-for-9 From the Field, Combines with Gerken for 38 Points

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

AMHERST, Mass. – The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team fell just short on the road Saturday (Jan. 24), as the University of Massachusetts eked out a 65-64 win over the Falcons in Mid-American Conference action at the Mullins Center.

Junior Taya Ellis and sophomore Lauren Gerken combined for 38 points for the Falcons (10-9, 3-5 MAC). Ellis was a perfect 9-for-9 from the field en route to a career-high 20 points, while Gerken hit four three-point field goals on her way to a season-high 18 points.

Allie Palmirei led the Minutewomen (14-4, 6-2 MAC) with 20 points, while Yahmani McKayle and Megan Olbrys had 16 apiece.

The game featured 20 lead changes, and neither team ever led by more than five points. UMass held a two-point lead at halftime after a half-court shot by McKayle beat the second-quarter buzzer, and the Minutewomen led by four points in the fourth period before the Falcons scored five-straight points, with a Johnea Donahue free throw giving BG a 62-61 lead with 1:34 left in the game.

Palmieri hit a three-pointer on the next possession, and BG then missed a three-point try, but the Falcons got a stop, rebounding a missed shot with 26.5 seconds to go.

The next possession saw a BG layup attempt bounce off the rim, and a held ball on the rebound gave the ball to the Minutewomen with 7.9 seconds remaining. The Falcons quickly fouled twice to reach the five-foul mark for the quarter, and Palmieri split a pair of charity tosses, keeping it a one-possession game.

A three-point attempt for the Falcons, was off the mark, and an Ellis putback made it a one-point game just before time ran out.

Ellis just missed a double-double, with nine rebounds in addition to her career-high point total, while Gerken and Donahue each had five boards. Donahue also had a team-high four assists and a game-high six steals.

NOTE OF THE DAY
• Junior Taya Ellis, as mentioned, scored a career-high 20 points on Saturday, and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the field. That marks the third-best field-goal percentage in a game in program history.
• Michelle Terry holds the BGSU record, having gone 11-for-11 from the floor in a win over Eastern Michigan (Feb. 14, 1996). Erica Porter had a 10-for-10 performance against Buffalo just under two years ago (Feb. 28, 2024).

FIRST QUARTER
• The Minutewomen took an early 4-0 lead, before Paige Kohler got the Falcons on the board with a baseline jumper. Allie Palmieri answered with her second bucket of the game, but Taya Ellis sandwiched a pair of shots off glass around a UMass hoop.
• The teams continued to trade baskets, with a Johnea Donahue leading to a Lauren Gerken layup, before Kendal Moxey lobbed the ball inside to Gerken for another hoop. The Falcons trailed by a 12-10 score at the game's first media timeout, after the teams combined to go 11-for-15 from the floor in the first five minutes.
• Gerken gave the Falcons the lead with a triple from the right wing, but Palmieri answered with a long range shot of her own.
• The Falcons kept responding, as a Gerken block led to a Donahue shot off glass, and a Donahue steal and layup knotted the score at 17. Moxey found Ellis for a hoop in the final minute of the period, before Yahmani McKayle's jumper gave the hosts a 21-20 lead after 10 minutes.
• BGSU shot 9-for-14 (64.3%) from the field in the first quarter, while UMass went 10-of-18 (55.6%) from the floor.

SECOND QUARTER
• Kaia Woods came up with a steal and found Ellis for a tough jumper, but McKayle answered with a layup after a steal, but a 25-22 UMass lead. Neither team scored for over two minutes, before an Ellis putback got the Falcons within a point. Then, a Donahue steal led to a Ky'Aira Miller three-pointer that gave the Falcons a 27-25 lead and prompted a UMass timeout.
• Again, neither team scored for over two minutes, before Miller found Gerken for a jumper and a four-point advantage. The Minutewomen finally broke a scoring drought of over six minutes with a Jess Ross layup, and a Megan Olbrys putback tied the score with 1:36 left in the half.
• Gerken get the Falcons the lead once again with a three-ball, but Olbrys answered with a layup. Then, after a BG miss late in the quarter, McKayle beat the buzzer with a shot from midcourt, giving the hosts a 34-32 lead at the intermission.

THIRD QUARTER
• McKayle's three-pointer with just under two minutes gone was the only scoring for nearly the first five minutes of the third quarter. Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick drove and found an open Ellis with a nifty pass, cutting the UMass lead to 37-34 midway through the quarter.
• A Donahue putback was answered by a McKayle driving layup, before Gerken's second-chance three-point try cut the Falcons' deficit to a single point. Moments later, the Falcons brok a UMass press and Gerken found Ellis for a layup. Olbrys scored inside, but Gerken again spotted Ellis for a hoop, and a Donahue free throw cut the UMass lead to two, 46-44, after three periods.

FOURTH QUARTER
• Ellis grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to Gerken for a three-point make and a one-point lead. After a UMass bucket, Donahue found Kohler for a corner three, but Palmieri's trifecta put the hosts up, 51-50, with 8:10 remaining.
• Ellis was fouled and converted two free-throw tries, and after McKayle hit a pair of charity tosses, Woods found Kohler for a bucket in transition. BGSU led, 54-53, with 5:45 to go.
• But, Palmieri hit an elbow jumper, and Olbrys made a layup after a BG turnover. Kohler took a Gerken pass and knocked down a three-point try, but layups by Olbrys and Palmieri gave the Minutewomen a 61-57 lead with 3:29 to go. Kohler hit two free throws, then drove and dished to Bland-Fitzpatrick for an open layup, tying the score at 61-all. Donahue's free-throw at the 1:34 mark gave BG a one-point lead and set the stage for the nail-biting finish.

NOTES & NUMBERS
• UMass shot 51.0 percent from the field for the game, while the Falcons shot 45.5% from the floor.
• BGSU hit seven three-pointers, to five for the Minutewomen. Gerken knocked down four of the Falcons' successful triple tries.
• Turnovers were relatively even, as BGSU committed 19 and UMass 20. But, the Falcons had a 19-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
• Ellis, as mentioned, had a career-high 20 points. Her previous BG best was 14 points on two occasions.
• Gerken had a season-high 18 points, falling just two points shy of her career best. She had 20 points in a victory over Stetson last season.
• Gerken tied her career best for three-pointers made, and has now hit four triples in a game twice this season and three times in her Falcon career.
• Kohler scored 10 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter.
• With six steals on Saturday, Donahue now has 69 this season, tying her total for all of last year. Donahue is also tied for eighth on the BGSU single-season list in that category.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons will return home for a Wednesday (Jan. 28) meeting with Akron. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will make the short trip north for this season's first meeting with Toledo. The Falcons will face the Rockets next Saturday (Jan. 31) in a "Battle of I-75" contest that will begin at 5:00 p.m. at Savage Arena.

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 on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.