Falcons Fall, 82-67, at League-Leading Ball State

Saturday, February 14

Muncie, Ind.

11 a.m.

Bowling Green State University

13-12,5-8MAC

Ball State

21-5,12-1MAC

Bowling Green

Ball St.

February 14, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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Donahue has seven steals to continue her climb up the BGSU single-season list

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team saw a two-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday (Feb. 14), as the Falcons fell to Ball State University, 82-67, in Mid-American Conference action at Worthen Arena.

Senior Paige Kohler had 17 points to pace four players in double digits in scoring for the Falcons (13-12, 5-8 MAC). Sophomore Lauren Gerken scored 16 points, while sophomore Johnea Donahue had 12 and senior Kaia Woods 10.

In addition to her point total, Donahue, a native of Fort Wayne, had six rebounds and a game-high seven steals.

Bree Salenbien scored 32 points for the Cardinals (21-5, 12-1 MAC), with three of her teammates joining her in double digits. The win, coupled with Miami's loss at Massachusetts on Saturday, lifted the Cardinals into first place in the MAC standings.

The Falcons got off to a hot-shooting start, and BGSU led by two points after the first quarter. But, the Cardinals scored the first seven points of the second period to take the lead for good, then took a nine-point lead on back-to-back three-point field goals late in the half.

The Falcons rallied to within six points on multiple occasions, the last on a Woods three-pointer on the first possession of the fourth quarter. But, BSU responded with a 7-0 run, and after a pair of Gerken free throws, a Tessa Towers layup and a Grace Kingery triple extended the Cards' lead to 16, 68-52, with six minutes to go.

Junior Taya Ellis had seven points and seven rebounds for the Falcons, while classmate Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick scored five points and grabbed six boards.

NOTE OF THE DAY
• Sophomore Johnea Donahue had a game-high seven steals on Saturday, including six in the first half alone.
• Donahue now has a total of 92 steals this year, tying her for second place on the BGSU single-season list. Talita Scott (1993-94) also had 92 steals in a season. Nyla Hampton currently holds the BGSU record, with 101 steals in the 2022-23 campaign.
• Donahue has amassed those 92 steals in 23 games, good for an average of exactly 4.00 steals per game. She is on pace to shatter Scott's school record of 3.07 spg, set in that '93-94 season.

FIRST QUARTER
• Johnea Donahue got the first of her seven steals on the game's opening possession, and then found Lauren Gerken for a three-pointer. The Cards responded with four-straight points, but Donahue hit a driving layup, and after Grace Kingery answered with a three-pointer, another Donahue layup tied the game at 7-7.
• Tessa Towers scored inside for the hosts, but BGSU then went on a 7-0 run. Kaia Woods quickly drove downcourt and scored after the Towers layup, and Paige Kohler knocked down a three-point try. When Taya Ellis scored off of a Gerken feed, the Falcons had a 14-9 lead.
• Moments later, Kohler fed Gerken for a long-range make and a 17-11 lead. Bree Salenbein, however, had back-to-back three-point plays, tying the game with 3:04 on the clock, but Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick gave the Falcons the lead again with a putback of a teammate's missed shot. BG held that 19-17 lead after 10 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER
• The Cardinals scored the first three buckets of the second period, capped by a Karsyn Norman layup that prompted a timeout by the Falcons. Donahue got to the line on back-to-back possessions, making all four free-throw tries to cut the BSU lead to 26-23.
• But, Salenbien and Kingery connected from the arc on back-to-back Ball State possessions, with the latter triple giving the hosts a 32-23 lead with 3:18 left before halftime.
• Bland-Fitzpatrick scored inside, but Salenbien answered with a layup of her own. Gerken knocked down a three-point try to cut the deficit to six points, but Towers beat the buzzer with a layup to give the Cards a 36-28 lead at the half.

THIRD QUARTER
• Salenbien scored four consecutive points to extend the lead into double digits for the first time. Kohler knocked down a long two-point try, and Gerken's pull-up foul-line jumper cut the BG deficit to eight. When Kohler grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast to coast for a layup, it was a 40-34 game. But, Norman answered with a three-pointer at the 6:37 mark.
• Ellis converted a three-point play, but Salenbien answered with a triple.
The lead reached 12 points once again on a Kingery trey with 3:15 left in the quarter, but a Bland-Fitzpatrick free throw began a 6-0 run that includes a Donahue layup and a Gerken trifecta.
• Kohler answered a Salenbien bucket with a layup of her own, and the junior then came up with a steal, but the Falcons couldn't capitalize. Salenbien then pulled up and hit a long three-point attempt in the final minute of the quarter, giving the Cardinals a 56-47 lead after 30 minutes.

FOURTH QUARTER
• Woods hit a three-pointer on the opening possession of the quarter, but Norman answered at the other end, and layups by Towers and Kingery gave the Cardinals a 13-point lead, 63-50.
• BG looked to rally, as Gerken hit two charity tosses and Woods drained another three-point try to cut the margin to 10, but BSU had an answer for each BGSU shot. Donahue, Kohler and Ellis each scored in the paint, and Kohler capped the Falcons' scoring with a three-point play late in the contest.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons return home for the next two games. BGSU will host Western Michigan on Wednesday (Feb. 18), with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will host Toledo next Saturday (Feb. 21), with that "Battle of I-75" game starting at 2:00 p.m. at the Stroh.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• For more information on 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.