Ohio University tops Falcons on the road | Sports

Kadie Hempfling scored 21 points, just one shy of matching her career best, for the Falcons (7-7, 2-3 MAC).

“Tough loss today. I thought Ohio played well,” BGSU coach Robyn Fralick said. “We’ve now got a quick turnaround to get things figured out and get better.”

The Falcons made nine three-point field goals in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome an early deficit.

The Bobcats got off to a quick start, scoring the game’s first eight points. Three-point field goals by Gabby Burris and Madi Mace were followed by a Cece Hooks driving layup.

In the first quarter, Morgan Sharps got the BG scoring started, hitting a pair of long-distance shots, and buckets by Jocelyn Tate and Madisen Parker got the BGSU within six points on multiple occasions.

When Hempfling was fouled on a layup and hit the ensuing free throw, it was a five-point game, but Kaylee Bambule answered with a long-range make. Another Hempfling hoop cut the Ohio lead to 21-15 after 10 minutes.

In the second quarter, Amy Velasco’s nifty driving layup cut the Ohio lead to six once again, with just over a minute gone in the period, but triples by Mace and Burris restored the ‘Cats’ double-digit lead.

When Hooks hit a driving layup at the 6:38 mark, the home team had an 8-0 run and a 31-17 lead.

Parker knocked down a three-pointer after receiving a pass from Sophie Dziekan, but Ohio proceeded to score the next 11 points, including a pair of Hooks buckets and another Bambule triple.

Velasco got a floater to go, beginning a 7-1 run for the Falcons that culminated in a Hempfling jumper, before Erica Johnson’s late free throws gave the hosts a 43-27 advantage at the intermission.

The Falcons hit shots on the first five possessions of the third quarter, including a Nyla Hampton triple on the first trip down the floor and a Brett second-chance layup on the next.

Hampton went coast-to-coast and spotted Hempfling for an easy layup, and Brett’s handoff resulted in a Hempfling bucket before Brett knocked down a jumper of her own.

But the Bobcats were scoring at the other end, and BG never got closer than 11 during that three-plus minute stretch to begin the period.

Then, a Bambule trey kicked off another eight-point run for the hosts, with a pair of Burris free throws giving Ohio a 22-point lead, 60-38, with 3:46 left in the period.

Lewis assisted Parker on a pair of long-distance shots on back-to-back possessions, but the ‘Cats extended the lead back out to 22 before the end of the period.

After going 4-of-6 from three-point range in the third quarter, the Falcons were 5-of-9 from long distance in the fourth. Hempfling hit a layup to begin the period, then made two triples just over a minute apart. Velasco’s layup gave the Falcons a 10-3 lead to begin the period.

Ohio countered with hoops from Burris and Hooks, but Parker drained a triple try, and after Yaya Felder canned a jumper, Velasco’s three-pointer cut the Ohio lead to 12 points with just under five minutes to go.

But that was as close as the Falcons would get. The teams traded free throws over the next few minutes, with a pair of tosses by Kenzie Lewis cutting the Ohio lead to 81-69, but only three minutes remained in the game at that point.

On the afternoon, the Falcons went 12-of-26 from beyond the arc, with Morgan Sharps and Madisen Parker hitting four triples apiece. Parker had 14 points with Sharps adding 12 and Amy Velasco 10.

With 21 points vs. Ohio, Hempfling moved into 29th place on the BGSU career scoring list. She now has 978 career points as a Falcon.

Hempfling, who moved past Rhonda Moore (966 points from 1982-86) on the Falcon career chart, needs just 22 points to become the 29th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark.

The Bobcats shot 54.5% from the field on the day, and Ohio was 10-of-21 (47.6%) from three-point range. BGSU shot 39.1% from the floor, but the Falcons went 12-of-26 (46.2%) from long distance.

Ohio was credited with a 39-30 rebounding advantage. Gabby Burris and Cece Hooks had double-doubles, with 12 and 10 boards, respectively.

In addition to BGSU’s four double-figure scorers, the Falcons got five points and a team-high seven rebounds from Elissa Brett. Kenzie Lewis had five assists and two steals to lead the Falcons in both categories.

The Falcons continue a stretch of three games in five days, returning to the road on Monday to take on Eastern Michigan. That contest is set to begin at 7 p.m. at the George Gervin GameAbove Center.

Then, BGSU will return home to face Western Michigan on Wednesday in a 7 p.m. start at the Stroh Center.