BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team built a double-digit lead, then held off a spirited comeback effort by the University of Southern Mississippi en route to a 71-67 victory on Monday night (Nov. 4) at the Stroh Center.

The game, part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, was the 2024-25 season opener for both teams.

Sophomores Paige Kohler and Taya Ellis combined for 30 points, and each player went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds to help seal the win for the Falcons (1-0).

In a game that resembled a prizefight at times, Kohler led the Falcons with 19 points, and also accumulated numerous cuts, bruises and floor burns in the victory.

Ellis had 11 points and led the Falcons with nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

Lauren Gerken had 14 points and eight boards in her collegiate debut, while senior Amy Velasco totaled 11 points and a game-best six assists.

Melyia Grayson led all scorers with 24 points for the Lady Eagles (0-1). Nyla Jean and Bre Sutton combined for 22 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and 11 steals for the visitors.

BGSU went on a 13-0 run in the third quarter, holding the visitors scoreless for over five minutes and building a game-high 15 points lead. But, USM crept as close as two points in the waning stages of the game before two free throws by Ellis with just 3.2 seconds left sealed the deal.

FIRST QUARTER
• After the lead traded hands several times in the early going, Paige Kohler grabbed a defensive rebound, then hit a three-pointer at the other end to give the Falcons a 7-5 lead.
• That triple began an 8-0 run for the Falcons, as Taya Ellis fed Kohler for a driving layup, and moments later, a Kendal Moxey deflection led to Amy Velasco spotting Kohler for another trey and a 13-5 advantage six minutes into the contest.
• Ellis threw the ball inside to Moxey for a layup and a 15-7 lead, but after a pair of Velasco free throws put BG up, 17-9, the Lady Eagles scored the next six points before an Ellis charity toss made it 18-15 after 10 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER
• Johnea Donahue's 'alley oop' pass led to an Ellis layup, but that marked BG's only points during a Southern Miss 6-2 run to begin the quarter. When a steal led to a Bre Sutton layup and a 21-20 lead for the visitors, the Falcons used a timeout.
• Out of that break, Donahue fed fellow freshman Lauren Gerken, who hit a three-pointer just before the shot clock hit zero. BGSU led by a 23-21 count, and the Falcons would not trail again.
• Another Gerken triple would give the hosts a 28-23 lead with 6:46 left before the half, and Velasco hit a shot in the paint while being fouled, pushing the margin to seven. The teams traded hoops before another and-one bucket by Velasco, with the free throw giving BG a 35-27 lead. But, USM scored the final four points of the period to cut that lead in half.
 

Gallery: (11-4-2024) 110424 wbk v USM - Drake Harlett

THIRD QUARTER
• Morgan Sieper opened the second-half scoring, and the Lady Eagles were within just two points. But, Erika Porter put back a missed shot, and Ellis blocked a shot at the other end, giving the ball back to BG. From the corner near the BGSU bench, Velasco fired a pass to Ellis under the hoop for a hesitation layup and a 39-33 lead. Then, Porter found Kohler for a left-wing three-pointer, and the visitors used a timeout.
• Out of the break, however, the Falcons got a stop. Velasco hit two free throws, and the lead was in double digits for the first time. Velasco got back to the line and converted two more times, and Gerken grabbed an offensive rebound in traffic and laid the ball back up and in. BGSU had a 13-0 run and a 15-point lead, 48-33.
• Finally, USM got a bucket to stop the BG run and halt the Lady Eagles' scoreless drought at 5:21.
• Gerken hit an open layup off of a Porter pass out of a timeout, putting the lead at 13 once again, and BG led by 12 after three periods.

FOURTH QUARTER
• Donahue spotted Kohler for a shot from the corner with eight minutes remaining, and after Grayson hit a pair of free throws, Donahue sank two shots from the stripe before a Gerken three bounced in, giving the Falcons a 59-44 lead and prompting a Southern Miss timeout with 6:16 to go.
• The visitors would respond, however, scoring the next six points, and after an Ellis putback, USM cut the BG lead to eight points. Gerken grabbed an offensive rebound under the hoop, however, and whipped the ball to Jasmine Fearne for a corner three and a 64-53 lead with 3:45 to go, and a Kohler steal led to a Donahue run-out and a 13-point advantage.
• Again, however, the visitors battled back. Trinity Rowe's jumper was followed by a Sieper three-pointer with 2:18 remaining. After a BG free throw, back-to-back Grayson layups cut the BG lead to five, and Sutton's free throw made it a four-point game with 37.4 seconds left.
• Kohler was fouled and made both shots with 29.2 seconds remaining, but Sutton hit a layup, and after a turnover, Jean's tosses cut the lead to just two points with 4.7 seconds remaining.
• Velasco inbounded the ball to Ellis, who was fouled with 3.2 seconds to go. The sophomore hit the first free throw, then drained the second as well, giving the Orange and Brown a two-possession lead, and a Southern Miss three-point try bounced off the iron as the final horn sounded.
 

A Dub in Stroh >>> 🤩#T🔵GETHER x #AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/FTTKEcwIEE

— BGSU Women's Basketball (@BGSUWBB) November 5, 2024

NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Falcons shot 45.1% from the field in the win, while holding USM to a 40.3% field-goal rate. BGSU was 7-for-20 from three-point range, with the visitors going just 1-of-16 (6.3%) from the arc.
• Both teams struggled at the stripe, as BGSU went 18-of-30 (60%) and USM 16-for-28 (57.1%). The Falcons, as mentioned, were 4-for-4 from the line in the final 30 seconds of the win.
• BGSU turned the ball over 24 times, but forced 20 USM turnovers, and the Falcons had a 27-21 lead in points off turnovers.
• The teams were whistled for a combined 51 fouls, with two Falcons and two Lady Eagles fouling out of the contest. 

UP NEXT
• The Falcons now hit the road, making back-to-back trips to face Horizon League foes. BGSU heads to the Motor City for a Friday (Nov. 8) meeting with Detroit Mercy. That contest begins at 7:00 p.m. at Calihan Hall. The Titans are coached by BGSU Hall-of-Famer Kate Achter.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will travel to Cleveland to face Cleveland State next Tuesday, Nov. 12. That contest is also set for a 7:00 p.m. start.

• BGSU's next home game, is Saturday, Nov. 16, when the Falcons meet St. Bonaventure at 12:00 p.m.

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.