COLUMBUS – Marist out-scored the Bowling Green State University women’s basketball team, 22-7
over the final nine minutes of the game on the way to a 75-60 victory Friday.It was the first loss of
the season for the Falcons, 4-1. Marist is 1-3.A three-point play by Erica Donovan gave the Falcons a
53-52 lead with 9:15 left in the game.The Red Foxes scored the next seven points, and never trailed
again.”They got hot and started scoring in their motion offense,” BG head coach Jennifer Roos said.
”We had trouble finishing at the other end.”Donovan hit a 3-pointer with 6:47 left to pull the Falcons
to within 59-56, but the Falcons scored only four points the rest of the way.After Donovan’s basket with
9:15 remaining, the Falcons were 2-of-13 from the field, 2-of-9 on 3-pointers, and 1-of-5 from the
free-throw line.Marist’s Madeline Blais scored a career-high 24 points, including seven in the final
5:11 of the game. Teammate Leanne Ockenden scored six of her 16 points in the final 4:26.Alexis Rogers
and Jillian Halfhill each scored 16 points for the Falcons, with Rogers pulling down a game-high 11
rebounds. Donovan added 14 points and nine rebounds.The Falcons shot only 37.3 percent from the field
for the game, including 11-of-30 on 3-pointers. Rogers, Halfhill, and Donovan combined to go 10-of-17 on
threes.BG also struggled at the free-throw line, going 5-of-12.”We had a couple of starters that had
trouble finishing,” Roos said. ”We have to get all five (starters) clicking. Once we get that, I’ll
feel a lot better.”In a game which featured 11 lead changes and five ties, Marist held a 32-26 halftime
lead.The Falcons then made a game of it for the first 11 minutes of the second half, before Marist
pulled away.Marist finished the game 10-of-22 on 3-pointers.”We talked at halftime that we needed them
to make twos in their motion offense set, as opposed to threes,” Roos said.The game was the opening
contest in the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge, at Value City Arena on the Ohio State University
campus. The Falcons play Old Dominion tonight at 6 and Ohio State on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.”We set up this
tournament to improve. We set up this tournament to help us in March in the MAC (Mid-American
Conference) tournament, and in the postseason,” Roos said.