Rutherford, NJ- The Felician University Women's Basketball program battled tough but couldn't overcome a second half surge from Bowie State University on Monday morning, suffering a 70-61 loss to the host Bulldogs.
Bowie State got off to a strong start, taking a 10-4 lead early in the first quarter. After settling in, the Golden Falcons took control, putting together a 10-0 run to take the lead for the remainder of the first half.
Katherine Ritchie sparked the run with a basket while Ane Valle and Stephanie Formby followed with buckets of their own to tie the game up at 10. Ritchie would give the Golden Falcons their first lead of the game at the 4:44 mark of the first quarter, while baskets from Formby and Natalia Lucic (from three-point range), would boost Felician's lead to four at the end of the first quarter.
While Bowie State tried to claw back into the game during the second quarter, the Golden Falcons wouldn't give the home team any momentum. Leading by as many as 9, the Golden Falcons took a seven-point lead into the half, providing a cushion for them to work with over the final 20 minutes of action.
Unfortunately, the Golden Falcons couldn't hold off Bowie State for long, as the Bulldogs got hot during the third quarter of action. After making just one three-pointer in the first half, the Bulldogs connected on four of six attempts during the third quarter of action, helping them regain the lead. While the Golden Falcons defense hung tough, the Bulldogs knocked down some highly contested shots throughout the second half.
Felician battled till the final buzzer, cutting the lead to as close as five down the stretch, but Bowie State capitalized at the free-throw line late to secure the victory.
Ane Valle came close to a triple-double performance, recording a team-high 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Stephanie Formby put together a strong 15-point, seven rebound effort while Katherine Ritchie contributed 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Felician University Women's Basketball team will have a few days off for Thanksgiving break before heading to Flushing, New York on Saturday, November 30 to take on Queens College in a 2:00 PM non-conference tilt.
