LEXINGTON, Ky. -Â Nevada women's basketball's 2021-22 campaign came to a close Sunday, as the Pack dropped a 73-65 decision to Bowling Green in the Women's Basketball Invitational Third-Place Game.
The Pack wraps the campaign 20-13, its first 20-win campaign under head coach
Amanda Levens, and first since finishing 22-11 in 2010-11.
Sunday, Nevada and Bowling Green were running neck-and-neck until the Falcons closed the first quarter on a 13-4 run. The Pack went just 2-for-6 the rest of the quarter after
Kaylee Borden's triple put Nevada up 10-9, while the Falcons made their next five field goals to take control.
Seven of those points came from Kadie Hempfling, who led all players with 19 points, while Jocelyn Tate, who finished with nine points and 11 rebounds, added six.
The Pack deficit got as deep as 16 at 35-19 before
Kylie Jimenez scored five-straight points, and
Da'Ja Hamilton hit a three-pointer, to help cut the Falcons' halftime lead to 37-27. Hamilton would lead the Pack with 15 points in the contest, with Jimenez right behind her with 12, along with six assists and six steals.
A quick 8-3 burst to open the second half brought the Pack within five at 40-35, and, later in the third,
Audrey Roden would convert a layup to again get it to a five-point game at 49-44 with 3:29 left in the period. But Kenzie Lewis would hit her only bucket for the Falcons, a triple, to get the lead back to eight, as Bowling Green hit seven three-pointers in the period.
The Pack would fight back late, getting the deficit to single digits on Jimenez' triple with 1:46 to go. But Bowling Green would hold on before Borden, who scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting for the Pack, scored the final bucket of the contest.