The Falcons (14-11, 7-6 Mid-American Conference) burst out to a 26-10 lead after one quarter of action, and after Western crept back within five points in the second period, BG ended the half on an 8-2 run to restore the double-digit margin.
BGSU led by double figures for all of the third period and half of the fourth, before an 8-0 run by the Broncos (10-14, 6-7 MAC) cut BGSU’s lead to just five points with 3:37 remaining. But, Western got no closer, as the Falcons made a number of key defensive stops and maintained the lead at the free-throw line.
Amy Velasco had 15 points to lead a balanced BG scoring attack, with Johnea Donahue adding 13, Paige Kohler 12 and Lexi Fleming 11. Fleming had a team-high seven rebounds as BG enjoyed a 36-28 advantage on the boards, and the fifth-year Falcon also had five assist and three steals.
Velasco dished out five assists as well, while Donahue was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field while adding six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
Erika Porter had six points, five rebounds and two assists, leading all players with a plus/minus rating of +15. Taya Ellis had five points and five boards, and went 3-of-4 at the free-throw line in the final minute of play to help seal the road win.
Hannah Spitzley had 17 points for the Broncos, while Marina Asensio had 13 points and seven assists.
NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• With a team-high 15 points on Wednesday night, Amy Velasco moved up two spots on the BGSU career scoring list. Velasco now sits in 11th place on that list, with 1,423 career points.
• Velasco needs just one more point to tie Lori Albers (1989-94) for 10th place, and she is only nine points away from eighth place on that list. Talita Scott (1990-94) currently ranks eighth with 1,432 career points, while Charlotta Jones (1994-98) is ninth with 1,430 total points as a Falcon.
FIRST QUARTER
• BGSU never trailed on Wednesday night. Lexi Fleming and the Falcons turned defense into offense to take an early lead. A steal by Fleming resulted in a 2-on-1 break, with Fleming finding Paige Kohler for a layup. Then, Fleming came up with another steal and took the ball all the way herself. Her run-out gave the Falcons a 4-0 lead and prompted a WMU timeout just 90 seconds into the contest.
• Marina Asensio got the Broncos on the board with a three-pointer at the 7:11 mark, but an Erika Porter bounce pass freed Kohler for another layup, and Fleming’s cross-court pass resulted in a corner three by Amy Velasco, giving BG a 9-3 lead.
• Moments later, Kohler hit from the other corner for a 12-5 advantage, and with the shot clock winding down, Fleming hit a long three-point try that put BG ahead by a 16-5 count. Another Kohler trey made it a 20-8 game with just under two minutes left in the quarter.
• Alli Carlson hit a floater for the hosts, but Fleming found Keiryn McGuff for a shot off glass, and after a BG steal, McGuff was grabbed by a WMU defender. An intentional foul was called, and Velasco made a pair of free throws. Then, in the final seconds of the quarter, Velasco took a Porter handoff and knocked down a foul-line jumper, giving BGSU a 26-10 lead.
SECOND QUARTER
• A pair of Kohler free throws in the first minute of the quarter put the Falcons up by 17, at 28-11, and after WMU scored the next four points, Johnea Donahue hit a tough turnaround jumper. But, the Broncos then went on an 8-0 run, with Hannah Spitzley’s line-drive three-pointer cutting the Falcons’ lead to just seven.
• Velasco threw the ball to Taya Ellis for a shot off glass, but back-to-back buckets by the Broncos’ D’Myjah Bolds cut BG’s lead to just five points, 32-27.
• But, Velasco hit a runner, then found Donahue cutting along the baseline for a reverse layup and a 36-29 lead. Donahue banked a shot off glass for a three-point play, and Velasco found Emily Siesel for a three-pointer in the final minute of the opening half. The Falcons got a defensive stop and took a 42-31 lead into the break.
THIRD QUARTER
• BGSU got off to a quick start, scoring the first six points of the quarter. Donahue hit a driving layup on the opening possession, and her steal led to a Porter layup from a nifty Kohler feed. When Donahue took an inbounds pass from Velasco and hit a jumper, the Falcons had a 48-31 lead.
• Porter answered a Bronco bucket with a contested layup, but the hosts then scored six-straight points, capped by Spitzley’s three-point play with 3:57 left in the quarter. Kendal Moxey put back a teammate’s missed shot to stop that run, and the junior then kicked the ball out to Fleming for a rainbow three-pointer and a 55-39 lead. But, the hosts again scored six-straight points, culminating with a Carlson jumper, to cut the BG lead to 10 points after 30 minutes.
FOURTH QUARTER
• Porter drove inside and scored on the opening possession of the final quarter, and after Porter stole the ball from Spitzley, Velasco’s banker gave the Falcons a 59-47 lead with eight minutes to go. The Falcons were up 13 after a Velasco driving layup with 6:13 remaining, but Lauren Audino’s three-point play cut the BG lead to 10, and buckets by Asensio and Spitzley made it a six-point game.
• Alli Harness split a pair of free-throw tries with 3:38 left, and BG’s lead was down to 62-57. The Broncos blocked a BG shot, with Spitzley grabbing the rebound. She was fouled on the ensuing possession, but missed both shots at the stripe, and the margin remained five.
• Neither team scored again until Fleming was fouled and split a pair of free throws with 1:26 to go. Then, Donahue rebounded a Western miss and was fouled. The freshman hit both shots at the line for a 65-57 lead with 1:02 left.
• An Asensio shot bounced off the rim and through the net with 50.2 seconds to go, and Western fouled Velasco after the ensuing inbounds pass. She hit both of her free-throw tries.
• Carlson scored, and Ellis was fouled, with the soph splitting two shots for a 68-61 lead. At the other end of the court, Ellis rebounded a Spitzley miss and was fouled again. This time, she knocked down both attempts to give the Falcons a 70-61 advantage with 28.6 seconds to go. The Broncos got a pair of free throws with 13.9 seconds left, but could draw no closer.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons now return home for two-straight contests, beginning with the next edition of the “Battle of I-75.” The Falcons host Toledo on Saturday night (Feb. 22), with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will host Ohio next Wednesday evening (Feb. 26), with that game also set for a 7:00 p.m. start.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Sat., Feb. 22 | TOLEDO | 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 26 | OHIO | 7:00 p.m.
Sat., March 1 | at Northern Illinois | 2:00 p.m.
Wed., March 5 | KENT STATE | 7:00 p.m.
Sat., March 8 | at Eastern Michigan | 2:00 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.
This article was published by Bowling Green Falcons on 2025-02-19 22:28:00
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