Friday, March 12
Cleveland, Ohio
10:00 AM
Bowling Green State University
20-5,14-4MAC
80
vs
67
Buffalo (Semifinals)
15-9,11-6MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Buffalo
15
11
20
21
67
Bowling Green
19
15
20
26
80
Elissa Brett had 20 points & 13 rebounds vs. the Bulls on Friday morning
Photo by: Scott W. Grau
Falcons Headed To MAC Championship Game For First Time In Decade
March 12, 2021 | Women's Basketball
CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the first time in a decade, the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team is heading to the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game.
Sophomore Elissa Brett was stellar at both ends of the floor Friday morning (March 12), leading the Falcons to an 80-67 win over the University at Buffalo in the league tourney's semifinal round at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland.
With the win, the Falcons (20-5) advance to face Central Michigan University in Saturday morning's final.
Brett had her second double-double in as many games in Cleveland, with game-high totals of 20 points and 13 rebounds. She also played lock-down defense on All-MAC First-Teamer Dyaisha Fair. The UB soph scored 18 points on the day, but was just 6-for-25 from the field vs. Brett and the Falcons. Twelve of Fair's 18 points came in the fourth quarter, including seven in the final two minutes, long after the outcome had been decided.
Lexi Fleming, the MAC Freshman of the Year, scored 16 points, while senior Madisen Parker and junior Kadie Hempfling added 12 and 11, respectively. Parker and Fleming each hit four three-point field goals as the Falcons went 14-of-29 from the arc on the day.
Fleming led the Orange and Brown with five steals and added four assists, while Hempfling had a team-leading five assists in the win.
BGSU never trailed after an early 2-0 deficit, and the Falcons led by eight points at the half. UB cut the BG lead to four points on several occasions in the third quarter, but after an Elea Gaba three-point play made it a 43-39 game, Brett and Fleming hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to extend BG's lead to double digits.
BG led by eight after three quarters, but began the fourth period on a 10-2 run, with a Fleming steal and layup give the Falcons a 16-point lead, 64-48, with just under eight minutes to go.
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NOTE OF THE DAYÂ
• BGSU advances to the MAC Tournament's championship game for the 14th time in school history, but the first time since 2011. The Falcons are 11-2 all time in league tourney championship-game matches.
HIGHLIGHTS / INTERVIEWS
FIRST QUARTER
• Buffalo's Hanna Hall hit a layup just 11 seconds into the game to give the Bulls an early lead, but Lexi Fleming spotted Kadie Hempfling on the left win on the next possession, and Hempfling's three-pointer gave the Falcons the lead. Cheyenne McEvans put back her own miss, but Nyla Hampton's second-chance jumper gave the Falcons the lead for good with two minutes gone.
• Elissa Brett hit a floater from the left side, then converted a layup, and when Hampton found Madisen Parker for a three-pointer, the Falcons had a 12-6 lead.
• Hempfling knocked down a jumper, and after Hall hit a three-pointer for the Bulls, Hempfling kicked the ball out to Parker for another triple. Hempfling was fouled with the shot clock winding down in the final minute of the opening quarter, and her free throws gave the Falcons a 19-13 lead before Summer Hemphill scored at the other end.
SECOND QUARTER
• BGSU began the second period on an 8-0 run, as Olivia Trice found Parker for her third three-pointer of the day, and Clare Glowniak scored inside after a myriad of moves. Then Glowniak assisted Brett on a corner three, the Falcons had a 27-18 lead.
• But, Buffalo answered in the person of Jessika Schiffer. Schiffer proceeded to score the game's next nine points, hitting shots from three different spots outside the arc. Her third shot in that stretch cut BG's lead to 27-24. But, Fleming came up with a steal and a layup to give the Falcons a five-point lead heading into the media timeout.Â
• BG forced a shot-clock violation, and Brett was fouled and hit both shots from the stripe. Then, the sophomore came up with an offensive rebound, took a return pass from Parker and drilled a corner triple for a 34-24 lead with a minute left before the half. Keowa Walters capped the first-half scoring with a jumper for the Bulls.
• Brett had 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half, and was a big reason the Falcons held UB's Dyaisha Fair to 1-of-10 shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
THIRD QUARTER
• Hemphill put back a teammate's airball, and a McEvans layup cut the UB deficit to four points, but Brett found Fleming for a corner three, and a Fleming steal led to a Hampton triple and a 40-30 advantage.
• Back came the Bulls, with a Hemphill turnaround fadeaway capping a 6-0 run and bringing her team within four once again. But, once again, Brett assisted a Fleming three-point shot. Elea Gaba answered with a three-point play, but Brett and Fleming again had a response. Fleming drove and kicked the ball to Brett for a corner three, and Brett then saved the ball after a near turnover and flipped it to Fleming for another triple and a 49-39 advantage with 4:21 left in the period.
• The Bulls scored the game's next three points at the line, before Glowniak had a dominant stretch at both ends of the floor. The senior had drawn Hemphill's second foul of the game with 3:46 left in the quarter. Then, she hit an and-one banker to draw Hemphill's third foul just 25 seconds later. Glowniak made the ensuing free throw, then blocked a Gaba shot at the other end and grabbed the rebound.
• Then, Glowniak was fouled by Hemphill for the third time in a 50-second span, forcing the UB forward to the bench with her fourth foul of the game. Glowniak hit a shot at the line to give the Brown and Orange a 53-42 lead. UB scored four-straight points before a Brett free throw made it a 54-46 game after 30 minutes.
• Brett, who had a double-double in Wednesday's win over Eastern Michigan, had 16 points and 10 boards after three quarters on Friday.
FOURTH QUARTER
• Hempfling found a cutting Kenzie Lewis on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, and Lewis was fouled and made both charity tosses. Then, Hempfling assisted a Fleming three-pointer that gave the top-seeded Falcons a 59-46 advantage with just over a minute gone in the period.
• Fleming returned the favor moments later, finding Hempfling for a corner three that made it a 62-48 game, and them Hempfling assisted Fleming in transition after a Fleming steal, it was a 16-point lead for the Orange and Brown.
• Parker knocked down BG's third fourth-quarter triple in as many tries, and after the Bulls got within 12 with just over four minutes to go, Hampton spotted an opening in the UB defense and drove down the middle for a layup. Lewis hit a pair of free throws, and Brett made a pair of layups, and the Falcons were ahead by 18. That lead reached 19 on a Trice bucket before the Bulls scored six points in the game's final 15 seconds to cut the final margin to 13.
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Falcons shot 44.1 percent from the field to UB's 33.3%. BGSU's 26-of-59 effort included a 14-for-29 (48.3%) performance from the three-point line.
• BGSU made at least three triples in every quarter, and the Falcons went 8-of-14 from long range in the second half, including a perfect 3-for-3 fourth-quarter effort.
• Parker was 4-for-6 and Fleming 4-of-9 from the arc, while Brett knocked down three triples and Hempfling two.
• UB was 6-for-22 from three-point range.
• Parker led all players with a plus/minus rating of +24, while Brett and Lewis both finished at +17 and Fleming +12.
• BG had 18 assists on 26 baskets, with four players recording at least three. Fleming was credited with five of the Falcons' seven steals in the win.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons advance to Saturday's (March 13) MAC Tournament championship game, where BGSU will meet second-seeded Central Michigan. That game will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and will be televised by the CBS Sports Network.
• The BGSU-CMU winner will earn the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
• Check BGSUFalcons.com for all of the latest news and updates re: the 2020-21 Falcons.
ÂGallery: (3-12-2021) W.Basketball v Buffalo - March 12 2021
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on...
• Facebook | @BGWBB
• Twitter | @BGAthletics and @BGSUwbb
• Instagram | @bgsuwbasketball
• Snapchat | BGSU Falcons
HASHTAG
#AyZiggy
Â
Sophomore Elissa Brett was stellar at both ends of the floor Friday morning (March 12), leading the Falcons to an 80-67 win over the University at Buffalo in the league tourney's semifinal round at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland.
With the win, the Falcons (20-5) advance to face Central Michigan University in Saturday morning's final.
Brett had her second double-double in as many games in Cleveland, with game-high totals of 20 points and 13 rebounds. She also played lock-down defense on All-MAC First-Teamer Dyaisha Fair. The UB soph scored 18 points on the day, but was just 6-for-25 from the field vs. Brett and the Falcons. Twelve of Fair's 18 points came in the fourth quarter, including seven in the final two minutes, long after the outcome had been decided.
Lexi Fleming, the MAC Freshman of the Year, scored 16 points, while senior Madisen Parker and junior Kadie Hempfling added 12 and 11, respectively. Parker and Fleming each hit four three-point field goals as the Falcons went 14-of-29 from the arc on the day.
Fleming led the Orange and Brown with five steals and added four assists, while Hempfling had a team-leading five assists in the win.
BGSU never trailed after an early 2-0 deficit, and the Falcons led by eight points at the half. UB cut the BG lead to four points on several occasions in the third quarter, but after an Elea Gaba three-point play made it a 43-39 game, Brett and Fleming hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to extend BG's lead to double digits.
BG led by eight after three quarters, but began the fourth period on a 10-2 run, with a Fleming steal and layup give the Falcons a 16-point lead, 64-48, with just under eight minutes to go.
Â
NOTE OF THE DAYÂ
• BGSU advances to the MAC Tournament's championship game for the 14th time in school history, but the first time since 2011. The Falcons are 11-2 all time in league tourney championship-game matches.
HIGHLIGHTS / INTERVIEWS
FIRST QUARTER
• Buffalo's Hanna Hall hit a layup just 11 seconds into the game to give the Bulls an early lead, but Lexi Fleming spotted Kadie Hempfling on the left win on the next possession, and Hempfling's three-pointer gave the Falcons the lead. Cheyenne McEvans put back her own miss, but Nyla Hampton's second-chance jumper gave the Falcons the lead for good with two minutes gone.
• Elissa Brett hit a floater from the left side, then converted a layup, and when Hampton found Madisen Parker for a three-pointer, the Falcons had a 12-6 lead.
• Hempfling knocked down a jumper, and after Hall hit a three-pointer for the Bulls, Hempfling kicked the ball out to Parker for another triple. Hempfling was fouled with the shot clock winding down in the final minute of the opening quarter, and her free throws gave the Falcons a 19-13 lead before Summer Hemphill scored at the other end.
SECOND QUARTER
• BGSU began the second period on an 8-0 run, as Olivia Trice found Parker for her third three-pointer of the day, and Clare Glowniak scored inside after a myriad of moves. Then Glowniak assisted Brett on a corner three, the Falcons had a 27-18 lead.
• But, Buffalo answered in the person of Jessika Schiffer. Schiffer proceeded to score the game's next nine points, hitting shots from three different spots outside the arc. Her third shot in that stretch cut BG's lead to 27-24. But, Fleming came up with a steal and a layup to give the Falcons a five-point lead heading into the media timeout.Â
• BG forced a shot-clock violation, and Brett was fouled and hit both shots from the stripe. Then, the sophomore came up with an offensive rebound, took a return pass from Parker and drilled a corner triple for a 34-24 lead with a minute left before the half. Keowa Walters capped the first-half scoring with a jumper for the Bulls.
• Brett had 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half, and was a big reason the Falcons held UB's Dyaisha Fair to 1-of-10 shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
THIRD QUARTER
• Hemphill put back a teammate's airball, and a McEvans layup cut the UB deficit to four points, but Brett found Fleming for a corner three, and a Fleming steal led to a Hampton triple and a 40-30 advantage.
• Back came the Bulls, with a Hemphill turnaround fadeaway capping a 6-0 run and bringing her team within four once again. But, once again, Brett assisted a Fleming three-point shot. Elea Gaba answered with a three-point play, but Brett and Fleming again had a response. Fleming drove and kicked the ball to Brett for a corner three, and Brett then saved the ball after a near turnover and flipped it to Fleming for another triple and a 49-39 advantage with 4:21 left in the period.
• The Bulls scored the game's next three points at the line, before Glowniak had a dominant stretch at both ends of the floor. The senior had drawn Hemphill's second foul of the game with 3:46 left in the quarter. Then, she hit an and-one banker to draw Hemphill's third foul just 25 seconds later. Glowniak made the ensuing free throw, then blocked a Gaba shot at the other end and grabbed the rebound.
• Then, Glowniak was fouled by Hemphill for the third time in a 50-second span, forcing the UB forward to the bench with her fourth foul of the game. Glowniak hit a shot at the line to give the Brown and Orange a 53-42 lead. UB scored four-straight points before a Brett free throw made it a 54-46 game after 30 minutes.
• Brett, who had a double-double in Wednesday's win over Eastern Michigan, had 16 points and 10 boards after three quarters on Friday.
FOURTH QUARTER
• Hempfling found a cutting Kenzie Lewis on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, and Lewis was fouled and made both charity tosses. Then, Hempfling assisted a Fleming three-pointer that gave the top-seeded Falcons a 59-46 advantage with just over a minute gone in the period.
• Fleming returned the favor moments later, finding Hempfling for a corner three that made it a 62-48 game, and them Hempfling assisted Fleming in transition after a Fleming steal, it was a 16-point lead for the Orange and Brown.
• Parker knocked down BG's third fourth-quarter triple in as many tries, and after the Bulls got within 12 with just over four minutes to go, Hampton spotted an opening in the UB defense and drove down the middle for a layup. Lewis hit a pair of free throws, and Brett made a pair of layups, and the Falcons were ahead by 18. That lead reached 19 on a Trice bucket before the Bulls scored six points in the game's final 15 seconds to cut the final margin to 13.
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Falcons shot 44.1 percent from the field to UB's 33.3%. BGSU's 26-of-59 effort included a 14-for-29 (48.3%) performance from the three-point line.
• BGSU made at least three triples in every quarter, and the Falcons went 8-of-14 from long range in the second half, including a perfect 3-for-3 fourth-quarter effort.
• Parker was 4-for-6 and Fleming 4-of-9 from the arc, while Brett knocked down three triples and Hempfling two.
• UB was 6-for-22 from three-point range.
• Parker led all players with a plus/minus rating of +24, while Brett and Lewis both finished at +17 and Fleming +12.
• BG had 18 assists on 26 baskets, with four players recording at least three. Fleming was credited with five of the Falcons' seven steals in the win.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons advance to Saturday's (March 13) MAC Tournament championship game, where BGSU will meet second-seeded Central Michigan. That game will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and will be televised by the CBS Sports Network.
• The BGSU-CMU winner will earn the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
• Check BGSUFalcons.com for all of the latest news and updates re: the 2020-21 Falcons.
Â
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on...
• Facebook | @BGWBB
• Twitter | @BGAthletics and @BGSUwbb
• Instagram | @bgsuwbasketball
• Snapchat | BGSU Falcons
HASHTAG
#AyZiggy
Â
Team Stats
UB
BGSU
FG%
.333
.441
3FG%
.273
.483
FT%
.765
.667
RB
48
38
TO
13
11
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
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