Bowling Green State University Athletics
Friday, March 10
Cleveland, Ohio
12:30 PM
Bowling Green State University
27-5,14-4MAC
70
vs
61
Ball State
25-8,14-4MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Ball St.
18
16
10
17
61
Bowling Green
18
13
19
20
70
Photo by: Morgan Holscher, BGSU Athletics
Falcons Fly Past Cardinals, 70-61, to Advance to MAC Championship Game
March 10, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Second-half comeback sends BG to the final for second time in three years
CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the second time in three years, the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team is headed to the Mid-American Conference Tournament's championship game.
The Falcons got contributions from up and down the lineup en route to a 70-61 win over Ball State University in MAC Tournament semifinal-round action on Friday (March 10) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Falcons, the tournament's second seed, withstood some early foul trouble, and BGSU (27-5 [14-4 MAC]) overcame a nine-point second-quarter deficit to post the win and advance to Saturday's final.
Elissa Brett, who was in foul trouble seemingly all game long, played just 10 minutes in the first three quarters, but the All-MAC First-Team selection hit three three-point field goals in the fourth quarter alone. Brett had 11 points in the fourth period and a team-high 16 in the game.
Jocelyn Tate and Lexi Fleming scored 11 points apiece in the win. Fleming also had seven rebounds and four assists, while Tate had three steals and two blocks, including a late-game rejection that put an exclamation point on the Falcons' win.
Allison Day scored six points in the final period, and had 10 for the game. Nyla Hampton and Amy Velasco scored eight points apiece. Hampton led all players with eight rebounds, including five offensive boards, while Velasco dished out a game-high six assists and led everyone with a plus-minus rating of +16.
Olivia Hill had six points, including back-to-back third-quarter buckets that gave BGSU the lead for good.
Brett and Day then combined to score 17 of the Falcons' 20 fourth-quarter points.
Anna Clephane had 20 points for the third-seeded Cardinals (25-8 {14-4 MAC]), while Ally Becki had 11 and Thelma Dis Agustsdottir 10.
The Falcons will face top-seeded Toledo in Saturday's championship. That game will begin at 11:00 a.m. and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
QUOTING COACH ROBYN FRALICK
"This was an awesome win for our team and our program; a gritty win. We had to withstand some adversity and some challenges, and I thought our defense was excellent. Ball State is a dynamic offensive team, and our second-half defense was really good."
"Credit to Ball State. They have a very, very good team. We just played a week ago, and we knew coming in that this would be a heck of a battle. I'm just proud of our team and proud of our effort, and we're excited for the chance to keep playing."
FIRST QUARTER
• The Falcons got out to an early lead, but encountered some foul trouble along the way. Layups by Nyla Hampton and Jocelyn Tate gave BGSU a 4-3 lead, and a pair of offensive rebounds by Hampton kept a possession alive for Elissa Brett's three-pointer, putting BG up by a 7-5 score.
• But, Tate and Brett each were assessed two fouls before the game was six minutes old, and after Brett's long two-pointer gave the Falcons a 9-6 lead, the senior was forced to head to the bench.
• Anna Clephane's bucket was answered by a pair of Hampton free throws, but Clephane scored again, and Alex Richard hit a pull-up jumper. The Cardinals' run would reach 8-0 on a Clephane driving layup that gave BSU a 16-11 lead.
• Lexi Fleming scored in traffic, and Hampton found Amy Velasco for a three-pointer that tied the game at 16-all. Olivia Hill's free throws gave BG a 7-0 run and a two-point lead, but Ally Becki scored in the final seconds of the period to tie the game at 18-18.
SECOND QUARTER
• The Cardinals scored the first nine points of the second quarter, with a Clephane steal and layup making it a 27-18 game as the Falcons used a timeout.
• Brett, back in the game, was called for her third foul of the day at the 5:44 mark and had to return to the bench. But, Fleming fed Tate for a baby hook, and Hampton converted a driving layup as the seas parted for her. Tate's steal and layup moments later cut the BSU lead to 29-24.
• Becki answered with a layup, but Velasco found Day inside for a bucket. Fleming got to the line and hit both shots, and after Hill and Hampton teamed up for a steal, Velasco's right-win triple tied the score. But, after a Hana Muhl free throw, Thelma Dis Agustsdottir drove and scored in the waning seconds of the period, giving the Cardinals a 34-31 lead at the intermission.
THIRD QUARTER
• Tate scored on the Falcons' first possession of the second half, and Velasco drove and hit a floater with the shot clock winding down. Then, Fleming hit an and-one layup off of a Hampton inbounds pass, and her free throw gave BGSU a 38-34 lead.
• The Cardinals did not score in the third quarter until Richard split a pair of free throws with 5:21 to go. But, Dis Agustsdottir hit a corner three that tied the score, and Clephane's bucket gave the Cardinals a 40-38 lead. BSU had answered BGSU's 7-0 run with a 6-0 run.
• But, it was the Falcons' turn to go on a run. BG scored the next six points as part of a larger 12-1 run. Hampton's nifty reverse layup tied the score, and then Hill scored back-to-back hoops to give the Falcons the lead for good. Velasco found Hill for a bucket inside, and then Velasco made a baseline cut to receive a Kadie Hempfling pass. Velasco flipped the ball to Hill for a bucket that gave BG a 44-40 lead.
• The Cardinals split a pair of free throws, but Allison Day hit a baby hook, then was fouled at the other end. The play was reviewed and deemed to be an intentional foul, and Fleming knocked down a pair of free throws. Fleming then lobbed the ball inside to Tate for a nine-point lead, before Dis Agustsdottir's corner three cut the BG lead to six, 50-44, after 30 minutes.
FOURTH QUARTER
• Hampton grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds on the first possession of the final quarter, and that possession ended with a Brett three-pointer. BGSU's lead was 53-44, but the Cards countered with four quick points.
• Brett, however, hit another three-pointer, and after BSU answered with the next three points, Brett cut down the lane to take a pass and hit a layup for a 58-51 advantage. When Fleming found Brett for her third triple of the quarter, the BGSU lead was 10 points, and the Cards used a timeout with 5:44 on the clock.
• Each team went scoreless on the next possession, before Marie Kiefer scored for the Cards. The teams went nearly a minute without scoring, before a Clephane hoop made it a six-point game, 61-55, with 3:49 to go.
• Tate's pass resulted in a shot off glass for Day, but Kiefer scored at the other end and BSU forced a BG miss. But, Fleming stripped the ball from Kiefer, and on the next possession, she found Day for a short jumper and a 65-57 lead. The Cardinals used a timeout, and Clephane then hit a quick layup.
• Day, however, drilled a left-side jumper to put BG back up by eight with 1:24 remaining. Clephane scored at the other end, though, and a turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass gave BSU the ball right back.
• But, the next possession saw Tate made an emphatic block on a Kiefer shot. Tat grabbed the ball out of the air and got it to Fleming, who was fouled by Madelyn Bischoff – Bischoff's fifth foul – with 43.0 seconds on the clock. Nine seconds later, Fleming drew Kiefer's fifth foul, then hit a pair of free throws for a 69-61 BG lead.
• BSU missed another shot, with BGSU rebounding the ball. Tate split a pair of charity tosses with 17.6 seconds to go, then blocked a Clephane three-point try, with BG grabbing the rebound and dribbling out the clock.
Gallery: (3-10-2023) 031023 wbk v BSU - Morgan Holscher
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Falcons shot 42.6 percent for the game, while BSU shot 43.9% from the floor. BGSU went 6-of-14 from the three-point line and 12-of-14 from the foul line, with the Cardinals going just 4-for-22 from the arc and 7-of-14 from the stripe.
• BGSU had a 39-31 rebounding advantage, with Hampton pulling down eight and Fleming seven.
• For only the third time all season, BGSU had more turnovers than the opponent. The Falcons had 16 turnovers to just 12 for BSU. But, the Falcons had a 15-13 advantage in points off turnovers.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons, as mentioned, will face Toledo in Saturday's (March 11) MAC Tournament championship. That game will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
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
The Falcons got contributions from up and down the lineup en route to a 70-61 win over Ball State University in MAC Tournament semifinal-round action on Friday (March 10) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Falcons, the tournament's second seed, withstood some early foul trouble, and BGSU (27-5 [14-4 MAC]) overcame a nine-point second-quarter deficit to post the win and advance to Saturday's final.
Elissa Brett, who was in foul trouble seemingly all game long, played just 10 minutes in the first three quarters, but the All-MAC First-Team selection hit three three-point field goals in the fourth quarter alone. Brett had 11 points in the fourth period and a team-high 16 in the game.
Jocelyn Tate and Lexi Fleming scored 11 points apiece in the win. Fleming also had seven rebounds and four assists, while Tate had three steals and two blocks, including a late-game rejection that put an exclamation point on the Falcons' win.
Allison Day scored six points in the final period, and had 10 for the game. Nyla Hampton and Amy Velasco scored eight points apiece. Hampton led all players with eight rebounds, including five offensive boards, while Velasco dished out a game-high six assists and led everyone with a plus-minus rating of +16.
Olivia Hill had six points, including back-to-back third-quarter buckets that gave BGSU the lead for good.
Brett and Day then combined to score 17 of the Falcons' 20 fourth-quarter points.
Anna Clephane had 20 points for the third-seeded Cardinals (25-8 {14-4 MAC]), while Ally Becki had 11 and Thelma Dis Agustsdottir 10.
The Falcons will face top-seeded Toledo in Saturday's championship. That game will begin at 11:00 a.m. and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
QUOTING COACH ROBYN FRALICK
"This was an awesome win for our team and our program; a gritty win. We had to withstand some adversity and some challenges, and I thought our defense was excellent. Ball State is a dynamic offensive team, and our second-half defense was really good."
"Credit to Ball State. They have a very, very good team. We just played a week ago, and we knew coming in that this would be a heck of a battle. I'm just proud of our team and proud of our effort, and we're excited for the chance to keep playing."
Falcons to the 'ship for the second time in the last three years! 🏀👏 #MACtion pic.twitter.com/7CWDLAATSv
— #MACtion (@MACSports) March 10, 2023
FIRST QUARTER
• The Falcons got out to an early lead, but encountered some foul trouble along the way. Layups by Nyla Hampton and Jocelyn Tate gave BGSU a 4-3 lead, and a pair of offensive rebounds by Hampton kept a possession alive for Elissa Brett's three-pointer, putting BG up by a 7-5 score.
• But, Tate and Brett each were assessed two fouls before the game was six minutes old, and after Brett's long two-pointer gave the Falcons a 9-6 lead, the senior was forced to head to the bench.
• Anna Clephane's bucket was answered by a pair of Hampton free throws, but Clephane scored again, and Alex Richard hit a pull-up jumper. The Cardinals' run would reach 8-0 on a Clephane driving layup that gave BSU a 16-11 lead.
• Lexi Fleming scored in traffic, and Hampton found Amy Velasco for a three-pointer that tied the game at 16-all. Olivia Hill's free throws gave BG a 7-0 run and a two-point lead, but Ally Becki scored in the final seconds of the period to tie the game at 18-18.
SECOND QUARTER
• The Cardinals scored the first nine points of the second quarter, with a Clephane steal and layup making it a 27-18 game as the Falcons used a timeout.
• Brett, back in the game, was called for her third foul of the day at the 5:44 mark and had to return to the bench. But, Fleming fed Tate for a baby hook, and Hampton converted a driving layup as the seas parted for her. Tate's steal and layup moments later cut the BSU lead to 29-24.
• Becki answered with a layup, but Velasco found Day inside for a bucket. Fleming got to the line and hit both shots, and after Hill and Hampton teamed up for a steal, Velasco's right-win triple tied the score. But, after a Hana Muhl free throw, Thelma Dis Agustsdottir drove and scored in the waning seconds of the period, giving the Cardinals a 34-31 lead at the intermission.
THIRD QUARTER
• Tate scored on the Falcons' first possession of the second half, and Velasco drove and hit a floater with the shot clock winding down. Then, Fleming hit an and-one layup off of a Hampton inbounds pass, and her free throw gave BGSU a 38-34 lead.
• The Cardinals did not score in the third quarter until Richard split a pair of free throws with 5:21 to go. But, Dis Agustsdottir hit a corner three that tied the score, and Clephane's bucket gave the Cardinals a 40-38 lead. BSU had answered BGSU's 7-0 run with a 6-0 run.
• But, it was the Falcons' turn to go on a run. BG scored the next six points as part of a larger 12-1 run. Hampton's nifty reverse layup tied the score, and then Hill scored back-to-back hoops to give the Falcons the lead for good. Velasco found Hill for a bucket inside, and then Velasco made a baseline cut to receive a Kadie Hempfling pass. Velasco flipped the ball to Hill for a bucket that gave BG a 44-40 lead.
• The Cardinals split a pair of free throws, but Allison Day hit a baby hook, then was fouled at the other end. The play was reviewed and deemed to be an intentional foul, and Fleming knocked down a pair of free throws. Fleming then lobbed the ball inside to Tate for a nine-point lead, before Dis Agustsdottir's corner three cut the BG lead to six, 50-44, after 30 minutes.
FOURTH QUARTER
• Hampton grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds on the first possession of the final quarter, and that possession ended with a Brett three-pointer. BGSU's lead was 53-44, but the Cards countered with four quick points.
• Brett, however, hit another three-pointer, and after BSU answered with the next three points, Brett cut down the lane to take a pass and hit a layup for a 58-51 advantage. When Fleming found Brett for her third triple of the quarter, the BGSU lead was 10 points, and the Cards used a timeout with 5:44 on the clock.
• Each team went scoreless on the next possession, before Marie Kiefer scored for the Cards. The teams went nearly a minute without scoring, before a Clephane hoop made it a six-point game, 61-55, with 3:49 to go.
• Tate's pass resulted in a shot off glass for Day, but Kiefer scored at the other end and BSU forced a BG miss. But, Fleming stripped the ball from Kiefer, and on the next possession, she found Day for a short jumper and a 65-57 lead. The Cardinals used a timeout, and Clephane then hit a quick layup.
• Day, however, drilled a left-side jumper to put BG back up by eight with 1:24 remaining. Clephane scored at the other end, though, and a turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass gave BSU the ball right back.
• But, the next possession saw Tate made an emphatic block on a Kiefer shot. Tat grabbed the ball out of the air and got it to Fleming, who was fouled by Madelyn Bischoff – Bischoff's fifth foul – with 43.0 seconds on the clock. Nine seconds later, Fleming drew Kiefer's fifth foul, then hit a pair of free throws for a 69-61 BG lead.
• BSU missed another shot, with BGSU rebounding the ball. Tate split a pair of charity tosses with 17.6 seconds to go, then blocked a Clephane three-point try, with BG grabbing the rebound and dribbling out the clock.
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• The Falcons shot 42.6 percent for the game, while BSU shot 43.9% from the floor. BGSU went 6-of-14 from the three-point line and 12-of-14 from the foul line, with the Cardinals going just 4-for-22 from the arc and 7-of-14 from the stripe.
• BGSU had a 39-31 rebounding advantage, with Hampton pulling down eight and Fleming seven.
• For only the third time all season, BGSU had more turnovers than the opponent. The Falcons had 16 turnovers to just 12 for BSU. But, the Falcons had a 15-13 advantage in points off turnovers.
UP NEXT
• The Falcons, as mentioned, will face Toledo in Saturday's (March 11) MAC Tournament championship. That game will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
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
Team Stats
BSU
BGSU
FG%
.439
.426
3FG%
.182
.429
FT%
.500
.857
RB
31
39
TO
12
16
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
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