Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
16-12,10-7MAC
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Western Michigan
12-16,7-10MAC
Red-Hot Start Lifts Falcons Past WMU, 87-73
March 06, 2024 | Women's Basketball
All five starters score in double figures as BGSU leads from wire to wire
All five starters scored in double figures for the Falcons (16-12, 10-7 MAC), with Morgan Sharps leading the way with 26 points. Amy Velasco had 20, with Paige Kohler scoring 16, Erika Porter 14 and Olivia Hill 11.
Hill had the first double-double of her career, with a game- and career-high 10 rebounds.
Kaitlyn Zarycki paced three double-digit scorers for the Broncos (12-16, 7-10 MAC), with 22 points.
The Falcons never trailed, scoring the game's first six points and getting out to leads of 28-15 after one quarter and 52-27 at the half. BGSU went 9-of-12 from the field in the second quarter, leading by as many as 28 points late in the half.Â
The Broncos crept within 12 points with under five minutes left in the game, but Velasco found Sharps for a three-pointer on the next possession, and the teams traded points the rest of the way.
The Falcons shot 55.8 percent from the field for the game, making 29-of-52 shots, and BG was 8-of-17 (47.1%) from three-point range and 21-of-23 (.91.3%) from the free-throw line.
The hosts shot 52.1% for the night, including a 10-of-17 (58.8%) performance from the arc.
With one game remaining in the regular season, the Falcons are locked into either the fourth or the fifth seed for the MAC Tournament. BGSU will face Buffalo in the quarterfinal round next Wednesday afternoon (March 13). Wednesday's results from around the league, as well as updated standings, can be found at the bottom of this page.
Before the tournament begins, though, the Falcons will close the regular season with a Saturday afternoon (March 9) game at Eastern Michigan, beginning at 1:00 p.m.
NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• With 20 points in the win, junior Amy Velasco is now just two points shy of the 1,000-point mark for her BGSU career. Velasco now has 998 points in 98 games as a Falcon, an average of 10.2 points per game
ALSO WORTH NOTING
• BGSU's 25-point lead at the half was the Falcons' largest since Dec. 2, 2022, when the Orange and Brown had a 50-24 lead at the intermission at Valparaiso, en route to a 92-61 win over the Beacons. That Valpo game came just four days after BG led Detroit Mercy by a 43-11 score at the half, in a 76-29 victory at the Stroh.
• The Falcons shot 63.6% in the first half on Wednesday, while WMU shot 44.4% from the floor. Due to advantages in rebounding and turnover margin, BGSU took 15 more shots than the Broncos in the opening half. The Falcons had a 15-7 rebounding advantage, holding Western without an offensive rebound, and BG forced the Broncos into 12 first-half turnovers while committing six.
• BG attempted 33 first-half shots (making 21) to WMU's 18.
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FIRST QUARTER
• All five BGSU starters had made a field goal before the game's first media timeout, and all five had scored at least five points, as the Falcons took a 28-15 lead.
• BGSU scored the game's first six points, with Erika Porter splitting a pair of defenders and banking home a shot on the game's first possession. Olivia Hill put back a teammate's miss, and a Morgan Sharps steal led to a driving layup by Amy Velasco.
• The Broncos got on the board on a Megan Wagner three-pointer just over two minutes into the game, but Hill grabbed another offensive board and kicked the ball out to Paige Kohler for a triple. Hill made a three-point try of her own several minute later, and a Velasco steal led to a Sharps run-out and a 14-6 lead, as the hosts used a timeout.
• Kaitlyn Zarycki scored out of that timeout, but Velasco converted another driving layup, and Kohler drove and laid the ball off to Porter for another layup and an 18-8 lead.
• Sharps lobbed the ball to Porter for still another layup, and Velasco found Sharps, who took two dribbles as she backed behind the three-point line and knocked down a triple try for a 23-12 lead. The Broncos were whistled for an offensive foul, and Velasco found Kohler for a three-ball and a 26-12 advantage.
• WMU scored, but Kohler drove and spun a shot off glass and through the hoop with 15 seconds left in the quarter, giving BG a 28-15 lead after 10 minutes.
• The Falcons went 12-for-21 from the field in the opening quarter, while holding Western to a 5-of-13 performance. BGSU also had a 12-5 rebounding advantage in the period.
SECOND QUARTER
• Velasco opened the second-quarter scoring with a teardrop runner, and after Zarycki knocked down a three-point try moments later, Sharps responded with a long-range bucket of her own. Sharps knocked down a floater with the shot clock winding down, then found Hill for a long two-pointer and a 38-19 lead as the Broncos burnt another timeout.
• Emily Siesel lobbed the ball inside to Porter for a layup, and Velasco converted a three-point play, then made another runner in the paint for a 45-21 BG lead. The Broncos split a pair of free throws, before Siesel found Sharps for another trey. When Porter spotted Hill for a layup, the Falcons had a 50-22 lead. Western scored five of the last seven points of the period, cutting the BG margin from 28 points to 25.
• In that first half, the Falcons shot 63.6% from the field, going 21-of-33, while WMU attempted just 18 shots (making eight).
THIRD QUARTER
•The Broncos scored the first five points of the second half, including a Hannah Spitzley three-pointer that cut the BGSU lead to 20. Kohler made a pair of free throws, however, then found Sharps for a triple and a 57-34 lead.
• But, Zarycki hit a three-pointer, then made an and-one layup. She missed the free throw, but a BG turnover led to a Zarycki layup that cut the BG lead to 57-41.
• Sharps made a pair of free throws, and Velasco got to the line and hit a pair of shots. Spitzley made another three, but Kohler scored with the shot clock nearing zero, then fired a pass ahead to Sharps for a run-out and a 66-45 lead. Porter's putback in the final minute of the quarter led to a three-point play, and Velasco was fouled in the act of shooting a three-pointer with just 3.6 seconds left in the period. She hit all three free throws to give the Falcons a 72-47 lead after 30 minutes.
FOURTH QUARTER
• Zarycki converted a three-point play, and De'Ahna Richardson knocked down a shot from the arc, and after Hill made a pair of charity tosses, Richardson made two more triples to cut the BG lead to 15 points, 74-59.
• Hill put a shot off glass and in, and moments later, Richardson blocked a BG shot but was assessed a technical foul. Velasco's free throws made it a 78-61 game.
• Back came the Broncos, however, as Nile Muguira Orbe hit a trey that cut the Falcons' lead to 12 points with 4:19 to go. But, the next possession saw Velasco find Sharps for a triple and an 81-66 lead.
• The lead never got below 13 points in the remaining minutes, as Velasco hit a jumper, Kohler made two charity tosses and Porter hit a layup.
UP NEXT
• BGSU will end the regular-season schedule with a trip to Ypsilanti, as the Falcons face Eastern Michigan on Saturday (March 9). Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
• Then, the Falcons will prepare a trip to downtown Cleveland for the MAC Tournament. BGSU will face Buffalo in the league tourney quarterfinal round next Wednesday (March 13) at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. That game, the second contest of the day, will begin at approximately 1:30 p.m.
MAC STANDINGS & SCHEDULE
School (Overall)Â Â Â Â MAC
Toledo (24-4)Â Â Â Â Â 16-1
Ball State (26-4)Â Â Â 15-2
Kent State (18-9)Â Â Â 13-4
Buffalo (17-11)Â Â Â Â 10-7
Bowling Green (16-12)Â Â 10-7
Ohio (11-17)Â Â Â Â Â Â 8-9
Western Mich. (12-16)  7-10
Northern Ill. (14-15)  7-10
Miami (8-20)Â Â Â Â Â Â 5-12
Akron (10-18)Â Â Â Â Â 5-12
Central Mich. (6-21)  4-13
Eastern Mich. (6-22)  2-15
Wednesday, March 6
Bowling Green 87, at Western Michigan 73
at Buffalo 77, Central Michigan 68
Northern Illinois 56, at Miami 46
Ball State 75, at Kent State 71
Ohio 72, at Akron 63
at Toledo 87, Eastern Michigan 41
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Saturday, March 9
Bowling Green at Eastern Michigan  Â
Akron at Central Michigan
Northern Illinois at Western Michigan
Ohio at Miami  Â
Ball State at Buffalo
Kent State at Toledo
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.
