BGSU's Lightning-Quick Start Grounds Eagles, 90-76

Saturday, January 4

Bowling Green, Ohio

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Eastern Michigan

Porter, Fleming, Kohler | BGSU v EMU | Jan. 4, 2025

Photo by: Avery Zuercher, BGSU Athletics

January 04, 2025 | Women's Basketball

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Falcons shoot 56%, all 5 starters score in double digits

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team scored 10 points in the blink of an eye to begin the game, and the Falcons went on to a 90-76 win over Eastern Michigan University Saturday night (Jan. 4). The Mid-American Conference game was held at the Stroh Center.

All five starters scored in double digits for the Falcons (7-6, 1-1 MAC), who shot 56.4 percent from the field on the night, including an 18-for-27 (66.7%) effort in the first half.

Erika Porter led the Falcons with 22 points, making 9-of-11 shots from the floor. Paige Kohler and Amy Velasco had 17 and 16 points, respectively, while Lexi Fleming scored 13 points and had four assists and a game-high four steals.

Keiryn McGuff rounded out BGSU's double-figure scorers with 11 points, matching that career-high total that she set three days earlier. McGuff led the Falcons with six rebounds.

Sisi Eleko had 26 points and seven rebounds for the Eagles (1-11, 0-2 MAC), pacing four double-digit scorers.

Sparked by a pair of Kohler three-pointers, the Falcons built a 10-0 lead in the game's first two minutes. Eastern whittled that lead down to four points late in the first quarter, before BG ended the period on a 9-3 run to restore the double-digit lead.

Then, the Orange and Brown shot 77% (10-of-13) from the field in the second quarter, hitting a pair of buckets in the final 10 seconds of the half to take a 22-point lead into the intermission.

The BG lead reached a game-high 26 points early in the third quarter, and the margin remained at least 19 points until midway through the fourth period. EMU scored six of the game's final eight points to get within 14 in the waning seconds.

Victory Vibes!!! @BGSUWBB defeats Eastern Michigan pic.twitter.com/C006Fn8UFG
— BGSU Athletics (@BGSU_Athletics) January 5, 2025

FIRST QUARTER
• The Falcons, as mentioned, scored 10 points in under two minutes to begin the game. On the opening possession, Lexi Fleming found Paige Kohler, and Kohler drilled a three-point try from the left side of the court. BGSU led for the entirety of the game's remaining 39:36.
• Fleming came up with a steal, as the fifth-year Falcon knocked the ball away from Elena Cabello and grabbed the ball near the end line. She again spotted Kohler, this time on the right side of the court, for another long-range make. The next possession saw Erika Porter hit a pair of free-throw tries, and when Fleming's entry pass resulted in a Porter layup, the Falcons had a 10-0 advantage with 8:08 still remaining in the opening period.
• The Eagles got on the scoreboard with a driving layup, but Kohler hit her third three-pointer in the game's first two-plus minutes. Keiryn McGuff hit a turnaround shot for a 15-4 BGSU lead, and after EMU's Sisi Eleko scored the game's next three points, Fleming came up with a steal and was fouled, sinking both shots from the stripe for a 17-7 lead.
• The visitors responded with a 6-0 run to get within four, but two Porter shots at the stripe began a 9-3 run to end the quarter. Johnea Donahue came up with a nifty steal and an and-one layup, hitting the ensuing free throw, and after Kohler found Porter for a layup, Amy Velasco beat the buzzer with a driving layup for a 26-16 BGSU lead.

SECOND QUARTER
• After ending the first-quarter scoring, Velasco began the second-period scoring with a layup, and a nice move by Porter resulted in a layup as well. But, Eleko answered both BG buckets with hoops of her own, with a three-pointer making it a 30-21 game.
• But, layups by McGuff and Velasco were followed by a Fleming steal and bucket, and Porter converted a layup through contact for a 40-23 BGSU advantage, then put back a teammate's missed shot midway through the period.
• Kohler made a finger-roll layup, then knocked down a pair of free-throw tries, and when McGuff made four charity tosses in a 36-second span, BG's lead was 50-29. Olivia Smith made a three-pointer for the Eagles, but Velasco hit a left-side shot with 10 seconds on the clock, and Donahue picked Mackenzie Amalia's pocket and sailed in for a buzzer-beating layup that gave the Brown and Orange a 54-32 halftime lead.
• Four Falcons – Kohler, McGuff, Porter and Velasco – scored six points apiece in the second quarter, and the Falcons went 15-for-15 from the free-throw line in the opening 20 minutes.

THIRD QUARTER
• Amalia's three-pointer opened the scoring, but Porter answered with a layup, and Fleming took a Kohler pass and hit a corner three in front of her team's bench, giving BGSU a 59-35 lead. Moments later, Kohler's bounce pass settled into the hands of a cutting Velasco for a back-door layup, and another Kohler pass resulted in another Fleming triple, this time at the top of the arc. The Falcons had a 64-38 advantage, the largest lead of the night.
• Olivia Westphal scored the game's next six points, with a three-point play followed by a shot from the arc, but Velasco put back a missed shot, and moments later her steal resulted in a Kohler baseline drive and layup for a 69-44 Falcon lead.
• Kendal Moxey and Porter each scored inside, giving the hosts a 75-54 advantage after 30 minutes.

FOURTH QUARTER
• The fourth quarter began with a Fleming corner three, and Porter hit a pair of shots in the paint, giving BG an 82-61 lead.
• Velasco faked a handoff to Fleming before driving and scoring herself, and McGuff drove down the lane for a layup of her own several minutes later. Laila Harrison hit a pair of free throws with just under two minutes to go, before EMU went on a 6-2 run to end the game.

Gallery: (1-4-2025) 010425 wbk v EMU - Avery Zuercher

UP NEXT
• The Falcons are back at the Stroh Center on Wednesday night (Jan. 8), when Buffalo comes to town. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will hit the road for back-to-back contests, beginning with a game at Miami next Saturday afternoon (Jan. 11).

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Wed., Jan. 8 | BUFFALO | 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 11 | at Miami (OH) | 1:00 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 15 | at Ohio | 7:00 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.