Bowling Green women’s basketball got back in the win column with a 69-57 road win over Toledo. They are now 9-3 on the season with a 5-2 record in the MAC.
The win ends a two-game skid for the Falcons after losing back-to-back contests against Northern Illinois and Buffalo. In the MAC standings, BGSU is in third place behind Buffalo and Kent State.
“I’m really proud of our team effort tonight. I thought defensively we really set the tone from the tip,” BGSU head coach Robyn Fralick said.
Freshman guard Lexi Fleming led all scorers with 21 points, twelve of which came from the free throw line. She also had a team-leading five steals.
Freshman guard Kenzie Lewis led the Falcons in rebounds with 15 boards.
BGSU jumped out to a 41-25 lead at half. The Falcons closed the half with a 12-2 run in the last four minutes.
Both Fleming and senior guard Madisen Parker led the Falcons in scoring with eight a piece.
For Toledo, sophomore guard Quinesha Lockett led the team with nine points and finished the game with 21 points to lead the Rockets on the day.
The Falcons built a big lead against the Rockets with strong defense and playing up tempo. Toledo had 15 turnovers at the half and BGSU scored 21 points off those turnovers. They also outscored Toledo in fastbreak points at 14-2.
BGSU had gotten to the line often in the first half. As a team, they went 11 of 13 from the charity stripe and Toledo went to the free throw line four times.
Despite a poor third quarter, BGSU still held a double digit lead heading into the fourth quarter. Toledo shot 37.5% from the field while holding BGSU to 18.8% from the field. Four free throws from the Falcons helped them maintain a big lead.
“I trust our group’s ability to respond. Since we’ve defended so much better this year too, it has helped us withstand team’s runs,” Fralick said.
The Falcons bounced back with a strong fourth quarter to seal the win. They held Toledo to 33.3% from the field in the fourth quarter.
But both teams shot poorly during the game. BGSU shot 32.3% from the field while Toledo shot 35.6% from the field. The Falcons’ defense ended the game forcing Toledo into 25 turnovers in the game.
BGSU gained the edge in free throws as they got to the line 25 times compared to the 13 times from Toledo.
The Falcons will look to keep this momentum going on Wednesday as they take on Akron at home. The game is set to start at 7 p.m.
