On Saturday afternoon, BGSU Women’s Basketball logged their first win of 2023, defeating the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 79-63, to get to 1-1 in Mid-American Conference play. 

Here’s how it happened.  

The Brown and Orange jumped into the action quickly, scoring 13 points before the Eagles could even find a basket. The first points scored by EMU came via a three-point shot by Natalia Pineda. While the Eagles attempted to chip away at the Falcon defense, BG gained momentum and ended the first quarter in a great spot, up 20-9.  

Quarter two began proved to be an opportunity for EMU to close the gap. While EMU’s Olivia Smith and Zaniya Nelson led an offensive charge, the Falcons were able to defend their lead and stay away from a tie. With five minutes left in the first half, EMU came as close to the lead as they could, falling short by four points, 29-25. After being held at 25 points for a few minutes, the Eagles broke away and began to score more often. Despite this, the Brown and Orange stayed on top and scored 12 points in the last five minutes. 

The Falcons jumped into the second half with even stronger offense than the first. A few three-point shots and layups later, BGSU held a commanding 22-point lead over the Eagles. The Falcons kept their lead in the twenties for the rest of this third quarter, the highest lead being an impressive 26 points. After only allowing EMU to score 10 points, the Falcons kept their game-long lead and ran with it.  

Going into the final 10 minutes of play, the Falcons started with an all-game high, leading with 28 points over EMU. With three minutes of no scoring from either side, EMU broke the silence with a three-point shot. With a little more than a minute left in play, Eastern Michigan picked up steam, now trailing only by 16 points. From here to the end, EMU and BGSU took turns sinking free throws until time ran out. With a final score of 79-63, the Falcons logged their first win in the MAC season.  

For head coach Robyn Fralick, this game was a breath of fresh air for the team, especially after Wednesday’s road loss.

“I’m proud of our team,” Fralick said. “Any win in the MAC feels like a really big win. Coming off of a road loss, I liked our focus, I liked our practices, and I thought we had some excellent stretches of basketball.”

This game showed strong performances from Allison Day (21 pts), Elissa Brett (20 pts), and Nyla Hampton (12 pts). In addition, the Falcons held the lead from start to finish and scored 32 points off of turnovers. With the first win of 2023 in the books, the Falcons will be back in the Stroh on Wednesday, Jan. 11, to face the 1-1 Central Michigan Chippewas starting at 7 p.m.  

For more information about this game, visit the athletic department’s website.