The Bowling Green Falcons defeated the Eastern Michigan Eagles 70-36 in the first round of the MAC tournament.  

Bowling Green had a sloppy start against Eastern Michigan in the first quarter. The Falcons had eight first-quarter turnovers, four coming from sophomore Jocelyn Tate. 

The Falcons had a completely different second quarter, which saw the Orange and Brown go on a 16-2 run heading into halftime. Junior guard Lexi Fleming was a major player during this scoring streak, including a steal that would turn into a layup and a three-point play; she went into halftime with 10 points. 

The second quarter also saw BG junior Nyla Hampton, the MAC defensive player of the year, break the long-standing record for steals in one season, passing it with two steals in the second quarter to up her mark to 93 on the season. 

 After halftime, the Falcons dominated the rest of the game, winning 70-36, a 34-point difference. 

Forward Katie Hempfling set another team record for the Orange and Brown. After checking into the fourth quarter, Hempfling appeared in her 150th game for BG, setting a new team record for most games played for BG women’s basketball history.

Elissa Brett finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, a team high in both categories.

 The BG defense had a fantastic game, forcing 23 turnovers and holding EMU to only 36 points. 

 Head Coach Robyn Fralick praised the defense after the game.  

“I thought it took us the first quarter to settle in a little bit, but our second quarter, really, I thought we settled in on both ends of the court,” Fralick said. “Just a great defensive effort, offensively I thought we stayed with it, gave ourselves a lot of extra shots and possessions but defensively, to give up 36 points took a total team effort.”  

Bowling Green advances to the semifinals of the MAC tournament and will face the Ball State Cardinals on Friday around 12:30. That game can be listened to on WBGU 88.1, with Brandon Loe and Steve Iwanek having the call. 

For more information about the team, visit the athletics webpage.