After Bowling Green’s first round win in the WNIT over Liberty on 3/16, Assistant Coach Joel Whymer said something to me that was true despite advancing.

“Man, that’s why you have to play 40 minutes.”

Well folks, they played a full 40 minutes last night.

BGSU used a pair of long runs, as well as dominant defense, to take down the Green Bay Phoenix in the second round of the WNIT in Wisconsin last night, 69-51.

After the first quarter, the two teams remained tied at 17 apiece.

However, BGSU turned up the defense in the second quarter, holding the Phoenix to just five points, while scoring 13 of their own.

A 7-0 run capped off by a buzzer-beater three pointer from junior Lexi Fleming put BG out in front by eight points heading into halftime.

In the second half, the Falcons were able to jump out to a double-digit lead thanks in large part to Amy Velasco, who contributed to 10 straight points in the late portion of the third quarter to give BG a 12 point lead heading into the fourth.

Three straight triples from Fleming allowed BG to grow their lead to 21 at one point in the fourth and put away the Phoenix.

BGSU was on fire from the field, shooting a tick below 51%, while holding Green Bay to a meager 26.3% field goal percentage.

Senior Allison Day led the way in the scoring department for the orange and brown, finishing the night with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while also going 12 of 16 from the field.

Elissa Brett pitched in 13 points of her own despite only knocking down one triple. Fleming picked up the slack, knocking down four three’s en route to 12 points.

Velasco made life for her teammates very easy, as she led the way in the assist department with 11 to go along with five points.

For the Phoenix, Jasmine Kondrakiewicz led the way with 11 points and five rebounds.

Getting another chance to play in the postseason involves a lot of hardwork, which the Falcons demonstrated for a full 40 minutes.

“I’m really proud of our team tonight,” Head Coach Robyn Fralick said. “Green Bay is a very, very good team, and to win on the road in such a tough environment took a great defensive effort. I also thought our kids made timely shots and played with a lot of grit.”

The Falcons are now set for the Super 16 round of the WNIT, as they welcome the Memphis Tigers to the Stroh Center on Thursday, 3/23, with tip-off set for 6 p.m.

To listen to the game, join Brandon Loe on WBGU 88.1 FM beginning at 5:50 p.m.

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