Women’s basketball ends regular season with 59-54 loss to Eastern Michigan

Amy Velasco reached the 1,000 point mark in the loss

Steve Iwanek, Sports Content Director

March 9, 2024

Bowling+Green%2C+OH+-+Falcons+Senior+Forward+Erika+Porter+%2832%29+moving+the+ball+away+from+EMU+in+a+loss+54-59+Eastern+Michigan+at+the+Kalamazoo%2C+Michigan

Bowling Green, OH – Falcons Senior Forward Erika Porter (32) moving the ball away from EMU in a loss 54-59 Eastern Michigan at the Kalamazoo, Michigan

On Saturday afternoon, Bowling Green women’s basketball (16-13 OVR, 10-8 MAC) ended the regular season with a 59-54 loss to the Eastern Michigan Eagles (7-22 OVR, 3-15 MAC), a team the Falcons had previously defeated on Jan. 10 at the Stroh Center, 69-57.

Shooting woes played a big role in BG’s struggles in Ypsilanti, as BG shot just a meager 37% from the field, while also going 4-19 from beyond the arc (21%).

The Eagles got off to a quick start in the final game of their campaign, as they did not qualify for this year’s Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland next week. After the end of the first quarter, EMU led BG 26-9, one of of the lowest single-quarter scoring outputs this season for BG.

From here, BG was able to win the individual quarter battles, outsourcing EMU 12-6 in the second, 17-13 in the third, and 16-14 in the fourth.

However, the damage from the first quarter onslaught, a quarter that EMU shot 42% and buried four three-point field goals, proved to be too much for BG to overcome.

The lone highlight from the day for the orange and brown was the career milestone reached by junior point guard Amy Velasco, who in the midst of an eight point day reached the 1,000 point mark in her career via a first quarter layup.

Erika Porter collected her seventh double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds, a game-high in points on either side. The only other double-digit scorer for BG was sharpshooter Morgan Sharps, who ended the day with 10.

Meanwhile for EMU, three different Eagles ended in double-figures, with Olivia Westphal leading the way with 16. Lachelle Austin added 15 points and four rebounds, while Kennedi Myles had a double-double of her own, collecting 11 points and 11 rebounds.

BG now turns their attention to Cleveland, where they enter the MAC Tournament as the five-seed, and will face off with the four-seeded Buffalo Bulls on Wednesday, March 13, 30 minutes after the end of the one versus eight seed game. Approximate tip-time is 1:30 p.m.

Join Falcon Media Sports Network’s Brandon Loe that day on 88.1 FM WBGU for the call of the game.

For more stories related to BGSU Athletics, follow Falcon Media Sports Network on X (@bg_fmsn).