BGSU women’s basketball (7-6, 1-1) took care of business against the Eastern Michigan Eagles (1-11, 0-2) to earn their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) win of the season and their seventh win of the year.
Five Falcons recorded double-digits in scoring, which were the five starters. Erika Porter led the team with 22 points, Paige Kohler (17), Amy Velasco (16), Lexi Fleming (13), and Keiryn McGuff (11).
Coming off a tough loss against Kent State, head coach Fred Chmiel was pleased with the team’s response from the opening tip.
“I thought we came out with a lot of intensity; we were very active defensively, which kind of jumpstarted our offense, said Chmiel postgame. “Got some wide-open looks, Paige [Kohler] was hot early…then we got out in transition a little bit, and before you knew it, we had a lead, which is always nice at the start of a game.”
With the starting five of Porter, Kohler, Velasco, Fleming, and McGuff all finding their rhythm, having freshman Johnea Donahue, who started at the beginning of the year, come off the bench as an ‘X’ factor for the Falcons defensively made a difference in the win for Bowling Green.
“The ability to bring ‘Nae’ [Donahue] off the bench is huge for us because she provides such a spark,” said Chmiel. “You would think it would be offensively, but she changes the game defensively, so we are thankful for that.”
Donahue had five points along with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals for the Falcons, playing 21 minutes off the bench.
Bowling Green outshot Eastern Michigan on the night, shooting 56% from the floor compared to the Eagles’ 50%. The Orange and Brown won the battle in the paint as well, 48-26, mostly due to a commanding performance from Porter.
From the charity stripe, the Falcons made 22 of 25 attempts, while the Eagles struggled, only making 16-24 from the line. BG also won in rebounding 33-21, only holding EMU to just six offensive rebounds.
Despite the loss for Eastern Michigan, Sisi Eleko shined again, with a game-high 26 points and eight rebounds on 10-15 shooting. Guards Olivia Westphal and Mackenzie Amalia also had 14 points each, along with six assists for Amalia.
Bowling Green jumped out to a fast start offensively in the first quarter, jumping out to a 15-4 lead. The Orange and Brown shot 8-14 from the floor, with Kohler hitting three times from beyond the arc.
In the second quarter, the Falcons offense continued to dominate, outscoring the Eagles 28-16, while shooting 76% on 10-13.
Going into halftime, the Orange and Brown scored 48 points in the paint and 23 points off of Eastern Michigan turnovers, contributing massively to the Falcons’ 22-point lead at the break.
Eastern Michigan’s offense found some life in the third quarter, with Eleko contributing eight of 22 points. The Falcons still scored 21 points in the third, going 8-16 from the floor.
With the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, the Falcons bench got more minutes, with EMU outscoring BG 22-15 in the fourth, but the Falcons were able to close the game out for a bounce-back victory in front of the home fans at the Stroh Center.
The Falcons now sit in fifth place in the MAC at 1-1, while the Eagles find themselves in last place at 0-2.
Next up, Bowling Green will host the undefeated Buffalo Bulls on Wednesday, Jan. 8, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Lucas Kleimeyer and Kaden Knapp will have the call starting at 6:45 p.m. on WBGU 88.1 FM.
