BGSU women’s basketball (5-4) took on the Defiance Hornets (3-8) on Sunday, winning 118-35 to extend its winning streak to four and setting a program record for the largest margin of victory and breaking a Stroh Center record for points in a game.
The Falcons started hot, jumping out to a 15-2 lead. The first points came from a corner three-pointer scored by junior guard Jasmine Fearne.
BG capitalized on multiple Hornet turnovers, scoring 38 points off of takeaways.
“We’re really big on defense. Not giving direct-line drives,” Fearne said.
Bowling Green capitalized on this, scoring 32 fast-break points and 26 second-chance points. The Falcons led at the end of the first quarter, 33-10.
The Falcons stayed aggressive in the second quarter, consistently taking shots from beyond the arc. They controlled the floor, setting screens and getting shooters like junior guard Paige Kohler in space. Kohler finished with 16 points.
Defiance’s main issues were turnovers and shot-taking. The Hornets shot just 17.5% from the floor, and were 2-15 from three. They turned the ball over 30 times.
The Hornets had 20 free-throw opportunities but shot just 55% from the charity stripe.
BG carried a 62-21 lead into halftime.
The Falcons continued to excel at ball movement in the third quarter, getting wide-open looks for shooters.
No one player had a dominant game, but the Falcons played effective team basketball, rotating bench players in and getting contributions from most of the roster.
Junior forward Jaedyn Cook led the team with 18 points. Fearne scored 16. The Falcon defense clamped tight on the Hornets in the second half, holding them to just 14 second-half points. Senior guard Emily Siesel also finished with a career high of nine points.
“This was a good game to play to tune up for the challenges ahead,” head coach Fred Chmiel said postgame. “That second group in the second half, their rebounding was exceptional, and I liked their execution in the half-court… 61 bench points—that’s phenomenal.”
The Falcons will host Lourdes University on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 2:00 p.m. Coverage can be found at bgfalconmedia.com.
