BGSU women’s basketball (10-6, 3-2) defeats the Western Michigan Broncos (5-10, 2-3) by a final score of 61-54, largely due to sophomore forward Lauren Gerken’s outstanding performance from distance. She scored 15 points and went 4-9 from three-point range.

Both Western Michigan and Bowling Green came out of the gate swinging on the offensive end of the ball, with the two schools shooting three-point shots early and often. The Falcons attempted five early triples, converting three, while the Broncos shot 2-3 from distance, which resulted in a 10-10 tie midway through the first period.

Turnovers proved to be an issue for BG early on in the battle against Western Michigan, turning the ball over four times. The Broncos took advantage of those miscues early by gaining seven points off the Orange and Brown’s loss of possession.

Senior guard Kaia Woods and Gerken together took charge for the Falcons early, each scoring five points, pushing Bowling Green’s advantage to 18-14 while also ending the 1st quarter on an 8-0 run.

The second quarter was opposite to the first quarter, with each team struggling to find a rhythm on the offensive side, with the score only reaching 24-17 midway through the second period.

That said, turnovers continued to haunt BGSU after totalling 15 giveaways to the Broncos in the first half, while Western Michigan reached 13 miscues.

Despite both teams combining for 28 turnovers in the first half, the Broncos capitalized on the Falcons’ errors by increasing their points off turnovers to 15 as both schools entered halftime.

The Orange and Brown concluded the first half leading Western Michigan 27-26, shooting 38% from the floor, while Western Michigan also shot a woeful 35% field goal percentage.

The Broncos’ sophomore guard Kailey Starks led both schools in scoring, ending the first half of play with 14 points off 4-7 shooting and by going 5-5 from the free-throw line.

Gerken exited the locker room aggressively, entering the third quarter, knocking down two early triples, increasing her point total to 14 midway through the third quarter, spearheading Bowling Green’s lead to 39-34 over Western Michigan.

Additionally, down the stretch, junior guard Paige Kohler nailed a three-pointer, increasing BG’s lead to 44-34, leaving the Broncos’ head coach Kate Achter with no other choice but to call a timeout with one minute and 55 seconds in the third period.

As the fourth quarter began, Bowling Green began to seize momentum, shooting the basketball, clipping an efficient 49% from the floor and a 45% three-point percentage on the night, thanks to another triple from Kohler. Ultimately, the Orange and Brown led 55-42 close to the halfway mark in the fourth quarter.

Since BGSU led 55-42, Western Michigan sought to make one last push, reaching within nine points of the Falcons, 59-50. Furthermore, the Broncos shut down Bowling Green in the last minutes of the game, as BG’s field goal percentage dropped to 41% with 48 seconds remaining in the game.

Senior guard Alli Carlson and Starks combined for 38 points, leading the Broncos on a last-minute 8-0 run.

Aside from Western Michigan’s late offensive surge during the fourth quarter, the Falcons prevailed, winning 61-54 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Turnovers proved to be an issue in the first half, but a massive third-quarter shooting for the Orange and Brown ultimately is what put BG in position for success in tonight’s matchup. The Falcons shot 70% from the floor in the third quarter, shooting 7-10, as well as an efficient 3-5 from deep.

Following Bowling Green’s victory tonight against Western Michigan, the Falcons will now look ahead to this upcoming Saturday as they host the Miami (OH) Redhawks in another Mid-American Conference (MAC) collision course.

Falcon Media Sports Network’s Trey Kennedy and Lucas Kleinmeyer will be broadcasting BG’s next game live, beginning at 4:00 P.M. on WBGU 88.1 FM.