The atmosphere was electric at the Stroh Center as the Falcons opened up conference play against Kent State.

It could have been the BG athletes waiting to be honored at halftime that added the extra noise. Or it could have been the growing sense that this Falcon team was one on the rise.

Prior to their loss against Central Florida this past Friday, BG had won six in a row. Before that game, they were also 5-1 at home. They improved upon that record Thursday night against an overmatched Kent State team.

Kent had just come of a win against Bethune-Cookman, but BG was by far a bigger adversary. The Falcons pounded the Golden Flashes by a score of 69-33. It was their biggest win of the season, not including a 105-39 exhibition win against Slippery Rock.

BG shot 44.2 percent from the field, while defensively they had 10 steals on the night. The Falcons also doubled up the Golden Flashes in turnovers, as they forced them into 18 while only committing nine themselves.

It seemed as if Kent State might hang around in the beginning when they led 5-0 to start the game. From there, the Falcons demonstrated their experience and proved to be too much for the young Golden Flashes.

BG showed its versatility in the scoring department as they got many contributions from their bench. In fact, the Falcons had almost everyone suited up to play score a bucket. Leading the way in scoring for the Falcons was sophomore Deborah Hoekstra who had 12 points on four of six shooting.

Her 12 points was a team best, followed closely by senior Allison Papenfuss who added 10. Hoekstra and junior Katrinas Salinas each had their highest point totals of their young careers.

Along with Hoekstra’s 12, Salinas also added 12 which made BG a tough opponent to stop. The Falcons bench outscored Kent State’s by a 40-6 margin. The Falcons’ bench also outscored Kent’s own starters 40-29.

BG should hope to improve upon these numbers as they enter conference play and the opponents get tougher. The Falcons got contributions from almost everyone which made the game not seem close.

Although it failed to be competitive at times, this game was a good measuring stick of where the Falcons are at.

It showed that although BG is moving in a different direction this season.

BG will remain at home this Sunday when they take on their arch rival Toledo at the Stroh Center. The game is set to tip-off at noon and will be televised on SportsTime Ohio.