A second half barrage of scoring proved to be too much for the Bowling Green women’s basketball team to handle.

Trailing by just six points at halftime, the Falcons appeared to be hanging on for a chance to secure their second win in their last three games.

However, BG [8-9, 1-5] allowed Western Michigan [11-6, 4-2] to string together 47 second-half points en route to an 82-52 loss on the road.

“Once they were able to extend that six-point lead after halftime, after the first five minutes, to double-digits, I thought the floodgates opened up for them,” head coach Jennifer Roos said.

The Falcons opened the second half with a missed jumper by Miriam Justinger followed by two Deborah Hoekstra turnovers allowing the Broncos to score five quick points and stretch their lead to 11.

The teams traded buckets over the next seven minutes.

Then, Rachel Myers, who went 8-for-11 and 4-for-5 from behind the arc, hit a jumper in the paint at the 11:11 mark to cut the WMU lead to 15.

“Any time Western [Michigan] hit a big bucket in the first half [Myers] was the one that was able to counter,” Roos said. “When she got the hot-hand we tried to get the ball a little bit more to her.”

The Broncos then finished the game on a 27-12 run as the Falcons made just three field goals in the final 11 minutes.

The other eight players to receive playing time in the game for the Falcons shot 11-for-40 from the field and 4-for-14 from three. The team also struggled from the free throw line shooting 6-for-10, their lowest percentage since their 58-54 victory over Illinois State on Dec. 19.

BG has continued to struggle shooting the ball in its recent stretch of games and has been its biggest downfall in the stretch of losses.

Offense wasn’t the only struggle in the game for the Falcons,

however.

The 82 points conceded to the Broncos was the most points given up by the Falcons this season. The team had not allowed more than 68 in any other game this season.

The Broncos’ recipe for success against the Falcons was their size.

“[WMU] had some success inside and once a few of their kids got going from outside, I felt like the floodgates started to open for them,” Roos said.

Miracle Woods dominated the paint for WMU racking up 19 points [8-for-12], 12 rebounds [including eight offensive boards] and two blocks. BG, especially with its decimated front court, was unable to find an answer for Woods for the 25 minutes she was on the floor.

Three others reached double-digits for the Broncos including 10 points and four rebounds from

Marquisha Harris.

“We were concerned about Miracle Woods and Marquisha Harris coming into the game because those are two talented posted players,” Roos said. “Between the two of them they had 29 points and 16 rebounds.”

WMU was also a force on the boards, out-rebounding BG 44-19, including 14 offensive rebounds. This led to 28 second chance points compared to just two for

the Falcons.

Despite the deficiencies the Falcons displayed on both ends of the court, their own mistakes were also responsible for the

30-point rout.

BG committed a near season low 10 turnovers, but the Broncos turned them into 17 additional points the

other way.

So, deficiencies on the defensive end, inefficiency on the offensive end and mental mistakes throughout the game ultimately equated to 30 more points for WMU.

Now, the Falcons shift their attention to another Mid-American Conference opponent.

BG takes on Miami University [3-14, 0-6] at home as the Falcons try to get back to .500 for the season.