The starters for the Bowling Green women’s basketball team were in some foul trouble during Wednesday’s
game against Kent State.
And leading scorer Lexi Fleming, who was averaging 17.5 points per game, was held to nine points.
In fact of the five starters only Elissa Brett scored in double figures with a game-high 19 points.
So it’s the bench – seniors Clare Glowniak, Madisen Parker and Angela Perry and sophomore Olivia Trice –
who stepped in and were the difference makers, combining for 43 of BG’s 82 points.
Parker scored 14 points, Glowniak added 13 points, Perry was in double figures with 10 and Trice scored
six points. The Falcons beat the Golden Flashes at the Stroh Center, 82-65.
“I think that it just shows that every player on the team has a role and that’s whether you get in the
game or you don’t get in the game,” Glowniak said. “I will say again and again we have the best bench in
the MAC (Mid-American Conference). I think that we bring energy and that’s so valuable.
“I think we have a team full of people that really embrace whatever role that they have,” she added.
The four were 11-of-18 on 2-pointers, 4-for-8 on 3-pointers and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Also the Falcons scored 32 in the paint, especially with Glowniak and Perry taking the ball to the
basket.
“I thought our bench tonight was outstanding,” BG head coach Robyn Fralick said. “It has been a team
effort for us all year.
“When you can count on so many different kids to contribute, that’s when your team continues to evolve,”
she added. “We needed it tonight. I was just really proud of that effort.”
The Falcons hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter and had a 24-19 lead after the first 10 minutes.
It was another five 3-pointers for BG in the second quarter on the way to a 43-34 lead at the half.
BG was 10-of-16 on 3s in the first half and were also helped by 17 points off the bench.
The third quarter was close with the Falcons out-scoring the Golden Flashes 22-19 to take a 65-53 lead
into the final eight minutes.
Of BG’s 17 points in the fourth quarter, 15 came from the bench players, on the way to the victory.
“I thought it was a great team win. When I looked at the stat sheet at the end I just see so much
balance, so many people scoring, rebounding, creating,” Fralick said. “Once we did a better job of
rebounding after that first quarter I thought we settled in a little bit.”
The Falcons cut down a net after the game as they had won the MAC regular-season title.
“It was surreal. … But it wasn’t shocking to me,” Glowniak said about cutting down the net. “BG’s women’s
basketball is just something that I really believe in and I think we have a group of people here that
all believe in the same mission. When that happens it’s really powerful.
“So it’s not shocking at all. … it’s something that we have been working for a long time,” she continued.
“Each day we have been coming to work and we have been hammering away and finally something broke and
we’re seeing how that’s carrying out.”
“They earned that tonight, cutting down nets, we do that at the Stroh in front of friends and family,”
Fralick said.
NOTES: BG had the lead for 38:20 with KSU holding it only 1:07 … Brett was also BG’s leading rebounder
with six … BG’s Kadie Hempfling had a game-high seven assists … Kent State’s Casey Santoro had a
team-high 16 points and she is the sister of Carly, who played for three seasons with the Falcons … The
Falcons host Buffalo on Saturday with a 2 p.m. start … Buffalo defeated the Falcons 82-74 on Jan. 13.
KENT STATE 19 15 19 12 — 65
BGSU 24 19 22 17 — 82
KENT STATE
Blackford, 2-0—4; Thall, 1-2-4—12; Modkilns, 1-1-2—7; Santoro, 2-3-3—16; Young, 4-2—10; Pavlansky,
0-2-0—6; Jackson, 2-2-0—10; Marchese, 0-0—0; Eibel, 0-0—0; Smith, 0-0—0. TOTALS: 12-10-11—65.
BGSU
Brett, 4-3-2—19; Hampton, 1-2-0-8; Fleming, 0-3-0—9; Lewis, 0-0—0; Hempfling, 0-1-0—3; Parker, 2-2-4—14;
Perry, 4-2—10; Trice, 0-2-0—6; Glowniak, 5-3—13; Clerkley, 0-0—0; Spielman, 0-0—0; O. Hill, 0-0—0;
Dever, 0-0—0. TOTALS: 16-13-11—82.
