The Bowling Green State University women’s basketball team showed how good they can be, in the first half of a Mid-American Conference tilt against Western Michigan at the Stroh Center Wednesday.

The Falcons opened a 39-17 halftime lead and held on to defeat the Broncos, 67-51. The Broncos came in with the second-best record in the MAC.

BGSU improves to 9-7 overall and 4-3 in the MAC, while Western falls to 10-5 and 4-2 with the only other league loss coming to Toledo, the Falcons’ foe at the Stroh Center this Saturday at 1 p.m.

In the first 20 minutes, BGSU outrebounded Western 25-7, outscored the Broncos in the paint 26-6, forced 12 Western Michigan turnovers, and the Falcons shot 53% from the field to the Broncos’ 25%.

“We came out with a great start and great energy, and I thought we just kind of propelled from there,” BGSU senior forward Kadie Hempfling said. “I thought we played really great team basketball tonight. I thought everyone stepped up in their own roles and really did a great job, and I think we shared the ball really well.”

BGSU coach Robyn Fralick added, “Great team win tonight. I thought our first half we really set the tone. I thought it was one of our better first halves on both ends of the ball, offensively and defensively.

“You know, we had a quick turnaround playing Monday (71-60 win over Eastern Michigan),” Fralick continued. “It was a one-day prep, and I thought our kids did an excellent job of locking in and executing our gameplan.”

BGSU junior guard Elissa Brett nearly had her double-double by halftime, scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the first two quarters.

By the time all was said and done, Brett got her double-double 12 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals.

Brett has a knack for chasing down and beating opponents to loose ball rebounds, even though she stands 5-foot-10 in a land of players six feet or taller. Four of her caroms were on the offensive end of the floor.

“She’s a great rebounder on both ends of the ball,” Fralick said. “When she gets those extra possessions that is a good thing.”

Brett was one of three Falcons to score in double figures, led by freshman guard Amy Velasco’s 15 points, four assists and two steals. Fralick was pleased with Velasco’s “aggressiveness” getting into the paint.

“I just think she’s hard to guard and we’ve known that. We get her in practice, we recruited her and watched her play a long time and it’s really fun to see that translating to the game,” Fralick said.

Velasco added, “Coach has a lot of confidence in me, and I think that really helps a lot. If I’m just confident like that it just rolls off from there.”

BGSU sophomore guard Morgan Sharps scored 12 points, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.

Hempfling had seven points and five rebounds, plus she scored her 1,000th career point in the third quarter. She had a large contingent of family and friends cheering her on when she reached the milestone.

Hempfling is now the only player in BGSU history to have grabbed 600 rebounds and dished out 300 assists.

“It means a lot,” Hempfling said. “All the hard work that I’ve put in has really paid off.

“And I really need to thank my coaching staff, my teammates and my family — they really pushed me to be a better player and person every single day and without them I would not be who I am today.”

Fralick is pleased to see her senior from Putnam County continue to reach milestones.

“I’m so happy for her. She is such a cool kid,” Fralick said. “She stuck with BG when things were hard, and she’s been here with our staff all four years and every year she has gotten better.”

The Falcons dominated nearly every aspect of the game Wednesday, outrebounding the taller Broncos, 39-20, outscoring Western in the paint 42-22, and forcing the Broncos into committing 19 turnovers.

BGSU sophomore forward Nyla Hampton had nine points, two assists, two steals and blocked two shots and sophomore guard Jocelyn Tate scored eight points.

Freshman forward Zoe Miller had four points, sophomore guard Kenzie Lewis had seven rebounds and four steals.

The Falcons shot 51% (26-for-51) from the field, including 5-for-14 (36%) from downtown, and made 10-of-15 (67%) free throws.

Western was held to 18-of-47 (38%) shooting from the floor, including 4-for-16 (22%) in three-point shots, and the Broncos made 11-of-16 (69%) from the charity stripe.

Sophomore guard Lauren Ross led Western with 17 points and 6-2 sophomore forward Taylor Williams had 16 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Sophomore guard Megan Wagner had eight points, two assists, and five steals and 6-2 senior forward Reilly Jacobson had five points, three assists and two steals for the Broncos.

Junior guard Sydney Shafer scored three points and 6-0 sophomore guard Hannah Spitzley added two points to round out the Broncos’ scoring.

The Falcons are now looking ahead toward Saturday facing off with Toledo, which is 14-4 and 8-1 in the MAC after losing their first conference game Wednesday to Ohio, 79-72, at Savage Arena.

Hempfling, a native Northwest Ohioan, is in her fourth season playing in the BG-Toledo rivalry and she has a good idea on what to expect.

“Now we have to look ahead to Saturday,” Hempfling said. “It’s huge. Toledo is really, really good. Saturday is a big game, but it’s always a big game, especially this year.

“I’m just really excited to play and I’m super-pumped that it is at the Stroh. I just think that it means something — it is different.

“The energy, the feel of the game, it is just more intense. I feel like everything is on the line no matter where people are in the league standings, it doesn’t matter. It will always be a good game.”