BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team seized control of Saturday night's (Dec. 7) game with a first-half run, and the Falcons used several second-half surges to fight off comeback bids by Xavier University in a 78-59 win at the Stroh Center.

Four players scored in double digits for the Falcons (5-4), with veterans Amy Velasco and Erika Porter amassing 19 and 17, respectively. Freshman Lauren Gerken had 11, while classmate Johnea Donahue added 10 points off the bench.

Donahue returned to action after missing the previous three games due to injury, and the Orange and Brown saw another player return to the court on Saturday night. Fifth-year Falcon Lexi Fleming played for the first time in nearly a year, and had nine points on the night. Fleming went 3-for-4 from three-point range in the win.

The Musketeers (4-5) got 15 points from Meri Kanerva, while Daniela Lopez added 14 and Aizhanique Mayo 11.

BGSU scored 12 consecutive points to bridge the first quarter break, with the last five points of the opening period and the first seven points of the second. That run gave BGSU a 30-15 lead, and that advantage would get as high as 26 points after a 13-0 run by the Falcons in the third period.

Then, however, Xavier scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to nudge the deficit down to 14 points. But, the Falcons answered with a 9-0 run, with a Porter layup giving the Falcons a 73-50 advantage with under four minutes to go.

After out-rebounding Arkansas by 18 (41-23) in their last game, the Falcons had a 45-25 advantage on the boards vs. the Musketeers on Saturday.
 

— BGSU Women's Basketball (@BGSUWBB) December 8, 2024

NOTE OF THE NIGHT
• Lexi Fleming saw her first action in nearly a year – since Dec. 22, 2023 – and had nine points on the night. The fifth-year Falcon had those nine points in just under 14 minutes of action, going 3-for-4 from the arc.
• Fleming has now played in 74 contests in her Falcon career. In those games, BGSU has a record of 56-18, including a 26-6 mark at the Stroh Center.

FIRST QUARTER
• The lead changed hands several times in the first quarter, before BGSU surged ahead late in the period.
• Freshman Lauren Gerken opened the scoring with a three-pointer as the shot clock wound down, and fifth-year collegian Erika Porter's layup gave BG a 5-0 lead with just over a minute gone. But, XU countered with a pair of Meri Kanerva driving layups, and Loren Christie's layup gave the Musketeers a 6-5 lead with four minutes gone.
• Gerken knocked down a three-point try, and after Kanerva answered with a long-distance shot, fifth-year Falcon Lexi Fleming took a pass from sophomore Paige Kohler and drilled a three-point try. Fleming, who had checked into the game less than two minutes earlier, was making her first appearance since Dec. 22, 2023. The Falcons led, 11-9, at the game's first media timeout.
• Senior Amy Velasco hit a jumper, but a Christie layup tied the contest at 13-all before the teams went scoreless for over two minutes. Then, however, Velasco found Porter for an 'and-1' layup with 2:03 on the clock, and the Falcons never trailed again.
• Porter hit the ensuing free throw, and after a steal, Porter scored again. The Musketeers answered with a jumper, but freshman Johnea Donahue, who had assisted Porter on the previous bucket, hit a layup of her own while being fouled. Her free throw gave BGSU a 21-15 lead, before another Porter hoop made it an eight-point game after one period.

SECOND QUARTER
• After scoring the final five points of the first quarter, BGSU would score the first seven of the second. Donahue began the second-period scoring with a three-point play, as she split a pair of defenders for a layup and sank the ensuing free throw. Yet another Porter layup was followed by a floater from Velasco, and the Musketeers took time as the Falcons had a 12-0 run and a 30-15 lead.
• The visitors got a pair of hoops from Daniela Lopez, but Kendal Moxey answered with a layup each time. Gerken hit a turnaround jumper from the free-throw line, then knocked down a three-point try moments later.
• Porter fed Velasco for a jumper, and the Falcons had a 42-24 halftime lead.
 

Gallery: (12-7-2024) 120724 wbk v Xavier - Drake Harlett

THIRD QUARTER
• The visitors scored a quick five points to begin the second half, with a Kanerva jumper followed by a steal that led to a Tae'lor Purvis three-pointer. But, a Porter layup began a 13-0 run for the hosts.
• Porter was fouled on the layup, and completed another three-point play. Velasco hit a free throw, then – after a monster block by Laila Harrison on a Christie shot – Velasco hit a driving layup. Harrison put back a teammate's missed shot, and Donahue got a layup to go. When Velasco fed Fleming for a long three-pointer, the Falcons had a 55-29 lead.
• XU finally broke that streak with a three-pointer, but Fleming took a Gerken pass and knocked down a corner three from in front of the BG bench. The Falcons' 26-point advantage (after each of Fleming's back-to-back triples) was the largest of the game.
• The visitors rallied to score the game's next seven points, capped by a corner three from Aizhanique Mayo that prompted a BG timeout. But, Velasco got a layup to creep over the rim and through the net as she was fouled and after a Xavier hoop, the senior took Kohler's pass and knocked down a long-range shot for a 64-41 lead after 30 minutes.

FOURTH QUARTER
• The Musketeers, however, would score the first nine points of the final quarter. After a Mayo triple and two Lopez hoops, Kanerva's transition layup cut the BGSU lead to 64-50. The last three of the four XU baskets during that stretch came after Falcon turnovers.
• BG did not score for more than four minutes to begin the period, but a Velasco driving layup began a 9-0 run for the Falcons. Velasco then threaded the needle with a sweet bounce pass between several defenders, finding a cutting Donahue for a layup, and after a Donahue steal, the freshman spotted Kohler for a three-pointer that gave the Falcons a 71-50 lead. And, Velasco's steal led to a Porter layup that put BG ahead by 23 points with just under four minutes to go.
• Gerken fed Velasco for a hoop, Emily Siesel knocked down a free-throw try and Kristiana Kulackovska's pass led to a wide-open layup from Moxey to cap the Falcons' scoring.
 

HOME DUB. 😎#T🔵GETHER x #AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/92DVapB8jV

— BGSU Women's Basketball (@BGSUWBB) December 8, 2024

NOTES & NUMBERS
• BGSU shot 48.4 percent in the win, shooting an even 50% in the first, third and fourth quarters, while holding Xavier to a 39.7% success rate.
• The Falcons had a whopping 45-25 rebounding advantage, and BGSU scored 40 points in the paint.
• BG also had 24 points from the arc, going 8-for-20 from long range on the night. Xavier was 7-for-28 from three-point land. 
• In addition to her game-high 19 points, Velasco also led all players with six assists.
• Porter went 7-for-10 from the floor en route to her 17 points, and also had seven rebounds. Gerken had eight boards to go along with her 11 points, while Kohler tied her for game honors with eight rebounds as well. Kohler also had four assists in the victory.
• Donahue had 10 points, the highest total of her young career, and added four rebounds, three assists and a game-best four steals.

UP NEXT
• The Falcons will be idle until Wednesday, Dec. 18, when Marquette comes to the Stroh. That game is set for a 7:00 p.m. start.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will head to Pittsburgh, wrapping up the non-conference schedule with a 12:00 p.m. contest vs. Duquesne on Saturday, Dec. 21.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Wed., Dec. 18 | MARQUETTE | 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 21 | at Duquesne | 12:00 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 1 | at Kent State | 1:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 4 | EASTERN MICHIGAN | 7:00 p.m.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
• For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on Facebook (@BGWBB), Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUWBB) and Instagram (@bgsuwbb), as well as right here at BGSUFalcons.com.