BOWLING GREEN — Elissa Brett reached a significant milestone Saturday when the Bowling Green State University senior surpassed 1,000 career points in the Falcons’ come-from-behind win at Akron.

The moment and feelings of eclipsing the scoring mark were familiar for teammate Kadie Hempfling.

And Allison Day.

And Payton Moore.

Four BGSU women’s basketball players on the 2022-23 roster have achieved the 1,000-point threshold in their college careers. Brett and Hempfling have earned all of their points while playing for the Falcons, while Day and Moore accomplished the feat at Loyola University Chicago and Division III Anderson (Ind.) University, respectively, before transferring prior to the season.

“It’s so cool for the program. It tells you how our culture has been built, and it’s still being built as we speak,” said Hempfling, who is currently 17th on BGSU’s all-time scoring list with 1,249 career points. “It’s really cool, me personally and Elissa, we’ve totally been a part of that.

“If Lis wasn’t here, I don’t know if our program would be where it is. So I’m so proud of her, and I’m so happy for her.”

The Falcons have thrived on offense this season, ranking first in the Mid-American Conference and top 10 in the NCAA in scoring at 82.9 points per game.

“When we’re playing our best, you can see that. A lot of kids have the ability to put the ball in the basket, and we share the ball to where we get the best shot,” Bowling Green coach Robyn Fralick said. “But we’re fortunate. When you have kids that can put the ball in the hole, the game becomes easier.”

Brett, a 5-foot-10 guard from Adelaide, Australia, became the 30th player in BGSU history to achieve the milestone when she buried a 3-pointer from the corner with 5:07 left in the second quarter of the Falcons’ MAC contest against the Zips. She finished with a team-high 16 points in helping BGSU turn a 53-40 deficit after three quarters into a 71-66 victory.

Brett has 1,010 points for her career to rank 29th. The way she has been scoring the ball this season, Brett could surpass a handful of other players, as well.

“It’s all credit to the team. I wouldn’t be able to get 1,000 points without having the team,” said Brett, who leads BGSU (14-2, 3-1 MAC) in scoring at 13.1 points per game.

“Coach Fralick talked about it before in the locker room, like freshman year, you would have never thought I would get 1,000 points. But here I am. It’s obviously something I’ve been working for, but it wasn’t necessarily a goal. Just something that I’ve been able to achieve as I’ve been here.”

Brett has played in 100 games, including 80 starts, in her BGSU career. She averaged 12 points per game as a sophomore and 10.7 as a junior before increasing her scoring output this season.

“She’s a kid that’s really worked on her game, and her skill level has improved dramatically over her career here,” Fralick said. “So all the credit is to her, she’s turned herself into a really dynamite two-way player.”

For Hempfling, Day, and Moore, watching Brett brought back plenty of memories of how exciting but challenging it is when the milestone is within reach.

“She wasn’t really nervous at all. When I scored my 1,000th, it was like the worst game I had,” Day said.

Added Moore: “It kind of took me back to the stress that it comes with, but our teammates, we just have her back. That’s what coach said in the pregame talk, we have each other’s backs and we had her back.”

Each of the standouts have made their mark in their college careers.

Hempfling, one of the top all-around players to come through BGSU, is fifth in program history with 122 starts. She is also sixth in career assists (423), ninth in career rebounds (791) and 13th in 3-point field goals made (140).

The 5-9 forward scored her 1,000th point in a Jan. 26 win over Western Michigan. Hempfling is the only player in BGSU women’s basketball history with at least 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, and 400 assists.

Meanwhile, Day scored 1,139 points in four seasons at Loyola Chicago. The 6-1 forward notched 1,000 career points in a Jan. 13, 2022 win against Bradley.

Day, who has started all 16 games this season, has been a solid post presence for BGSU. She has 1,317 points for her career and averages 11.1 for BGSU this season.

“I definitely think there was an adjustment. There was a lot of team bonding and stuff in the summer that I think helped, and just preseason and my teammates are great,” Day said. “We gel in the locker room, and if you can gel in the locker room, you can gel on the court, so I think that’s really a big part of it.”

Moore nearly averaged a double-double in her career at Anderson, scoring 1,113 points and grabbing 701 rebounds in 78 games. The 6-1 forward reached 1,000 points in a win over Earlham on Jan. 29.

The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference defensive player of the year last season and the league’s freshman of the year in the 2018-19 campaign, Moore has embraced a different role in helping the Falcons get off to one of their best starts in school history.

“I’ve accepted my role, and I love my role,” said Moore, who has 15 points and 12 rebounds in eight games this season. “I know that I can go into practice and make the team better, and if that’s on scout team or if that’s rebounding or if that’s being the athletic person, I’ll do what I need to do.”

First Published January 17, 2023, 8:20 p.m.