BOWLING GREEN — For the second time in the past three seasons, Bowling Green State University’s women’s basketball team reached the 20-win mark.
The Falcons did it in a hurry this year.
Allison Day had a game-high 27 points on 12 of 18 shooting, and the Falcons dominated on both sides of the court as BGSU cruised past Miami (Ohio) 88-59 in a Mid-American Conference game on Saturday at the Stroh Center.
BGSU earned its ninth straight win to improve to 20-2 (9-1 MAC). The Falcons, who were 21-8 in the 2020-21 season, remained unbeaten in 10 home games as well.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to do so far, but you’re always in pursuit of better,” BGSU coach Robyn Fralick said. “At this time of the year, I think it’s really important that you’re a team that continues to improve because we do get an opportunity for so many games.
“So it’s just balancing that fine line of being proud of what they’ve done, but also knowing there’s things that we have to continue to get better at.”
BGSU remained in a tie for first in the MAC with Ball State (19-4, 9-1), which beat Kent State 80-71 on Saturday. Miami dropped to 8-15 (3-7 MAC).
Day, a 6-foot-1 senior forward and Loyola University Chicago transfer, had 19 of her points in the first half on 9 of 11 shooting in helping the Falcons take leads of 27-13 after the first quarter and 45-35 at halftime.
Day dominated the point, scoring on hook shots with both hands, going up and under around defenders, and reaching around players to put up tough shots in traffic.
“She’s a kid that really works at it, and she’s just got so many ways that she can finish inside. That really helped us,” Fralick said. “She’s a kid that’s kept getting better. She had the gift of a fifth year, and she’s continued to improve.”
Day’s 27 points were the most since she scored a career-high 31 in a win against Toledo on Jan. 18. She has been solid since, but averaged only 10 points per game in the four contests before Saturday.
“Since that Toledo game, there’s been some doubles and triples, so that’s been kind of hard,” Day said. “But just kind of having patience within that of trying to do that, and today, once I saw in the first quarter that they were going to be one-on-one, I knew I needed to kind of turn it on and go to work.”
Nyla Hampton had 14 points and five assists, while Elissa Brett had 14 points and six rebounds for BGSU.
Brett was tasked with guarding Miami sophomore guard Ivy Wolf, who was third in the MAC in scoring at 18.5 points per game. Wolf had just eight points, her second-lowest output of the season, on 2 of 14 shooting.
“She’s a top scorer in the league, so just taking it personal. Shutting her down was my mindset tonight,” Brett said.
Maddi Cluse had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead Miami. Amani Freeman (11 points) and Sierra Morrow (10) also scored in double figures.
BGSU forced 22 turnovers and committed just nine, which was a significant improvement from its 19 against Western Michigan on Wednesday. BGSU also had 15 offensive rebounds and a 41-34 edge on the glass.
The Falcons had a 30-2 advantage in points off turnovers, and a 25-8 edge in second chance points.
“Playing hard in basketball matters, playing hard in basketball is a skill,” Fralick said. “It’s part of the game, it’s really important, and that’s something for us that really matters. We feel like it’s something you can control every night.”
The Falcons will be back in action at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Ohio.
First Published February 4, 2023, 8:32 p.m.
