BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green State University women’s basketball coach Fred Chmiel likes to dive deep into his bench nearly every game.
On Saturday night, the Falcons showed what they are capable of when their starters get a breather.
BGSU scored 28 bench points, led by Jasmine Fearne’s 11 points and Johnea Donahue’s eight points, in a 74-60 Mid-American Conference victory over Northern Illinois at the Stroh Center. BGSU’s depth was critical in helping the Falcons (9-8, 3-3 MAC) lead the entire way and overcome a huge rally from Northern Illinois (7-10, 1-5) early in the third quarter.
“I’m on them pretty hard because I know what they’re capable of. I know they’re capable of helping us like this,” Chmiel said. “Everybody on our roster’s capable of helping us.
“Our starting group plays at a very high standard, and to get into that mix, you have to play at a very high standard. Otherwise, you stick out. I thought they did a great job tonight.”
Along with its bench production, BGSU had a special moment when senior Lexi Fleming scored her 1,000th career point on a layup off a backdoor pass from Paige Kohler in the opening minutes. The 5-foot-5 guard, who has overcome ACL tears in both knees during her BGSU career, scored all 15 of her points in the first half while adding five assists and three steals.
“A lot of ups and downs and obstacles, but it’s been really special to get it in one place, staying at BG for five years, played two full seasons,” Fleming said. “So I think it’s just really special to get it all in the Stroh, and I keep telling everyone, you obviously can’t do that without your teammates, and I had a couple past teammates here tonight.
“It’s just really special to see how the BG community is. Everyone knew, which was really special, so scoring that basket and hearing everyone kind of erupt, it was just a great feeling to have.”
Chmiel was emotional in the post-game news conference when asked about his senior leader.
“She’s a warrior,” he said. “She’s relentless, she never gives in, she never gives up.
“She may hit a bump in the road, but she’s always focused on the road ahead. I think more than that 1,000 points, it’s her coming back year after year. Through all the serious stuff that she’s faced, she still fights.”
Kohler chipped in 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Amy Velasco added nine points, five assists, and five rebounds. Erika Porter had seven points and five boards in a balanced BGSU attack that saw nine players score.
Fearne, who played a career-high 26 minutes after playing a career-best 24 in BGSU’s win over Ohio on Wednesday, also snatched five rebounds while tying her career high in points. Donahue had three steals, while Taya Ellis had five points in nine minutes off the bench.
“Just having confidence from my coaches and teammates. I’ve come back from two major injuries, so getting back into that playing type of style [is big],” Fearne said. “[Chmiel] always says, players coming off the bench, we have to be focused, and that’s what we did tonight.”
BGSU led 39-24 at halftime, but Northern Illinois came out on fire in going on a 17-3 run in the first five minutes of the third quarter. BGSU’s lead was trimmed to one on multiple occasions, but the Falcons pushed their advantage to eight by the end of the third.
Chelby Koker scored 16 points with five assists, five rebounds, and four steals for Northern Illinois. Lexi Carlsen and Alecia Doyle both had 14 points, while Brooke Stonebracker had a game-high nine rebounds.
BGSU assisted on 19 of its 27 field goals in shooting 45.8 percent. The Falcons have had at least 18 assists in six games this season, including each of the past three.
“I think it’s finally clicking for us,” Chmiel said. “The more we move the ball, the more touches we get in a possession, the better shots we’re going to get.”
First Published January 19, 2025, 2:05 a.m.
