BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Bowling Green turned in a 19-3 second-half run and shot an impressive 53.8 percent from the field to down UNC Greensboro on Friday, 80-51.
Kendra Smith scored 12 points to lead the Spartans (1-4), who cut Bowling Green's lead to 10 points early in the second half before the Falcons (3-2) used the big spurt to quell any thoughts of a comeback.
Lauren Prochaska scored a game-high 20 points to lead Bowling Green, while Tamika Nurse was also in double figures with 16.
UNCG's Agne Girstautaite pulled down a season- and game-high nine rebounds.
The Falcons bolted out to a 13-point lead in the first half, hitting nine of their first 12 shots to build a 24-11 advantage. The Spartans would answer with a 7-0 run to get it back to six, however, with freshman Brey Dorsett banking in a 3-pointer then getting a steal and a fastbreak layup before Girstautaite capped the run with a layup of her own to make it 24-18 with 7:58 to play in the opening frame.
That was as close as UNCG would get on the evening, as Bowling Green stretched its lead to as many as 14 twice in the first half before Amanda Leigh's buzzer-beating 3-pointer made the score 37-26 going into halftime.
UNCG held Bowling Green scoreless for a span of 4:39 late in the first half, but failed to take advantage on the offensive end of the floor, managing just a 3-pointer during the stretch that made it 34-23 with less than four minutes until the break.
BGSU shot 56 percent from the floor in the first half (14-for-25), while UNCG shot just 33 percent (11-for-33).
A pair of Lakiah Hyson free throws with 15:07 left in the game drew the Spartans within 10 at 46-36, but that was when Bowling Green took over. Nurse and Prochaska hit 3s on consecutive possessions to quickly get the Falcons up by 16, and a Sarah Clapper 3 with 11:02 to play made it 60-39 to put the lead over 20 points for the first time on the day.
UNCG shot just 29.6 percent from the field in the second half, going 8-for-27. The Falcons' hot shooting carried over into the second half, as they hit 14 of their 27 attempts (51.9 percent).
Leigh tied her career high with five assists on the evening, four of which came on UNCG's first four buckets of the game. She also finished with nine points on three 3-pointers.
Girstautaite had seven points to go with her nine boards, while Hyson had eight points.
UNCG's Amy Clapper, Sarah Clapper's sister, finished with two points, a rebound and a steal for the Spartans. Sarah Clapper had three points for the Falcons.
Friday's contest wrapped up a four-game road swing for UNCG, which saw the Spartans face four straight teams picked to win their respective leagues.
UNCG returns home to host Charleston Southern on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
AGATE
BOWLING GREEN 80, UNC GREENSBORO 51
UNC GREENSBORO (1-4)
Kendra Smith 5-12 0-0 12; Amanda Leigh 3-7 0-0 9; Lakiah Hyson 2-6 4-4 8; Agne Girstautaite 3-7 1-2 7; Brey Dorsett 2-4 0-0 5; Jazz Weaver 2-5 0-0 4; Dayshaun Richbow 1-3 1-2 3; Amy Clapper 1-3 0-0 2; TaShama Banner 0-3 1-2 1; Dee Corbett 0-1 0-0 0; Sidnei Harmon 0-1 0-0 0; Monique Floyd 0-5 0-0 0; Sarah Folwell 0-3 0-0 0; Agneta Morkunaite 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-60 7-10 51.
BOWLING GREEN (3-2)
Lauren Prochaska 7-11 2-2 20; Tamika Nurse 6-7 0-0 16; Allison Papenfuss 3-3 2-2 8; Laura Bugher 1-1 4-6 6; Maggie Hennegan 2-5 1-2 6; Jen Uhl 3-4 0-0 6; Jessica Slagle 2-3 0-1 5; Tracy Pontius 2-9 1-1 5; Kelly Zuercher 1-2 2-2 4; Sarah Clapper 1-3 0-0 3; Chrissy Steffen 0-1 1-2 1; Maribeth Giese 0-1 0-0 0; Chelsea Albert 0-0 0-0 0; Jessie Tamerlano 0-0 0-0 0; Simone Eli 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-52 13-18 80.
UNC Greensboro 26 25 51
Bowling Green 37 43 80
3-point goals--UNC Greensboro 6-14 (Amanda Leigh 3-4; Kendra Smith 2-4; Brey Dorsett 1-2; Dayshaun Richbow 0-1; TaShama Banner 0-1; Sarah Folwell 0-1; Lakiah Hyson 0-1), Bowling Green 11-23 (Lauren Prochaska 4-7; Tamika Nurse 4-5; Maggie Hennegan 1-1; Sarah Clapper 1-2; Jessica Slagle 1-1; Chrissy Steffen 0-1; Simone Eli 0-1; Tracy Pontius 0-4; Jen Uhl 0-1). Fouled out--UNC Greensboro-None, Bowling Green-None. Rebounds--UNC Greensboro 33 (Agne Girstautaite 9), Bowling Green 38 (Lauren Prochaska 5). Assists-UNC Greensboro 14 (Amanda Leigh 5), Bowling Green 19 (Tamika Nurse 6). Total fouls--UNC Greensboro 19, Bowling Green 12. Technical fouls-UNC Greensboro-None, Bowling Green-None. A-1407
