After its hot start, the NIU women’s basketball team couldn’t seem to get anything to drop.

The Huskies shot just 25 percent in the second half in their 80-44 loss Wednesday at Bowling Green.

Sophomore forward Kristin Wiener got the Huskies (6-13 overall, 3-5 MAC) off to a quick start with a layup that capped an 11-2 run to start the game.

Bowling Green answered, however, with a 23-2 run of its own to give the Falcons a 25-13 lead.

“We just got our butts kicked and that’s all there is to it,” NIU coach Carol Hammerle said. “We turned the ball over so many times and they shot incredibly.”

The Falcons (13-6, 6-2) took a 30-20 lead into halftime and didn’t let up. They scored 50 second-half points on 59-percent shooting.

Carin Horne scored 12 of her team-high 18 points in the second half, all of which came on three-pointers.

“They definitely got hot shooting three-pointers,” said sophomore guard Mary Basic, who had a team-high 11 points. “They built their 20-point lead and they just kept making their shots.”

Wiener and Basic scored the Huskies’ first seven points after halftime and did their best to keep NIU in it.

A layup by Wiener brought the Huskies to within 13 points, but that was the closest they would get the rest of the night.

A 19-0 run by Bowling Green sealed the fate of the Huskies and gave them their third consecutive loss and fifth in their last six games.

“They just continued to nail all of their three-pointers in the second half and made us turn the ball over,” Hammerle said. “We are a much better team than we showed tonight, but there’s nothing we can do but watch tape and let this one go.”

Sophomore guard Stephanie Raymond was 1-of-12 with a season-low three points to go along with five rebounds.

There were 537 fans at Anderson Arena to see the Falcons take over first place in the MAC West as Ball State lost Wednesday to Eastern Michigan. The Huskies are in fifth place.