BGSU Heads to North Carolina for Thanksgiving

Friday, November 27

Wilmington, N.C.

12:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Davidson

Tickets

Rachel Konieczki v Illinois State Nov 13 2015 Ruben Kappler photo

Rachel Konieczki & the Falcons play a pair of games in Wilmington, N.C., this weekend (Ruben Kappler)

Photo by: Ruben Kappler, BGSU Marketing & Communications

November 25, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Falcons to face Davidson, Jacksonville in UNCW tourney

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team heads south for the Thanksgiving holiday, playing a pair of neutral-site games in Wilmington, N.C. The Falcons of head coach Jennifer Roos will take part in the UNCW Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic, facing Davidson College on Friday (Nov. 27) and Jacksonville University on Saturday (Nov. 28). Both of BGSU's games will begin at 12:00 p.m. at Trask Coliseum (5,100) on the UNCW campus.

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UNCW HAMPTON INN THANKSGIVING CLASSIC

all games at Trask Coliseum; Wilmington, N.C.

Friday, Nov. 27
Bowling Green vs. Davidson, 12:00 p.m.
Jacksonville at UNCW, 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 28
Bowling Green vs. Jacksonville, 12:00 p.m.
Davidson at UNCW, 2:00 p.m.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
There will be a free live video stream for both of this weekend's games. Additionally, the Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization will carry both contests. BGRSO is scheduled to broadcast every BGSU women's basketball game again this season. And, live stats will be available, and @BGSUwbb will provide in-game updates on Twitter. All links will be available at BGSUFalcons.com on game day.

HOMECOMING
• BGSU head coach Jennifer Roos is in her 15th year with the Falcons. Prior to coming to Northwest Ohio, Roos spent over a decade at Davidson. On Friday, her current employer faces her former school and alma mater for the first time.

• Roos assumed the head-coaching position at BGSU on April 16, 2012, after 11 years as an assistant coach (the last eight as associate head coach) with the Falcons. BG has an overall record of 323-130 since she arrived on campus.

• Roos came to the Falcon program in 2001 after eight years on the coaching staff at Davidson. She became a coach with the Wildcats upon her graduation from the school.

• A native of Louisville, Ky., Roos was a member of both the 1991-92 Davidson club team and the 1992-93 varsity squad. The latter season marked the varsity program's first after a six-year absence. During that '92-93 season, Roos was the sole upperclassman among the team's starting five. She led DC in minutes, steals and assists, and was one of only two players to start all 22 games.

• Roos was also a standout in field hockey during her undergraduate years. She was a four-year letterwinner and a three-time MVP for Davidson. Roos led the 'Cats to a 50-15-6 record in her four seasons, and helped the squad to three consecutive Deep South Association championships. Roos served as a captain for both the field hockey and basketball teams as a senior. She also lettered in lacrosse at Davidson.

• Roos graduated from Davidson in 1993, with a B.A. in history, upon which she began her coaching career at the school. In January of 2006, Roos was inducted into the Davidson Athletics Hall of Fame.

LAST TIME OUT: CINCINNATI ESCAPES WITH 54-51 WIN
• Host Cincinnati took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter, holding off every comeback attempt by the Falcons on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 21). The Bearcats eked out a 54-51 win in non-conference action at Fifth Third Arena.

• With the win, UC improves to 3-0 on the young season. The Falcons fall for the first time, dropping to 2-1 on the year.

• Senior Lauren Tibbs, playing just minutes from her hometown of Taylor Mill, Ky., led a balanced BGSU attack with 11 points and nine rebounds. Fellow senior Erica Donovan and sophomore Rachel Myers scored 10 points apiece, while freshman Sydney Lambert – playing in her hometown – scored nine.

• Donovan had six rebounds and Lambert five as the Falcons held a 43-32 advantage on the boards.

• Ana Owens led three double-digit scorers with a game-high 15 points for UC. Alyesha Lovett added 13 points, while Jasmine Whitfield scored 12.

• In addition to outrebounding the Bearcats by 11, the Falcons had advantages of 24-20 in points in the paint and 18-8 in second-chance points. And, despite turning the ball over 19 times to UC's 14, the Brown and Orange actually had a 14-5 edge in points off turnovers.

• But, the home team took the lead for good when Lovett grabbed an offensive rebound and laid the ball in with 8:38 to go in the fourth quarter. That bucket began a 7-0 UC run. The Falcons got as close as two points, but could draw no closer.

TAKE SOME, THEY'RE FREE
• Last season, the Falcons were sixth in the entire nation in free-throw percentage, shooting 77.0 percent from the stripe. And, if the early stages of the season are any indication, the 2015-16 team has picked up right where the '14-15 club left off.

• BGSU shot 87.2% from the stripe over the first three games, going 41-for-47. The Falcons began the season by making 15-of-18 shots from the line (83.3%) at the line vs. Illinois State.

• Then, against Bradley, BG went 19-of-20. The Falcons hit 18 consecutive charity tosses to start the game, before missing a shot in the final minute. BGSU's 95.0% success rate in the Bradley game set a new Stroh Center record.

• BGSU went 7-of-9 at the line at Cincinnati. The Falcons have made at least 70% of their free throws in 28 of the last 33 games, dating to the beginning of last season.

• In the latest NCAA statistics, the Falcons are ranked fourth in the nation in free-throw percentage.

WINNING THE BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
• Last season's BGSU team struggled in the area of rebounding, particularly after a rash of injuries left the Falcons with precious few post players for the final two-plus months of the season. This year, however, BGSU has outrebounded the opponent by at least nine boards in each of the three games.

• The Falcons outrebounded Bradley by a whopping 55-31 margin, and BG held a 43-32 advantage on the glass at Cincinnati.

• BGSU has a rebounding margin of +14.7, ranking the Falcons 19th in the nation in the latest NCAA stats.

• The Falcons have had 43 or more rebounds in each of this year's first three games. And, BGSU has held the opponent to 35 or fewer boards in all three games.

GOOD START
• Freshman Sydney Lambert has gotten her collegiate career off to a solid start. Lambert scored in double digits in each of her first two games as the Falcons opened the season with a pair of wins. Lambert averaged 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in BGSU's wins over Illinois State (70-52) and Bradley (66-53).

• Her well-rounded stat line in her collegiate debut included 13 points, four rebounds, a game-high five assists, a BG-best three steals and a blocked shot vs. ISU. Two of those steals came on back to back possessions, leading to a pair of three-pointers as BG went on a 21-0 run in the second quarter to seize control of the game. Then, two days later, Lambert had a team-leading 14 points in the Falcons' 66-53 win over Bradley.

• Lambert scored nine points and added five rebounds and a pair of assists against Cincinnati. She currently leads the Falcons in scoring, assists, three-point field goals made and three-point percentage, and she is tied for the team lead in steals.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green enters Friday's Davidson game with a record of 2-1 on the young season. The Falcons posted two wins in a three-day span, downing both Illinois State and Bradley by double digits at the Stroh Center, before falling by three points at Cincinnati on Saturday (Nov. 21).

• Three players have double-digit scoring averages, led by a freshman. First-year Falcon Sydney Lambert has 12.0 points per game, and Lambert also leads the team with 2.7 assists. She is tied for the team steals lead (1.3 spg), and has made a team-high six three-point field goals through three games.

• Seniors Erica Donovan and Lauren Tibbs are averaging 10.7 and 10.3 ppg, respectively. Tibbs leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game, and also paces the Falcons with 2.3 blocked shots per outing. Tibbs is shooting a team-best 50.0 percent from the field. Donovan has 7.0 rpg to rank second on the team in that category.

• Another senior, Miriam Justinger, is averaging 9.3 ppg and 5.7 rpg to date, while freshman Carly Santoro has 6.3 ppg. Santoro is fifth on the team in scoring despite playing an average of just 11.0 minutes per game. She is tied with Lambert for the team lead in steals (1.3 spg).

• Sophomore Rachel Myers and redshirt soph Kennedy Kirkpatrick have 5.7 and 4.7 ppg, respectively. Myers had 10 points and went 2-of-3 from three-point range in the Cincinnati game.

• In addition to the aforementioned seven players, juniors Rachel Konieczki, Abby Siefker and Ashley Tunstall each have played in all three games to date. Siefker has 4.3 rebounds per game and is second on the Falcons with 1.3 blocks per outing, while Tunstall has 3.3 boards per contest.

• Donovan, Justinger, Lambert, Myers and Tibbs each have started all three games for the Brown and Orange this season.

• The Falcons are shooting 36.8% from the field, 28.6% from three-point land and an eye-popping 87.2% from the free-throw line. The opponents are shooting 31.7% from the floor, 27.3% from the arc and 71.4% from the stripe.

• BGSU has a scoring margin of +9.3 and a rebounding margin of +14.7. The Falcons have blocked 5.0 shots per game after averaging 1.5 bpg a year ago.

• Head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons returned a total of eight letterwinners, all of whom had started at least five games in their BGSU careers entering the season. That group included seniors Donovan and Justinger, juniors Konieczki and Siefker and sophomores Kirkpatrick, Myers, Sarah Baer and Haley Puk.

• Those eight returnees were joined by five newcomers, including a pair of transfers who were eligible to play immediately. The quintet of new faces includes Tibbs, Tunstall, Lambert, Santoro and Maddie Cole.

• Donovan was named to the Preseason All-MAC Team, despite missing most of last season due to injury. She was one of just two players conference-wide to be named to the preseason all-league team for the second-straight season.

• The 2014-15 Falcons went 9-21 overall after four players on the 12-woman preseason roster suffered season- or career-ending injuries, and a fifth missed the bulk of the conference schedule due to injury as well. The returning players entered the season with a combined total of 203 starts in the Brown and Orange.

CLEANING THE GLASS
• The Falcons, as mentioned, have had success on the boards in the early going. BGSU has outrebounded each of the season's first three opponents by at least nine boards, including a whopping 55-31 advantage on the glass in the Bradley game.

• BGSU's total of 55 boards vs. BU was the team's highest in nearly four years, since the Falcons had 60 rebounds vs. Madonna on Dec. 21, 2011. It was BG's highest total against a Division-I team in just under five years, since a 56-rebound night against Youngstown State on Nov. 17, 2010, at venerable Anderson Arena. BGSU downed Madonna by 50 points and YSU by 46.

• BGSU's +24 rebounding margin vs. Bradley was the team's largest in exactly two years, since a 26-rebound advantage in a win over Niagara on Nov. 15, 2013. On that evening, the Falcons had 49 boards to NU's 23.

RUNNING WITH THE FALCONS
• The Falcons had a 21-0 run in the second quarter of the Illinois State game, and a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter against Bradley. Through three games, BGSU has had three double-digit runs, while the opponents have had none.

• Last year, BGSU had a total of 12 double-digit runs, with two 17-0 runs and no other runs of more than 13 points. The opponents had a total of 17 double-digit runs vs. the Falcons last winter.

THREE-GION OF BOOM
BGSU will be looking to extend an impressive streak on Friday vs. Davidson. The Falcons have hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last 344 games. BG has not been held without a triple in over 10 years – since Feb. 12, 2005, at Akron, when the Falcons won, 61-52, despite going 0-of-13 from long distance.

SCOUTING DAVIDSON
Davidson is 2-2 on the season, having played four road games heading into Friday's neutral-site contest with BG. The Wildcats opened the season with a 69-51 win at Furman, then dropped decisions to Wake Forest (77-58) and North Carolina State (58-42). On Tuesday night, DC posted a 62-60 win in double overtime at High Point. Senior forward Dakota Dukes leads the team with 15.8 points per game, and she also paces the Wildcats with 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. Sophomore forward Mackenzie Latt is second on the team in scoring and rebounding, with 12.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg. Senior forward Hannah Early has 6.8 points and 7.0 boards per contest. A year ago, Early set the school single-season record with 74 three-point field goals made. Head coach Michele Savage welcomed back nine letterwinners, including all five starters, from a year ago when the Wildcats went 5-25 overall and 1-15 in their first season in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

THE BGSU-DC SERIES
• The Falcons and Davidson will be meeting in women's basketball for the first time.

SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE
Jacksonville is 2-2 on the season heading into a Friday game vs. UNCW. The Dolphins defeated Thomas University, 88-50, on Tuesday night. JU has won two-straight games, downing Dartmouth (51-44) after losses at USF (74-52) and Texas-Arlington (56-54) to start the season. Tuesday's Thomas tilt was JU's home opener, and the first three games of the season all were part of the WNIT.. Individually, junior guard Sherranda Reddick has 13.0 points per game to pace four double-digit scorers. Senior forward Briona Brown has 11.3 ppg along with 6.3 rebounds per outing, while redshirt junior forward Christin Mercer (a transfer from Florida) and sophomore forward Kayla Gordon have 11.0 and 10.0 ppg, respectively. Gordon has 8.8 rpg to pace the Dolphins. Head coach Yolett McPhee-Mccuin and the Dolphins went 12-17 overall and 6-8 in the Atlantic Sun Conference a year ago, placing fourth in the league. JU returned five letterwinners – all five starters – from last season.

THE BGSU-JU SERIES
The Falcons lead Jacksonville, 1-0, in the all-time series between the teams. The only previous meeting came just under four years ago at the Stroh Center (Dec. 11, 2011), as BGSU shot nearly 53% from the field en route to an 83-53 win. Jennifer Roos is 0-0 against the Dolphins as a collegiate head coach.

UP NEXT
Following the UNCW tourney, the Falcons will return home to face Evansville on Wednesday (Dec. 2). That game, the first half of a doubleheader, will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center.

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