Falcons Head to The Q for Saturday Matinee with CSU

Saturday, December 5

Cleveland, Ohio

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Cleveland State

Tickets

Miriam Justinger lineup v Evansville Dec 2 2015 - Christine Nelson photo

Photo by: Christine Nelson, BGSU Marketing & Communications

December 04, 2015 | Women's Basketball

BGSU continues a stretch of three games in seven days

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team continues a busy early-December stretch with a pair of road games, beginning this weekend. The Falcons of head coach Jennifer Roos head to Northeast Ohio for a Saturday (Dec. 5) matchup against Cleveland State University. Saturday's game will begin at 1:00 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena (20,500) in downtown Cleveland, and will be the first half of a doubleheader which will also see the CSU men's team take on Kent State. The Brown and Orange then will head to Charlottesville, Va., for a Tuesday (Dec. 8) morning game against the University of Virginia.

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* coming soon

LAST TIME OUT: BGSU SHOOTS PAST EVANSVILLE, 74-56
• For the second-straight game, the Falcons got a solid shooting performance from both inside and outside the three-point arc. On Wednesday night (Dec. 2), BGSU rode that hot-shooting effort to a 74-56 win over Evansville.

• Wednesday's win marked the second consecutive game that the Brown and Orange shot better than 50 percent from the field and over 40 percent from three-point range. The Falcons were 8-of-13 from three-point land in the second half and 11-of-25 from long distance in the game.

• All 13 players on the active roster saw action for the Falcons, and 12 of those 13 found the scoresheet. The home team had 18 assists on 27 baskets, with 10 different players handing out at least one assist.

• Twelve Falcons had at least one rebound in the game, as BGSU had a 39-25 advantage on the glass.

• The Falcons shot 65.2% from the field in the second half, going 15-for-23, and BGSU was 27-of-48 (56.3%) on the night. The home team shot 61.5% from three-point range after halftime en route to a long-range rate of 44.0% for the game.

• Senior Lauren Tibbs was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor en route to a team-leading 15 points. In just her third game in the Stroh Center, she set an arena record for field-goal percentage. Sophomore Rachel Myers hit four of the Falcons' 11 three-pointers en route to 14 points, while freshman Carly Santoro rounded out BG's double-figure scorers with 10 points off the bench.

• Camille Coleman had a game-high 19 points for the Purple Aces, while Aaliyah Gaines scored 10.

BGSU AT THE Q
• The Falcons enter Saturday's game with an all-time record of 21-7 at Quicken Loans (formerly Gund) Arena. The CSU game marks the first regular-season contest BGSU will play in the building, as all 28 prior games were part of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

• Beginning with the 2005 league tourney, the Falcons won 10-straight games at the venue, with titles in '05, '06 and '07. After a quarterfinal-round win over Kent State in 2008, that streak came to an end in the semifinal round, with a double-overtime loss to Ohio.

• BGSU also had a six-game winning streak at "The Q" in 2010 & '11, winning three games each year to capture the league tourney title on both occasions. The Falcons are 21-6 at the facility since Jennifer Roos arrived at BGSU in 2001.

HOT-SHOOTING FALCONS!
• BGSU has shot better than 50 percent from the field in back-to-back games for the first time in nearly five years.

• The Falcons shot 52.1% in Saturday's (Nov. 28) win over Jacksonville, going 25-of-48 from the floor. It marked the first time this season that BG shot better than 50%, and it was the Falcons' highest success rate in over a year. The Brown and Orange shot 55.8% from the field in a 65-53 win over Michigan in the third round of the WNIT on March 27, 2014.

• Saturday's effort against Jacksonville was BG's best in a road game since earlier in that 2013-14 season, when the Falcons shot 55.8% from the floor in a 78-62 road win over Ohio (Jan. 30, 2014). BGSU went 24-for-43 against both Ohio and U-M.

• Then, on Wednesday (Dec. 2), the Brown and Orange shot 56.3% from the floor in the win over Evansville, going 27-for-48. That was the Falcons' highest FG pct. since a 56.9% rate in a blowout win over Kent State on Feb. 27, 2014.

• The Falcons have had a FG pct. of 50% or better in back-to-back games for the first time since lopsided victories over Miami (50.9%; Jan. 8, 2011) and Akron (58.8%; Jan. 12, 2011) in January of 2011. BG scored 90 points in each of those two wins.

HOT-SHOOTING FALCONS! PART TWO
• The Falcons shot a blistering 66.7 percent in the second half of the win over Jacksonville, going 12-of-18 from the field. That was the team's best percentage in a half since the aforementioned Michigan game, when the Brown and Orange also went 12-of-18 from the floor in the second half of that win.

• BGSU has not had a better-shooting half since going 18-of-26 (69.2%) in the first half against Ohio on March 3, 2013. That day, the Falcons took a 44-23 halftime lead en route to a 73-52 victory.

• Then, in the Evansville game, the Brown and Orange shot 65.2% in the second half, going 15-for-23 from the floor in the final 20 minutes.

• So, if you're scoring at home, the Falcons have shot 65.9% (27-of-41) from the field in the second half of the last two games combined.

IF WE HAD A CLEVER HEADLINE ABOUT BG SHOOTING WELL, IT WOULD GO HERE
As you just read, BGSU has shot better than 50 percent from the field in two games this season to date. BG did not shoot over 50% in any of last year's 30 games, and the Falcons shot 50% or better in only six halves (BG's done so in two halves this year). Two seasons ago, the Falcons shot at least 50% in a game five times, and shot 50% or better in 22 halves.

A FEW MORE NOTES ABOUT BGSU'S HOT SHOOTING
• The Falcons shot 60% in the opening quarter of the Evansville game, going 6-for-10 from the field. BG held UE to just three buckets in 16 attempts (18.8%), including a 1-for-9 effort from three-point range, in that period. The Aces were just 1-of-15 from long distance in the first half, a success rate of just 6.7%.

• BGSU hit 4-of-6 three-point tries to begin the second half, including a 3-for-3 start from long range.

• The Falcons sealed the win over Evansville by shooting 77.8% (7-for-9) from the field in the fourth quarter. The Brown and Orange went 4-of-6 from three-point land in the fourth period after going 4-of-7 in the third. And, the Falcons held a 10-1 rebounding advantage in the fourth quarter.

THREE-MENDOUS
• The Falcons have shot better than 40 percent from three-point range in back-to-back games. BGSU turned that trick three times last year and six times in 2013-14.

• Over that two-game span, BGSU has shot 45.7% from beyond the arc, having gone a combined 21-for-46.

THREE-LIGHTFUL
• BGSU's total of 11 three-pointers made vs. Evansville was a season high, topping the total of 10 in the Jacksonville game. The Falcons have not made more than 11 treys since Feb. 9, 2014, when BG shredded the nets with 15 triples in a 91-45 win.

• BG has had back-to-back games with double-digit three-point totals for the first time since February of 2014. The '13-14 Falcons made 12 triples vs. Western Michigan and 15 more in the aforementioned Miami game.

HITTING SHOTS = SCORING POINTS
• The Falcons scored 72 points in last weekend's win over Jacksonville. That marked the team's highest point total since a 76-62 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) nearly a year ago (Dec. 13, 2014).

• Then, the Brown and Orange scored a season-high 74 points in Wednesday night's win over Evansville. BGSU has scored over 70 points in back-to-back games for the first time since late in the 2013-14 season, when the Falcons topped High Point (March 20, 2014) and St. Bonaventure (March 24, 2014) in WNIT contests at the Stroh Center.

A RECORD FOR TIBBS
In just her third game in the Stroh Center, senior Lauren Tibbs set an arena record. Tibbs was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field in Wednesday's win over Evansville to set a Stroh single-game record for field-goal percentage. The old record was 5-for-5, shared by three former Falcons.
STROH CENTER RECORD, FIELD-GOAL PCT.
Pct. (FGM-A) ---- Player, Opponent (Date)
100.0% (6-6) ---- Lauren Tibbs, BGSU vs. Evansville (Dec. 2, 2015)
100.0% (5-5) ---- Chrissy Steffen, BGSU vs. Ohio (March 2, 2013)
100.0% (5-5) ---- Alexis Rogers, BGSU vs. Kent State (March 9, 2013)
100.0% (5-5) ---- Jillian Halfhill, BGSU vs. Miami (Feb. 9, 2014)

SIXTY POINTS = SUCCESS AT THE STROH
• The Falcons have an overall record of 51-16 at the Stroh Center since the building opened prior to the 2011-12 season. While a 76.1% winning percentage is certainly impressive, BGSU's chances of winning at home have increased exponentially when the team scores at least 60 points.

• The Falcons have scored over 60 points in each of this season's first three home games, winning all three. BGSU is now 48-2 (96.0%) when reaching the 60-point mark inside the Stroh, and BG is 30-2 when scoring at least 70 points, 12-0 when hitting the 80-point mark and 3-0 when reaching the 90-point plateau.

• BGSU is a perfect 18-0 when scoring between 60 and 69 points at the Stroh. The Falcons are 18-2 when scoring 70-79 points in the building. The losses came to VCU (72-71) in the 2012 WNIT and to Akron (79-71) late last season.

SIXTY POINTS = SUCCESS ANYWHERE
Regardless of venue, the Falcons' chances of winning have significantly improved when the team scores 60 or more points. BGSU is a perfect 4-0 this season when reaching or surpassing the 60-point threshold. Last year, BGSU reached the 60-point plateau only nine times, including just twice after Christmas. The Falcons went 8-1 in such games last winter. Two years ago, BG scored at least 60 points 29 times in 35 games, going 27-2.

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. On Wednesday, sophomore Rachel Myers hit a three-pointer to begin a 13-0 first-quarter run for the Orange and Brown.

• Through six games, BGSU has had four 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.

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 currently ranks fourth in the country in free-throw percentage, having shot 80.7% from the line through six games. The Falcons have made 71 tosses in 88 tries. SMU (84.0%) currently leads the nation..

• The Falcons began the season by making 15-of-18 shots from the line (83.3%) vs. Illinois State, and BG then went 19-of-20 vs. Bradley, hitting 18 consecutive charity tosses in that game before missing a shot in the final minute. BGSU's 95.0% success rate vs. BU set a new Stroh Center record.

• BGSU went 7-of-9 (77.8%) at the line at Cincinnati, 'only' 9-of-14 (64.3%) vs. Davidson and 12-of-14 (85.7%) against Jacksonville. BG hit nine tosses in 13 tries (69.2%) vs. Evansville. The Falcons have made at least 70% of their free throws in four of this year's six games and in 29 of the last 36 games, dating to the beginning of last season.

SHARE THE LOVE
• The Falcons have had 75 assists on 136 field goals this season, compared to just 49 assists on 130 buckets for the opponents.

• BGSU's offense is balanced enough that no player has more than 2.2 assists per game, but no fewer than eight Falcons have at least 1.0 assist per contest. Freshman point guard Sydney Lambert has 2.2 assists per game, and senior post players Erica Donovan and Miriam Justinger have 1.8 and 1.7 assists per outing, respectively.

SHARING IS CARING
A total of 10 different players had at least one assist in BGSU's win over Evansville. No Falcon had more than three assists in the victory. BG had 18 helpers on 27 hoops vs. the Purple Aces.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green enters the Cleveland State game with a record of 4-2. BGSU began the season with a pair of double-digit wins at the Stroh Center, then left Northwest Ohio and played three games that were decided by a total of 10 points.

• Most recently, the Falcons picked up a 74-56 home win over Evansville on Wednesday night (Dec. 2). That came on the heels of a 1-1 weekend in Wilmington, N.C. BGSU dropped a 70-66 decision to Davidson (Nov. 27) before downing Jacksonville, 72-69 in overtime (Nov. 28), in the UNCW Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic.

• BGSU began the season with home victories over a pair of Missouri Valley Conference teams, dispatching Illinois State and Bradley in a three-day span, before losing a narrow 54-51 contest at Cincinnati the following weekend.

• Just one Falcon, fifth-year senior Lauren Tibbs, has a double-digit scoring average. Tibbs, in her first season at BGSU after transferring from Marquette, has 12.2 points per game, and also leads the Falcons with 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Tibbs is shooting a BG-best 63.3 percent from the field.

• Freshman Sydney Lambert and senior Miriam Justinger have 9.7 and 9.5 ppg, respectively. Lambert leads BGSU in assists and is tied for the team's steals lead, and she has hit a BG-best 11 three-point field goals to date. Justinger is third on the team in both rebounding and assists, and has made 10 long-distance shots.

• Sophomore Rachel Myers and redshirt soph Kennedy Kirkpatrick have 7.3 and 7.0 ppg, respectively, while senior Erica Donovan has 6.7 ppg. Myers has hit 10 three-pointers to tie Justinger for second on the team.

• Kirkpatrick scored a game- and career-high 19 points in the win over Jacksonville, and is shooting a team-best 92.3% (12-of-13) from the free-throw line. Donovan is second on the team in assists and third in rebounding.

• Freshman Carly Santoro has 5.2 ppg, while juniors Ashley Tunstall and Rachel Konieczki have 2.2 and 1.8 ppg, respectively. In addition to the aforementioned nine players, junior Abby Siefker (1.5 ppg) has played in all six games to date.

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

• The Falcons are shooting 42.2% from the field, 34.1% from three-point land and an eye-popping 80.7% from the free-throw line. The opponents are shooting 36.6% from the floor, 26.0% from the arc and 65.8% from the stripe.

• BGSU has a scoring margin of +7.5 and a rebounding margin of +8.5. The Falcons have blocked 3.2 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.

• 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.

SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE
Cleveland State is 1-4 on the young season. After dropping four games to begin the year, the Vikings went on the road and picked up a 60-49 victory at Kent State Wednesday evening (Dec. 2). CSU has faced Bucknell and Evansville at home and Belmont and Niagara on the road. Three of the team's losses came by single digits, with the Bucknell game a two-point decision and the Niagara game decided by just one point in overtime. Individually, redshirt freshman forward Ashanti Abshaw leads the Vikings in both scoring and rebounding, with 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Redshirt sophomore guard Khayla Livingston and redshirt junior guard Adesuwa Aideyman have scored 12.6 and 11.8 ppg, respectively, while redshirt sophomore forward Olivia Voskuhl has 9.6 ppg and 7.4 rpg. Each of the four aforementioned players missed the majority of last season due to injuries. Junior guard Brooke Smith has scored 7.0 ppg and leads the team in both assists (3.4 apg) and steals (3.8 spg) on the year. Last season, Kate Peterson Abiad and the Vikes went 19-13 overall and 10-6 in Horizon League play, and CSU advanced to the WNIT. Peterson Abiad welcomed back seven letterwinners, including two starters, from that 2014-15 club.

THE BGSU-CSU SERIES
The Falcons lead Cleveland State, 9-3, in the all-time series between the teams, and BGSU has won the last seven meetings. The teams have not met in over a decade, since an 82-67 Falcon win in January of 2004 at venerable Anderson Arena. The Falcons faced CSU 10 times between 1978 and '88, but the teams have played only twice since then. BGSU is 6-1 at home and 3-2 on the road vs. the Vikings. CSU's last win over the Falcons came in January of 1982, an 82-77 overtime win. Jennifer Roos is 0-0 against the Vikings as a collegiate head coach.

THREE-GION OF BOOM
BGSU will be looking to extend an impressive streak on Saturday at CSU. The Falcons have hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last 347 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.

THREE-MARKABLE
The Falcons have made at least five three-point field goals in each of this season's six games to date. BG has hit four or more triples in 38 of the last 39 games, dating to late in the 2013-14 season. The lone exception during that stretch was last year's MAC Tournament first-round game, when BG made three treys at Western Michigan.

UP NEXT
Following the Cleveland State game, the Falcons will conclude a stretch of three games in a seven-day span with a trip to Charlottesville, Va., for a Tuesday morning (Dec. 8) game vs. the University of Virginia. The game will begin at 11:00 a.m. at John Paul Jones Arena, and over 7,000 elementary and middle-school students are expected to attend the game.

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