Falcons Face Flashes on Alumnae Day at the Stroh

Saturday, January 23

Bowling Green, Ohio

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Kent State

Tickets

Lauren Tibbs v SDSU - Dec 21 2015 - Garza

Lauren Tibbs & the Falcons are home for the next 2 games, beginning Saturday

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

January 22, 2016 | Women's Basketball

BGSU welcomes Kent State to town to kick off bobble-riffic doubleheader

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, coming off of a double-digit win on the road, returns home for the next two Mid-American Conference games. The Falcons of head coach Jennifer Roos face Kent State University on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 23), with tipoff set for 2:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center.

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#TBT on a Friday: Falcons top Flashes to Capture MAC Tourney Title | Stats

DOUBLEHEADER
Saturday's game will be the first half of a doubleheader at the Stroh, as the BGSU men's basketball team also hosts Kent State 30 minutes after the completion of the BGSU-KSU women's contest. The men's game is the Falcons' Centennial Game, celebrating 100 years of BGSU men's basketball.

WELCOME BACK! IT'S ALUMNAE DAY
Saturday's game is Alumnae Day for the women's basketball Falcons, and a number of former BGSU standouts are expected to be on hand for the Kent State game. The Falcon women's basketball alumnae in attendance at the game will be recognized on the court at halftime.

FRAN VOLL BOBBLEHEAD
The first 500 fans through the Stroh Center doors on Saturday will receive a bobblehead of former Falcon coach Fran Voll. Voll compiled a 144-60 record in seven years as head coach, leading the Falcons to four NCAA Tournament appearances, four MAC Tournament titles, and three MAC regular season championships. His teams compiled a sparkling 89-27 record in MAC reular season play and a 10-3 record in MAC Tournament play. Voll also coached at Central Michigan for five years. He served as chairman of the BGSU Board of Trustees, and later became principal of his alma mater, Marion Catholic H.S., until his retirement in 2011. Voll is a member of multiple Halls of Fame, and was named to the BGSU Centennial's 100 most distinguished graduates in 2010.

BLACKJACK
The Falcons ended the first half on a 21-0 run Wednesday night (Jan. 20), taking a 20-point halftime lead en route to a 58-43 win at Northern Illinois. After NIU hit a three-point field goal just six seconds into the second quarter, the Huskies would not score again until early in the third period. Five different Falcons scored during the run, led by redshirt sophomore Kennedy Kirkpatrick, who had six points. Senior Lauren Tibbs and sophomore Haley Puk scored five points apiece during that time. BG was 9-for-18 from the field during that stretch while forcing NIU to miss 12 consecutive shots.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
If you can't make it to the Stroh Center on Saturday, you can still follow the Falcons via your radio- or computer-like devices. The BGSU-KSU game, like all of BG's games, will be broadcast by WBGU-FM 88.1, the flagship home of Falcon women's basketball, and will be available over the air or on the web. Additionally, Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN3.com, and live stats will be available as well. And, in-game updates can be found at @BGSUwbb on your twitter machine. To follow the Falcons, simply log on to BGSUFalcons.com and click the 'calendar' link on the day of the game, or navigate your way to the women's basketball page.

LAST TIME OUT: EPIC RUN LIFTS FALCONS TO 58-43 WIN AT NIU
• The Falcons, as mentioned earlier, ended the first half on a 21-0 run, seizing control of Wednesday night's (Jan. 20) game en route to a 58-43 win over host Northern Illinois at the Convocation Center.

• Senior Lauren Tibbs led the Falcons (6-9, 2-4 MAC) with 15 points, and had a game-high 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Redshirt sophomore Kennedy Kirkpatrick joined Tibbs in double figures in the scoring column, with 10 points off the bench.

• Sophomore Haley Puk had eight points for the Falcons, while junior Abby Siefker had seven points and freshman Sydney Lambert six. Siefker, Kirkpatrick and senior Miriam Justinger each had six rebounds in the win, while Lambert had five steals, the highest total of her young BGSU career.

• The Falcons led by a 13-11 score after one quarter of play, but NIU's Mikayla Voigt hit a three-point field goal on the opening possession of the second quarter. Then, however, the Brown and Orange held the Huskies off the scoreboard for the remainder of the quarter, scoring 21-straight points to take a 34-14 lead into the intermission.

• BGSU still led by 20 points after three quarters, allowing the hosts to score just 23 total points over the first 30 minutes, before NIU got 20 fourth-quarter points to surpass the 40-point plateau for the game. The hosts had 29 points with four minutes to go, before scoring 14 points in the last 3:57 of the contest.

• Voigt led the Huskies (8-9, 1-5 MAC) with 15 points, while Lacia Gorman had eight. No other NIU player scored more than four points. In fact, the Falcons held Northern's top-two scorers, Ally Lehman and Kelly Smith, without a field goal.

• The Huskies' 43 points was the lowest total allowed by the Falcons this season to date. NIU made 16 field goals and shot just 26.7 percent from the field, both season-low totals/averages for a BG opponent.

• Wednesday's win was BGSU's first double-digit victory on the road since a 61-47 win over Bradley in December of 2014. It was the Falcons' first double-digit road win in a MAC game since a 73-56 triumph at Miami in March of '14.

• BGSU held a 51-38 rebounding advantage in the win, and the Falcons pulled down 13 offensive boards. BG had advantages of 18-12 in points in the paint, 18-9 in points off turnovers, 13-6 in second-chance points and 24-15 in bench scoring.

DOING IT WITH DEFENSE
The Falcons held NIU's top-two scorers, Ally Lehman and Kelly Smith, without a field goal on Wednesday night. Lehman entered the game with an average of 13.3 points per game, while Smith was scoring 11.6 ppg. But, the duo went a combined 0-for-18 from the field on vs. BGSU. Smith had one point in 21 minutes of action, while Lehman was scoreless in 35 minutes.

DOING IT WITH DEFENSE II
• The Huskies' 43 points was the lowest total allowed by the Falcons this season to date. NIU made 16 field goals and shot just 26.7 percent from the field, both season-low totals/averages for a BG opponent.

• The last time BG held a team to 43 points or fewer was nearly two years ago, in a 63-39 win over Ohio at the Stroh Center (March 2, 2014). That game also marked the last time the Falcons held an opponent to such a low field-goal percentage. The Bobcats shot 22.4% that day, going 11-for-49 from the floor.

DOING IT WITH DEFENSE III
Freshman Sydney Lambert had five steals – the highest total of her young career and the most by a Falcon this season – in the win at NIU. Lambert's total was the highest by a BG player since Alexis Rogers had seven steals at Miami on March 8, 2014.

CLEANING THE GLASS
BGSU had a 51-38 rebounding advantage in the win at Northern Illinois. The Falcons surpassed the 50-rebound total for the second time this season (55 vs. Bradley), but Wednesday's game marked the first time BG had 50 or more boards in a MAC game in nearly two years, since a win over Eastern Michigan on Feb. 15, 2014.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 6-9, and the Falcons are 2-4 in MAC play. BG snapped a four-game losing streak with Wednesday night's (Jan. 20) 58-43 win at Northern Illinois.

• BG opened conference action with a 64-58 win at Miami (Jan. 2), but the Brown and Orange then suffered a road loss to Western Michigan before falling at home to defending MAC champion Ohio, Akron and Ball State.

• The Miami game was the Falcons' first in 12 days, and just BG's second in a 25-day span. BGSU played three games in seven days to begin December, and after a game on Dec. 8, did not play again until Dec. 21. Then, a trip to San Antonio just after Christmas was cancelled.

• BGSU is 3-4 at home, 2-4 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games this season. The Falcons are 0-3 at the Stroh in MAC play, but BG is 2-1 on the road in league action after going 0-10 against conference opponents away from Bowling Green last year (0-9 in the regular season, 0-1 in the MAC Tournament).

• BG began the season with a pair of double-digit wins at the Stroh, then left Northwest Ohio and played three games that were decided by a total of 10 points.

• Each of the Falcons' first three home games came against Missouri Valley Conference foes, and the Brown and Orange won those three games by an average of 16.3 points. BG began the season by dispatching both Illinois State and Bradley at the Stroh Center over a three-day span, before losing a narrow 54-51 contest at Cincinnati the following weekend.

• The Falcons headed to Wilmington, N.C., and split a pair of games, dropping a 70-66 decision to Davidson before downing Jacksonville, 72-69 in overtime. Those two contests were part of the UNCW Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic.

• BGSU began the month of December with a 74-56 win over Evansville at the Stroh, but BG then lost to Cleveland State at Quicken Loans Arena. The Falcons dropped a 68-39 decision before more than 10,000 fans at Virginia on Dec. 8, then suffered a 58-45 setback against perennial mid-major power South Dakota State at the Stroh nearly two weeks later (Dec. 21).

• 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 11.3 points per game, and also leads the Falcons with 7.1 rebounds and 0.9 blocked shots per contest. Tibbs had her third double-double of the season, with 15 points and 10 boards at Northern Illinois, and she is shooting 56.9 percent from the field to lead the team and rank third in the MAC in that category.

• Freshman Sydney Lambert and senior Miriam Justinger have 9.3 and 8.1 ppg, respectively. Justinger scored a season-high 20 points in the Akron game, while Lambert has scored 17 points in each of the Falcons' last two Saturday contests. Justinger and Lambert rank one-two on the team in assists, with Justinger handing out 2.0 assists per game and Lambert right behind with 1.9 apg.

• Lambert paces the Falcons with a total of 29 three-point field goals made, and she also leads the team in steals. Justinger is tied for second on the team in steals and ranks third in rebounding. She has made 17 long-distance shots this year, ranking third on the Falcons on that list as well.

• Lambert is shooting 42.6% from three-point land, while Justinger has made 31.5% of her long-range attempts.

• Sophomore Rachel Myers and redshirt soph Kennedy Kirkpatrick have 6.5 and 5.1 ppg, respectively. Myers is second on the Falcons with 23 three-pointers made, and she is shooting 35.4% from long range. Lambert (third) and Myers (10th) each are ranked among the MAC's top-10 players in three-point field-goal percentage.

• Kirkpatrick is third on the Falcons in assists, and had 10 points and six rebounds in the win at NIU.

• Freshman Carly Santoro has 4.4 ppg, while junior Ashley Tunstall has scored 4.0 ppg to date. Santoro posted season-high totals in points (11), rebounds, field goals made and attempted at Western Michigan, and she added nine points and a season-high six rebounds against Ball State. Tunstall had a 13-point, nine-rebound game at Miami, and is second on the team with 4.8 boards per contest. She was limited to just 11 minutes in the Ohio game due to injury, and missed both the Akron and BSU games before returning to action against NIU.

• Sophomore Haley Puk has 2.5 ppg, while juniors Rachel Konieczki and Abby Siefker are averaging 1.6 ppg apiece. Siefker had a season-high seven points at NIU, and she is second on the team in blocked shots, with 11 rejections in 15 games.

• Eight players – Justinger, Kirkpatrick, Konieczki, Lambert, Myers, Santoro, Siefker and Tibbs – each have seen action in all 15 games, while Tunstall and Puk have played in 13 apiece, sophomore Sarah Baer 10 and freshman Maddie Cole five. Justinger, Lambert, Myers and Tibbs each have started all 15 games for the Brown and Orange this season, while Tunstall joined them in the starting lineup for six-straight games before suffering her injury. Siefker drew her first start of the season vs. the Zips, and also was in the starting five for the BSU and NIU games.

• The Falcons are shooting 38.0% from the field, 31.9% from three-point land and 71.3% from the free-throw line. The opponents are shooting 38.5% from the floor, 31.7% from the arc and 66.0% from the stripe.

• In MAC games only, Tibbs is averaging 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds and is shooting 53.3% from the floor, while Lambert has 9.8 ppg and has hit a team-leading 14 triples. Both Justinger and Myers are averaging 7.2 ppg in MAC play.

• 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. The returnees were joined by five newcomers, including a pair of transfers (Tibbs and Tunstall) who were eligible to play immediately.

• 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.

JUSTINGER SURPASSES 900 CAREER POINTS
Senior Miriam Justinger enters the KSU game with a career total of 903 points at BGSU. She is tied for 32rd in school history with Sue Pokelsek (1979-83), and is 13 points behind Tara Breske (916 points from 2006-10) on the BG career scoring list.

THE KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State will enter Saturday's game with an overall record of 3-13, and the Golden Flashes are 0-6 in MAC action to date. KSU suffered a 93-54 loss to visiting Ohio on Wednesday evening (Jan. 20). The Flashes' wins have come against Colgate, Malone and North Dakota State, all at the M.A.C. Center. KSU is 3-6 at home and 0-7 on the road. Four of the Flashes' six MAC games to date have been played away from home. Sophomore forward Jordan Korinek leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, with 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and she is shooting 54.9 percent from the field. Junior guard Larissa Lurken and redshirt freshman guard Tyra James are averaging 13.6 and 10.3 ppg, respectively. Lurken has made a team-leading 29 three-point field goals, and she paces the Flashes in steals. James is second on the team in rebounding (5.4 rpg) and assists, and she ranks third in steals. Last season, head coach Danielle O'Banion's team finished 5-25 overall and 3-15 in MAC play. O'Banion welcomed back four letterwinners, including three starters, from that 2014-15 club.

THE BGSU-KSU SERIES
The Falcons lead Kent State, 52-30, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Golden Flashes won both of last season's games. Prior to that, BGSU had won eight-straight meetings and 21-of-22 matchups with the Flashes. In last year's first game (Jan. 10, 2015), host KSU shot nearly 62 percent from the field in the second half, holding off a late BGSU charge for a 55-48 win over the Falcons. Then, in the return match, a furious comeback bid by the Falcons fell just short, as KSU escaped the Stroh Center with a 62-58 win (Feb. 21, 2015). Two years ago, BG posted a 58-39 win at the M.A.C. Center (Jan. 9, 2014) and an 82-38 triumph at the Stroh (Feb. 27, 2014). Kent State won 12-straight series matchups, and 17-of-18 contests, before BG captured the next 13 meetings. Kent State won a 44-43 decision in Kent five years ago (Jan. 15, 2011), and BG then won eight consecutive games before last season's two losses. BGSU is 25-11 in home games (including 4-1 inside the Stroh Center), 20-17 in road contests and 7-2 in neutral-site meetings with KSU over the years. Jennifer Roos is 5-2 against the Flashes as a collegiate head coach.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering Saturday's Kent State game, BGSU has an all-time record of 394-173 (.695) in MAC regular-season contests, for the most wins and highest winning percentage of all league institutions. And, BG leads the series with all 11 MAC foes, making the Falcons the only team in the league, obviously, with a winning series record against every other school. BG also has the most overall victories and highest overall winning pct. of any conference institution.

THREE-MARKABLE
The Falcons have made at least five three-point field goals in each of this season's 15 games to date. In fact, BG has hit four or more triples in 47 of the last 48 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.

THREE-MENDOUS
Junior Abby Siefker knocked down a three-pointer in the win at Northern Illinois, the first triple of her career. Siefker is the 11th different player on the roster to make at least one three-pointer this season.

THREE-LIGHTFUL
BGSU will be looking to extend an impressive streak in the KSU game. The Falcons have hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last 356 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.

UP NEXT
Following the Kent State game, the Falcons will remain home for a midweek contest. BGSU will host Eastern Michigan on Wednesday (Jan. 27) in a 7:00 p.m. start, on Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night at the Stroh Center. Then, the Falcons will end the month of January with a game at Toledo on Saturday, Jan. 30.
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