BGSU Faces Ohio as Home Portion of MAC Schedule Begins

Saturday, January 9

Bowling Green, Ohio

4:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Ohio *

Tickets

Haley Puk Rachel Konieczki v SDSU - Dec 21 2015 - Garza

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

January 08, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Falcons meet defending conference champions in second half of hoops DH at the Stroh

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, after splitting a pair of road games to begin the Mid-American Conference schedule, now returns to Northwest Ohio for a season-long three-game homestand. Head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons begin that home swing by facing defending conference champion Ohio University on Saturday (Jan. 9) afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center, but the game is the second half of a Falcon hoops doubleheader which also sees the BGSU men take on Central Michigan University in a 2:00 p.m. start.

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ONLY ONE UNBEATEN IS LEFT
After just two games, only one of the 12 MAC teams is undefeated in conference play. That team would be BG's next opponent, Ohio. The Bobcats picked up wins over Western Michigan and Ball State to begin the MAC slate. No fewer than 10 teams – including all six teams in the West Division – are 1-1 in MAC play, while one team, Kent State, is 0-2.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
If you can't make it to the Stroh Center on Saturday afternoon, you can still follow the Falcons via your radio- or computer-like devices. The game 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, all of BGSU's home games are aired 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: BRONCOS DOWN FALCONS IN KALAMAZOO
• Host Western Michigan took advantage of early BGSU turnovers, seizing control en route to a 74-45 win over the Falcons Wednesday night (Jan. 6).

• The Broncos (9-5, 1-1 MAC) scored the last 12 points of the first quarter to take a 22-9 lead after the opening 10 minutes. Western had a 10-0 advantage in points off turnovers in that first quarter.

• BG scored a bucket to open the second quarter, but WMU countered with six-straight points, and the Falcons never got closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

• Miracle Woods and Jessica Jessing each scored 17 points for the Broncos, with Jessing going 6-for-7 from the field including a 4-for-5 performance from three-point range.

• For the Falcons (5-6, 1-1 MAC), freshman Carly Santoro scored 11 points, while senior Lauren Tibbs had eight points and eight rebounds. Junior Ashley Tunstall and sophomore Rachel Myers scored seven points apiece.

• The lead changed hands five times in the first five minutes of the contest, and when senior Miriam Justinger lobbed the ball to a cutting Tibbs for a layup, BGSU had a 7-6 lead. Woods countered with a jumper that bounced in, though, and Meredith Shipman's bucket in transition gave the Broncos a 10-7 advantage.

• Redshirt sophomore Kennedy Kirkpatrick hit a nice driving layup, and Western's lead was down to a single point at 10-9, but the Broncos then went on that aforementioned 12-0 run.

• Jessing hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions during the run, with the second trey giving her team an 18-9 lead.

• The Broncos scored 12 points off of 10 BG turnovers in that opening half. Western committed just four turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play.

• BGSU scored 21 fourth-quarter points, but it was too little, too late. Santoro scored eight points in that period, with Kirkpatrick and sophomore Haley Puk each hitting long-distance shots. But, the Broncos were never headed.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 5-6, and the Falcons are 1-1 in MAC play. BG snapped a three-game losing streak with Saturday's (Jan. 2) 64-58 win at Miami in the conference opener, but the Brown and Orange fell to Western Michigan, 74-45, Wednesday night (Jan. 6) in Kalamazoo.

• 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 3-1 at home, 1-4 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games this season. The Falcons are 1-1 on the road in MAC play 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, 69-48, 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 10.9 points per game, and also leads the Falcons with 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots per contest. Tibbs is shooting a BG-best 59.1 percent from the field, and she leads the entire MAC in field-goal percentage.

• Senior Miriam Justinger and freshman Sydney Lambert have 7.8 ppg apiece. Lambert leads BGSU in assists (2.1 apg) and has hit 16 three-point field goals to rank second on the team in that category. Justinger leads the Falcons in steals (1.0 spg) and is third on the team in both rebounding and assists. Justinger has made 14 long-distance shots this year, ranking third on the Falcons on that list as well.

• Lambert is shooting 39.0% from three-point land, while Justinger has made 35.9% of her long-range attempts. They are a combined 30-of-80 from behind the arc through the first 11 games.

• Sophomore Rachel Myers and redshirt soph Kennedy Kirkpatrick have 7.1 and 5.5 ppg, respectively. Kirkpatrick is second on the Falcons in assists, while Myers leads the Brown and Orange with 18 three-pointers made. Myers is shooting 38.3% from long range.

• Freshman Carly Santoro has 4.6 ppg, while junior Ashley Tunstall has scored 4.5 ppg to date. Santoro posted season-high totals in points (11), rebounds, field goals made and attempted at Western Michigan. Tunstall had a 13-point, nine-rebound game at Miami, and is second on the team with 4.9 boards per contest.

• Juniors Rachel Konieczki has 1.9 ppg, while classmate Abby Siefker and sophomore Haley Puk each are averaging 1.4 ppg. Siefker is second on the Falcons in blocked shots.

• Each of the first nine players mentioned has seen action in all 11 games, while Puk has played in nine, classmate Sarah Baer eight and freshman Maddie Cole four. Justinger, Lambert, Myers and Tibbs each have started all 11 games for the Brown and Orange this season, while Tunstall has joined them in the starting lineup for each of the last five games.

• The Falcons are shooting 39.0% from the field, 33.3% from three-point land and 71.0% from the free-throw line. The opponents are shooting 39.0% from the floor, 31.6% from the arc and 66.3% from the stripe.

• In MAC games only, Tibbs is averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds, while Myers (11.5 ppg) and Tunstall (10.0 ppg) also are scoring in double digits. Tunstall has 6.0 rpg in conference contests to tie Tibbs for the team lead.

• 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.

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio has an overall record of 10-3 on the season, and the Bobcats are the MAC's lone undefeated team with a 2-0 conference record to date. Ohio has won five consecutive games, including home victories over Western Michigan (73-63) and Ball State to open MAC play. The latter game was a 25-point decision, 73-48, on Wednesday night (Jan. 6). The Bobcats' only losses this season to date have come on the road against Illinois, Vanderbilt and Duquesne. Ohio is a perfect 5-0 at home, 1-3 on the road and 4-0 in neutral-site games. Individually, senior guard Kiyanna Black leads the team with 16.7 points per game, while junior guard Quiera Lampkins has 14.9 ppg. Black has hit a league-leading 45 three-point field goals – 26 more than any of her teammates – while Lampkins exploded for 33 points in the WMU game. Senior forward Lexie Baldwin has 8.3 ppg and 4.9 rebounds per game, while junior guard Yamonie Jenkins has 7.1 ppg to date. Junior forward Jasmine Weatherspoon, who has 5.5 ppg, leads the 'Cats in rebounds (7.1 rpg) and blocked shots (1.6 bpg). Head coach Bob Boldon led the Bobcats to a 27-5 overall record, a 16-2 league mark and MAC regular-season and tournament titles a year ago. Boldon and his staff welcomed back 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from that club.

THE BGSU-OHIO SERIES
The Falcons lead Ohio, 55-23, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Bobcats captured both of last year's meetings after BGSU had won the previous four games. The 2014-15 matchups saw Ohio win by scores of 71-46 at the Stroh Center (Feb. 11, 2015) and 67-47 in Athens (Feb. 28, 2015). Two years ago, BG swept both meetings, getting a game-ending 27-4 run en route to a 78-62 victory in Athens. (Jan. 30, 2014), before posting a 63-39 win on "Senior Day" at the Stroh (March 2, 2014). BGSU is 31-6 in home games, 21-15 on the road and 3-2 in neutral-site meetings vs. the Bobcats over the years. Jennifer Roos is 4-2 against Ohio as a collegiate head coach.

A VIEW FROM THE NORTH
Falcon senior Miriam Justinger and freshman Maddie Cole each had standout careers at Northview High School. On Saturday, for the third consecutive game, Justinger and Cole will see a familiar face on the opposing team, as Ohio freshman Kendall Jessing is also a Northview graduate. Kendall's older sister, Jessica, is a senior at Western Michigan, while Kendall McCoy is a freshman at Miami. The Falcons opened MAC play with road games vs. MU and WMU.

DON'T (ACTUALLY, GO AHEAD AND) CALL IT A COMEBACK
• The Falcons trailed by as many as 14 points late in the second quarter, before rallying to win at Miami in the MAC opener on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 2). The game marked the first time BG won after trailing by double digits in nearly two years, since a WNIT first-round game vs. High Point on March 20, 2014. On that evening, the Falcons fell behind by 10 points, but wound up winning by 10, 72-62.

• Saturday's Miami game marked BGSU's largest deficit overcome in a win in just under four years. On Jan. 7, 2012, the Brown and Orange trailed Akron by 15 points (28-13) late in the first half, but rallied for a 62-58 win at the Stroh Center.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
Despite last year's struggles after the injury bug bit BG, the Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering Saturday's Ohio game, BGSU has an all-time record of 393-170 (.698) 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 11 games to date. BG has hit four or more triples in 43 of the last 44 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
BG hit 10 three-pointers in the win at Miami, marking the third time this season the Falcons have hit double digits in that category. Junior Ashley Tunstall knocked down a long-range shot in that MU game, becoming the 10th different player on the roster to make a three-pointer this season. Tunstall hit another triple at Western Michigan.

THREE-LIGHTFUL
BGSU will be looking to extend an impressive streak in the Ohio game. The Falcons have hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last 352 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.

SIXTY POINTS = SUCCESS AT THE STROH
• The Falcons have an overall record of 51-17 at the Stroh Center since the building opened prior to the 2011-12 season. While a 75.0% 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 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 5-0 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.

UP NEXT
Following Saturday's game vs. Ohio, the Falcons continue a three-game homestand by facing Akron on Wednesday night (Jan. 13), with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh. Then, the Brown and Orange will host Ball State next Saturday (Jan. 16) before returning to the road for a Jan. 20 game at Northern Illinois.

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