Falcons Welcome Arch-Rival Rockets to Town Wednesday Night

Wednesday, February 17

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Toledo

Tickets

Rachel Konieczki Miriam Justinger v Buffalo - Christine Nelson photo

Photo by: Christine Nelson, BGSU Marketing & Communications

February 16, 2016 | Women's Basketball

The latest chapter in the 'Battle of I-75' takes place at the Stroh Center

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team concludes a three-game homestand and wraps up Mid-American Conference cross-divisional play on Wednesday night (Feb. 17). Head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons host the arch-rival University of Toledo in a contest slated to begin shortly after 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center. Following Wednesday's game, each of BGSU's final five regular-season matchups will come against a fellow East Division school.

LINKS
GAME NOTES: BGSU | Toledo
PROMOTIONS: There's a lot going on at the Stroh!
2015-16 Women's Basketball Media Central
BGSU's 2015-16 Notes for All Games
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#TBT on a Tuesday: Remember when Kelly Kapferer sang the National Anthem, then came off the bench to hit the game-winning shot? | Stats

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
If you can't make it to the Stroh on Wednesday night, fear not – you can still follow the Falcons via your radio- or computer-like devices. The BGSU-UT 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, Wednesday night's game will be aired by BCSN in the Toledo area, and will be shown on Time Warner Cable Sports and streamed on ESPN3.com. 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.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green enters Wednesday's game with an overall record of 8-13, and the Falcons are 4-8 in MAC play. BGSU is looking to snap a four-game losing streak, including a 63-50 setback vs. Buffalo at the Stroh Center on Saturday (Feb. 13).

• After winning three-straight games in late January, the Falcons dropped the first 'Battle of I-75' of the season, falling to Toledo by a 75-61 count to end the month (Jan. 30). BGSU then gave MAC West Division-leading Central Michigan a scare, before the Chippewas got a buzzer-beating bucket for a 76-75 win in Mount Pleasant (Feb. 6). BG returned home and fell to Western Michigan, 65-49, last Wednesday night (Feb. 10), before facing UB three days later.

• The three-game winning streak included a 67-63 victory over Eastern Michigan, picked to win the MAC's West Division in the preseason coaches poll, on Jan. 27. The EMU game came on the heels of wins over Northern Illinois on the road (58-43; Jan. 20) and Kent State at home (71-49; Jan. 23).

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

• BGSU is 5-6 at home, 2-6 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games this season. The Falcons are 2-5 at the Stroh in MAC play, and BG is 2-3 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. After beating Illinois State and Bradley to begin the season, the Falcons also posted non-conference wins over Jacksonville and Evansville.

• A pair of BGSU newcomers have posted double-digit scoring averages to date. Fifth-year senior Lauren Tibbs has 11.5 points per game, while freshman Sydney Lambert is scoring exactly 10.0 ppg. Tibbs, in her first season at BGSU after transferring from Marquette, also leads the Falcons with 7.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocked shots per contest. Tibbs, who made 7-of-10 shots from the field en route to a team-leading 15 points vs. Buffalo, is shooting 56.5 percent from the field to lead the team and rank second in the MAC in that category.

• Lambert leads the Falcons in minutes played (30.4) and assists (2.0 apg) and is in a virtual tie for the steals lead (1.1 spg). Lambert paces the team in three-point field goals made, with 47, and she leads the entire MAC in three-point percentage, having made 43.9% of her long-distance attempts to rank among the national leaders as well.

• Senior Miriam Justinger and sophomore Rachel Myers have 8.5 and 7.9 ppg, respectively. Justinger has 2.0 apg, with 42 helpers to Lambert's 43, and Justinger has 24 steals to Lambert's 23. She has made 25 long-distance shots and pulled down 4.0 rpg, ranking third on the Falcons on both lists. Justinger was a perfect 4-for-4 from long range in the CMU contest.

• Myers has hit 41 three-pointers this winter to date, including seven triples – just one shy of the school record – at Central. She ranks sixth in the MAC with a three-point field-goal percentage of 37.3%.

• Junior Ashley Tunstall and freshman Carly Santoro have 4.1 ppg apiece, while redshirt sophomore Kennedy Kirkpatrick has 4.0 ppg. Tunstall is second on the team in rebounding (4.1 rpg), Kirkpatrick is third in assists (1.4 apg) and Santoro is fourth on the Falcons in three-pointers made (11).

• Sophomore Haley Puk has 3.2 ppg, while juniors Abby Siefker and Rachel Konieczki are averaging 1.8 and 1.4 ppg, respectively. Puk scored a career-high 13 points at Central Michigan, adding three assists in 26 minutes. Siefker is second on the team in blocked shots.

• Seven players – Justinger, Kirkpatrick, Lambert, Myers, Santoro, Siefker and Tibbs – each have seen action in all 21 games, while Konieczki, Puk and Tunstall all have played in 19. Sophomore Sarah Baer and freshman Maddie Cole have come off the bench in 13 and seven games, respectively. Justinger, Lambert, Myers and Tibbs each have started all 21 games for the Brown and Orange this season, while Tunstall has started 11 and Siefker four.

• Saturday's Buffalo game marked the 100th start of Justinger's BGSU career.

• The Falcons are shooting 39.0% from the field, 33.6% from three-point land (good for third in the MAC) and 68.9% from the free-throw line. The opponents are shooting 39.6% from the floor, 32.7% from the arc and 68.5% from the stripe.

• In MAC games only, Tibbs is averaging 12.2 points and 6.8 rebounds and is shooting 54.5% from the floor, while Lambert has 10.8 ppg and has hit a team-leading 32 triples. Myers and Justinger have 9.3 and 8.3 ppg, respectively.

• Lambert (45.7%) and Myers (39.4%) rank first and eighth, respectively, in three-point field-goal percentage in MAC games. The Falcons are second in the league in both three-pointers per game (8.3) and long-range accuracy (34.6%) in conference contests.

• A total of 10 players on the current roster now have started five or more games in their BGSU careers to date.

• 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.

AMONG THE LEADERS
• Freshman Sydney Lambert leads the MAC and is ranked 11th in the entire nation in three-point field goal percentage. Lambert has hit 47 triples in 107 tries, for a success rate of 43.9 percent.

• Senior Lauren Tibbs is shooting 56.5% from the field this season to date. She is currently second in the MAC, and 20th in the nation, in that category.

• As a team, BGSU is ranked 28th in the nation in three-point field goals made (7.7 per game).

THE ROCKETS
Toledo will enter Wednesday night's game with an overall record of 13-10, and the Rockets are 8-4 in MAC play. UT saw a four-game winning streak snapped on Saturday (Feb. 13) with a 77-57 home loss to MAC-leading Ohio. Prior to that game, the Rockets had won eight of 10 contests after dropping the conference opener. UT is 7-3 at home, 4-5 on the road and 2-2 in neutral-site games this season to date. In MAC play, the Rockets are 5-1 in home contests and 3-3 at hostile venues. Individually, senior guard Brenae Harris paces four double-digit scorers for the Rockets, with a team-high 14.2 points per game. Harris also has 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per contest, ranking second in the MAC in the latter category. She leads the conference in minutes played, averaging 35.9 per game. Sophomore guard Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott has 10.3 ppg and has hit a UT-leading 36 three-point field goals this winter, while junior forward Janice Monakana and senior forward Ana Capotosto have 10.2 and 10.0 ppg, respectively. Monakana leads the Rockets in rebounding, with 5.7 rpg. In MAC games only, Harris has 15.1 ppg and a MAC leading 5.7 apg, while freshman center Kaayla McIntyre is shooting a league-best 66.2 percent from the field. Last season, head coach Tricia Cullop's club finished 19-14 overall and 10-8 in MAC play, and the Rockets advanced to the second round of the WNIT. Cullop welcomed back eight letterwinners, including four starters, from that 2014-15 team.

THE BGSU-TOLEDO SERIES
The Falcons lead Toledo, 42-31, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Rockets have won the last two meetings. In this season's first meeting, host UT captured a 75-61 decision at Savage Arena (Jan. 30). Last year, in the teams' last meeting at the Stroh Center (Jan. 31, 2015), the Falcons led by four at the half, but the Rockets rallied for a 64-48 win. UT has won six of the last eight games after BGSU captured the previous 12 series meetings. BG is 20-10 in home games, 14-18 on the road and 8-3 in neutral-site matchups with the Rockets over the years. Jennifer Roos is 1-3 against the U of T as a collegiate head coach.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering Wednesday's Toledo game, BGSU has an all-time record of 396-177 (.691) 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.

JUSTINGER IS MOVING UP THE SCORING LIST
Senior Miriam Justinger enters the UT game with a career total of 960 points at BGSU, good for 28th in school history. Justinger moved up three spots in the CMU game, passing Kim Griech (931 points from 1999-2003), Jen Uhl (932 points from 2007-11) and former teammate Jillian Halfhill (932 points from 2010-14). Her next target on the BGSU career list is 27th-place Rhonda Moore, who had 966 career points from 1982-86.

LAST TIME OUT: BRONCOS BEST BG WITH STRONG SECOND HALF
• Visiting Buffalo shot the lights out in the even-numbered quarters on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 13), and the Bulls rebounded the ball well all game long. The result was a 63-50 win over the Falcons at the Stroh Center.

• Stephanie Reid had a game-high 21 points for the visitors, who shot a combined 6-for-27 (22.2%) in the first and third quarters, but 18-for-28 (64.3%) in the second and fourth. UB shot 78.6% from the field in the second quarter to take the lead, and the visitors shot an even 50% in the fourth to slowly pull away.

• Joanna Smith and Mirte Scheper each added 11 points for Buffalo. For the Falcons, senior Lauren Tibbs had 15 points, going 7-for-10 from the field.

• For the game, UB shot 43.6% from the floor, while the Falcons shot 31.4%. The Bulls had a 50-26 rebounding advantage, with Smith pulling down a game-high nine boards.

• BGSU led by a 14-6 score after the first period, allowing the visitors to go just 2-of-11 (18.2%) from the field. But, the Bulls scored 31 points in the second quarter, taking the lead with a 7-0 run to end the half. In the third period, the visitors' lead stayed between two and six points for the first seven-plus minutes, before the Falcons crept within a single point twice in the last 2:48. But, after taking a four-point lead to end the third quarter, the Bulls went on another 7-0 run early in the fourth to extend the lead to double figures.

• The latter seven-point run was part of a 13-1 run that spanned most of that final quarter. Scheper's jumper with 2:03 remaining gave UB a game-high 16-point lead, before the Falcons scored the game's final three points.

• In addition to scoring, Tibbs also led the Falcons in rebounding, witih six boards, and assists, with three helpers. Freshman Sydney Lambert had eight points and five caroms, while senior Miriam Justinger had six points and three steals. Freshman Carly Santoro also came up with three steals as the Falcons had 11 as a team.

• UB committed 18 turnovers to the Falcons' 15, but the Bulls still had a 23-7 advantage in points off turnovers. The visitors' 50 total rebounds included 17 at the offensive end.

THREE-MARKABLE
• During the Falcons' three-point shooting clinic at Central Michigan, BG went went 9-of-15 from beyond the arc in that opening half, including a perfect 6-for-6 effort from long range in the second quarter. Senior Miriam Justinger, sophomore Rachel Myers and freshman Sydney Lambert all hit three first-half triples, with all three of Lambert's makes coming in the first quarter, and both Justinger and Myers going a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown in the second.

• And, BG did not cool off as the third quarter got underway. After that 6-for-6 performance in the second period, the Falcons went 6-for-7 from long distance in the third.

• Myers missed her first two three-point attempts in the game, then made seven in a row. After going 3-for-3 from long distance in the second quarter, she was again 3-of-3 from downtown in the third, and also hit her first trifecta try of the fourth quarter. Additionally, classmate Haley Puk went 2-for-2 from long range in the third period.

THREE-MENDOUS
• The Falcons exploded for 15 three-point field goals against Kent State (Jan. 23). BGSU's total tied the Stroh Center record and was just one shy of the school mark. As a team, BG went 15-for-29 from long range, a success rate of 51.7 percent. The Falcons were 6-of-9 from downtown Bowling Green in the third quarter alone.

• Then, BGSU hit 11 triples in 23 tries (47.8%) en route to a win over Mid-American Conference West Division favorite Eastern Michigan at the Stroh four days later (Jan. 27). BG went 5-for-7 (71.4%) from beyond the arc in the second quarter of that game.

• Two games later, of course, the Falcons went 16-of-27 at CMU.

THREE-LIGHTFUL
• BGSU's three-point field-goal percentage in the Kent State game was the team's best since a 9-for-16 effort (55.7%) in a WNIT win over Michigan in late March of 2014.

• Then, however, the Falcons shot 59.3% from beyond the arc at Central Michigan, the team's highest three-point success rate in nearly six years (since a 13-for-20 performance in a MAC Tournament win over Miami on March 10, 2010).

THREE-GION OF BOOM
• The Falcons have made at least five three-point field goals in 18 of this season's 21 games to date, and BG has hit at least four triples in all 21 contests.

• In fact, BG has hit four or more treys in 53 of the last 54 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- ... UMMM, SOME OTHER PHRASE THAT STARTS WITH 'THREE'
BGSU will be looking to extend an impressive streak in the UT game. The Falcons have hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last 362 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 UT game, the Falcons end the regular season with five games – four on the road – vs. MAC East Division foes, beginning Saturday (Feb. 20) at Kent State. Tipoff for BGSU's game vs. the Golden Flashes is set for 5:00 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center.

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