Falcons to Play4Kay as UB Comes to Town Wednesday

Wednesday, February 21

Bowling Green, OH

7:00 PM ET

Bowling Green State University

Buffalo

Tickets

February 20, 2018 | Women's Basketball

BGSU meets the East Division-leading Bulls at the Stroh

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

BGSU vs. BUFFALO
<><> Wednesday, February 21, 2018 • 7:00 p.m. <><>
<><> Stroh Center (4,347) • Bowling Green, Ohio <><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><> TELEVISION / VIDEO: ESPN3.com <><>
<><> RADIO / AUDIO: BGRSO <><>
<><> LIVE STATS: www.BGSUFalcons.com <><>
<><> TWITTER: @BGSUwbb <><>

all available audio, stats & video links can be found at BGSUFalcons.com on game day

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS...
The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, after playing back-to-back road games, returns home to face the Mid-American Conference East Division leader in a midweek matchup. Head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons host the University at Buffalo on Wednesday night (Feb. 21), with tipoff set for shortly after 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center. For the Falcons, Wednesday's game is the first of two meetings with the Bulls in a four-game, 11-day span.

PLAY4KAY
Wednesday's game is the Falcons' annual Play4Kay game. All fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game in support of breast cancer awareness. Additionally, the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free pair of pink sunglasses, courtesy of Kroger, and the first 200 fans through the gates will receive a tote bag.

The Play4Kay initiative (formerly known as WBCA Pink Zone) is an opportunity for a nation of coaches to raise awareness and funds for women's cancer research on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. Since its inception in 2007, numerous sports, groups and organizations have hosted Play4Kay fundraisers that have resonated with their fans and the community, all while raising funds for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Former North Carolina State University head women's basketball coach Kay Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, and passed away on January 24, 2009, after facing her third bout with the disease. More information on Coach Yow and the Play4Kay initiative can be found on the web at KayYow.com.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
If you can't make it to the arena on game day, fear not – you can still follow the Falcons via your radio- or computer-like devices. Wednesday's Buffalo game will be available via free video and audio streams, and fans can follow along with live stats and Twitter updates. All links will be available via BGSUFalcons.com.

All of BGSU's home games, and many road contests, will have audio broadcasts, courtesy of the Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO). And, every BGSU home game this season will have a free live stream, with all but one home contest in 2017-18 aired via ESPN3.com. Additionally, all of BG's conference road games are scheduled to be streamed via ESPN3.com.

Live stats are also available for all games, and in-game Twitter updates for every BGSU game can be found at @BGSUwbb.

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. Any and all available links to ticket info. and game coverage will be available there.

THE FALCONS: A QUICK OVERVIEW
BGSU is 10-15 on the season, and the Falcons are 2-12 in Mid-American Conference play. BG is 5-7 at the Stroh Center, 4-8 in true road games and 1-0 in neutral-site contests, and the Orange and Brown will enter the Buffalo game looking to snap an eight-game losing streak.

The Falcons opened the season with seven games in a 19-day span. BGSU went 6-1 during that time, then began December by downing Xavier before a large School Day crowd at the Stroh. But, BG then dropped six of the next seven games.

BG stopped a five-game slide with a 66-64 win at Akron (Jan. 13), and the Falcons then returned home and topped Kent State, 60-50. But, BGSU then suffered narrow home setbacks to Ohio and Toledo to begin the current seven-game streak. Most recently, BG dropped a 69-58 decision at Ohio on Saturday.

Head coach Jennifer Roos and her staff – which is comprised of assistant coaches Jacey Brooks, Nick Moore and Jessie Ivey, director of operations Monique Rosati and video coordinator Amanda Cutcher – welcomed back a total of nine returning players, including three starters, from a year ago. The list of returnees includes two seniors, three juniors and four second-year Falcons.

Rachel Myers and Haley Puk make up the senior class, while Maddie Cole, Sydney Lambert and Carly Santoro each are in their junior year. Sophomores Andrea Cecil, Caterrion Thompson and Jane Uecker also returned, as did Clare Glowniak, who is a redshirt freshman in terms of eligibility.

The nine returnees were joined by five freshmen, including Terri Battle, Madisen Parker, Angela Perry, Sierra Thompson and Kennedy Williams. Perry was injured and missed the entire non-league slate, but has played in 13 of the 14 MAC games.

Lambert, Puk and Santoro each have started all 25 games this season, while Cecil has made 21 starts, Uecker 13 and Glowniak eight. Perry and Caterrion Thompson each were in the starting lineup for the first time in the Miami game (Feb. 3), and they both have started four-straight games.

Heading into the Buffalo matchup, two Falcons are scoring in double figures, and two more are not far off that pace. Santoro leads the way with 13.3 ppg, and is nearly averaging a double-double, with a team-leading 9.3 rpg. She ranks third in the MAC in rebounds.

Lambert has 10.0 ppg, while Cecil and Puk are averaging 8.7 and 8.6 ppg, respectively. Caterrion Thompson (6.0 ppg) is fifth on the Falcons in scoring, and she ranks third in the MAC in three-point percentage (42.9%; 30-of-70).

Lambert leads the team in assists, with 2.0 per game, while Santoro has 1.8 helpers per contest. Santoro (1.6) and Lambert (1.5) are ranked 1-2 on the team in steals per game. Lambert has knocked down 50 three-point field goals this year, while Puk has hit 38 and Caterrion Thompson 30.

In MAC play, Santoro has BG-best averages of 12.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg, while Lambert has 9.4 ppg, Caterrion Thompson 7.9 and Puk 7.4. Three Falcons are ranked among the top-10 in the MAC in three-point accuracy, as Thompson is tied for third (43.4%; 23-of-53), while Williams is ranked sixth (41.9%; 13-of-31) and Puk 10th (37.5%; 18-of-48). The Falcons are second in the MAC in three-pointers made (7.5 per game) in league contests.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering the Buffalo contest, BGSU has an all-time record of 404-207 (.661) in MAC regular-season games, 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 with a winning series record against every other school. BG also has the most overall victories and highest overall winning pct. of any league institution.

SCOUTING BUFFALO
Buffalo is 21-4 overall, and the Bulls lead the MAC's East Division with a league ledger of 12-2. UB – ranked 14th in the NCAA RPI as of Tuesday morning – is a perfect 10-0 at home this year, and the Bulls are 8-4 on the road and 3-0 in neutral-site games. In conference competition, Buffalo has gone 7-0 at Alumni Arena and 5-2 in hostile venues. Cierra Dillard leads four double-figure scorers with an average of 15.0 points per game this season to date. Cassie Oursler has 13.7 ppg and 7.1 rebounds per outing, while Stephanie Reid has 11.6 ppg and Summer Hemphill 10.8. Reid is third in the MAC in assists (7.3 apg), and she leads the league in assist/turnover ratio (2.8; 154 assists and 55 turnovers), while Hemphill is second in the MAC in field-goal percentage (60.8%). Last winter, the Bulls finished 22-10 overall and 8-10 in MAC action. Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack welcomed back 11 letterwinners, including four starters, from that club.

THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Buffalo, 25-12, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Bulls captured two of last year's three meetings. UB came away with a 61-50 victory at the Stroh Center in last season's first matchup (Jan. 18, 2017), but the Falcons picked up a 64-62 win in Western New York late in the regular season (Feb. 25, 2017). That win snapped a six-game series winning streak for the Bulls. UB, however, topped the Brown and Orange by a 61-45 score in the MAC Tournament's first round (March 6, 2017). The Falcons had won 20 consecutive games from UB prior to the Bulls' six-game streak. BGSU is 11-5 in home games, 13-7 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites vs. UB over the years.

DOWN THE ROAD
Following the Buffalo game, BGSU returns to the road for a Saturday afternoon (Feb. 24) matchup with Miami. That game will begin at 2:00 p.m. in Oxford.

Then, the Falcons' month-long trend of Wednesday home games and weekend trips continues next week. BGSU will host Akron next Wednesday, Feb. 28, on Senior Night at the Stroh Center. The regular season ends with a return match against Buffalo on Saturday, March 3.

BGSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
REMAINING REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE
Wed., Feb. 21 – BUFFALO, 7:00 p.m. (Play 4Kay / Pink game)
Sat., Feb. 24 – at Miami, 2:00 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 28 – AKRON, 7:00 p.m. (Senior Night)
Sat., March 3 – at Buffalo, 2:00 p.m.

HOME games at the Stroh Center
All times Eastern