Thursday, January 24
Bowling Green, OH
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
vs
Miami
Falcons Host Miami in Key Early-Season MAC Matchup
January 23, 2013 | Women's Basketball
The #MACtion's gonna be off the charts Thursday at the Stroh
BGSU NOTES | MIAMI NOTES
KIDS ADMITTED FREE
All kids ages 12 and under will be admitted free to Thursday night's game ... kids must go to the ticket window to receive a free ticket, and all free tickets will be for sections 108, 109 and 110 ... this offer will be extended for all midweek men's and women's basketball games throughout the remainder of the season.
QUICK HITS
• Thursday's game is a matchup of the teams picked to finish one-two in the MAC's East Division standings in 2012-13 ... Miami was the choice to win the division in the preseason poll, with the Falcons tabbed for second.
• The Falcons and RedHawks are two of the four teams currently tied at the top of the East Division ... Akron and Buffalo each are 3-1 in league play as well, heading into midweek action.
• The Falcons went on the road for the first time in conference play, posting a 67-41 win at Ohio on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 20) ... all 10 players who suited up for the game scored at least two points and had at least one assist ... in fact, nine of those 10 Falcons had five or more points.
• Freshman Miriam Justinger was the lone BGSU player in double figures, with 13 points – the highest total of her brief career to date – against the Bobcats ... Justinger had eight-straight points as part of an early 10-0 run that gave the Brown and Orange the lead for good.
• Prior to this season, BGSU had not held three-straight opponents under 50 points for the first time in more than three decades (since December of 1981) ... in 2012-13, however, the Falcons have turned that trick twice.
• In fact, BGSU has held four-straight opponents to fewer than 50 points to begin the conference schedule ... the Falcons last kept four consecutive opponents under the 50-point mark in early 1975 (Wittenberg, Kent State, Cedarville and Miami; Jan. 21 to Feb. 1, 1975).
• The school record for consecutive games holding the opponent under 50 points is five ... BGSU achieved this feat on two separate occasions in the 1973-74 season.
• The last time BG held four-straight Mid-American Conference foes to fewer than 50 points each? That would be never.
• The Falcons' conference opponents have averaged just 41.0 points per game and shot only 28.2 percent from the field over the first four games.
• Dating to the final conference game last season, the Falcons have held five consecutive opponents to fewer than 50 points in MAC regular-season play ... BGSU picked up a 91-48 win at Kent State last Feb. 28, clinching the league's regular-season title.
• Through 17 games this season, the Falcons have held the opponent to fewer than 50 points on eight occasions ... the school record is 12 such games, amassed by the 1973-74 team ... the '74-75 club kept 11 opponents under the 50-point mark ... the 'modern-day' record is nine games, by the 2006-07 BG team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
• The 60-point mark has proven to be a barometer of BGSU's success this season ... the Falcons have a record of 12-0 when scoring 60 or more points this year, and BG is 0-5 when the offense is held under the 60-point plateau.
• The Falcons have displayed incredible balance during the conference portion of the schedule to date ... the Ohio game marked the third time in four league contests that 10 players each saw double-digit minutes on the court ... nine of 10 Falcons scored in the Kent State game on Jan. 10, and all 10 players scored at least three points against Ball State (Jan. 13) and at least two points at Ohio.
• Through the first four games of the league schedule, the BGSU bench players have scored nearly as many points as the starters ... the Falcon bench has combined to score 114 points in the last four games, while the starters have had a total of 134.
• In the four MAC games to date, BGSU has enjoyed a 114-24 advantage in bench scoring.
• BGSU's balance is evident in a glance at the Falcons' MAC-only statistics (available in the PDF version of BGSU's notes) ... no player is averaging more than 8.8 points per game in league games, but seven Falcons are averaging at least 6.3 ppg ... all 11 BG players who have seen action have 3.0 ppg or more in conference play.
• Sophomore Deborah Hoekstra and junior Katrina Salinas had combined for three three-point field goals – with Salinas hitting all three – over the Falcons' 13 non-conference games ... in MAC play, however, the duo has combined to make 13 triples in four games ... Hoekstra leads the Falcons with seven treys in MAC action, while Salinas has six.
• Hoekstra has scored 25 points (6.3 ppg) in MAC play, after totalling five points in BGSU's non-conference games ... Salinas had 26 points in 13 non-league games, but has scored 30 points (7.5 ppg) in league action to date.
• Senior Allison Papenfuss has averaged 8.3 ppg along with 6.3 rebounds per game during conference action ... Papenfuss has had at least nine points and seven rebounds in three of the four league games.
• As mentioned, all 10 Falcons who saw action in the Ball State game scored at least three points, with each of the 10 pulling down one or more rebounds ... BG downed the Cardinals by a 73-42 score.
• The Falcons shot over 50% from the floor in each of the last two games to open up comfortable halftime leads ... BG went 10-of-15 from the floor to start the BSU game, and the Falcons shot 53.1% in the first half to open up a 38-19 lead at the intermission ... at Ohio, the Brown and Orange shot 58.3% in the first 20 minutes to open up a 36-17 halftime advantage.
• All 11 Falcons who have seen action this season have scored in double figures at least once.
FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons, entering the Miami game, continue to own the best record in MAC history ... BGSU has an all-time record of 365-148 (.712) in MAC regular-season contests, for the most wins and highest winning pct. of all league institutions ... and, BGSU 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 wins (704) and highest overall winning percentage (.648) of any conference women's basketball-playing institution.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Miami game with an overall record of 12-5 on the season ... BGSU is 3-1 in the MAC, having posted a pair of wins by a combined 57 points last week ... after a 73-42 win over Ball State on Wednesday night (Jan. 16) at the Stroh Center, the Falcons opened the road portion of the league schedule with a 67-41 win at Ohio Sunday afternoon (Jan. 20).
• After going undefeated in the month of December, the Falcons are 3-2 in January, losing by a 59-56 count to UCF in the final conference game (Jan. 4), before opening MAC play with a 69-33 win over Kent State (Jan. 10) ... BG then dropped a 48-38 decision to Toledo on Sunday (Jan. 13) before bouncing back with the 31-point win over BSU.
• The 6-0 December run was capped off by a double-digit win over a nationally-ranked foe, as BG downed #14/15 Dayton, 65-40, on Dec. 30 ... the month also included double-digit victories over Colorado State, Butler and Wyoming at home and Northwestern on the road ... BG won a 64-61 decision at Massachusetts (Dec. 19) prior to breaking for the holidays.
• BGSU opened the 2012-13 campaign by splitting the first four games ... the losses came against a pair of teams currently ranked in the top 25 – at Purdue (45-59; Nov. 19) and against Villanova, with the latter setback coming by a 53-42 score in Las Vegas (Nov. 24).
• The Brown and Orange bounced back with a 64-54 win over host UNLV (Nov. 25), before falling to Temple, 70-56, at the Stroh (Nov. 28) ... again, though, after losing to a Philadelphia Big Five school, the Falcons responded with a win over a Mountain West Conference foe, as BG topped CSU to begin the aforementioned six-game win streak.
• The Falcons are 7-3 at home, 5-1 on the road and 0-1 in neutral-site games this season to date ... BGSU has a scoring margin of +10.0, and the Falcons lead the MAC in rebounding margin, at +5.5.
• Individually, senior Chrissy Steffen paces a balanced Falcon scoring attack, with 11.2 points per game ... Steffen also averages 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest, and she leads the Brown and Orange with 26 successful three-point field goals this season ... Steffen is shooting a MAC-best 83.7 percent from the free-throw line, having gone 36-of-43 from the stripe.
• Redshirt junior Alexis Rogers and true junior Jillian Halfhill have 10.4 and 8.8 ppg, respectively ... Rogers has a team-leading 6.3 rpg, and she also leads BGSU in steals (2.1 spg) ... Halfhill has 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest, leading the team in helpers and ranking third in boards.
• Fifth-year senior Danielle Havel has 6.6 ppg, and is near the top of the team lists in numerous categories ... she is second on the Falcons in both rebounds (5.0 rpg) and assists (2.2 apg), and leads the team in blocked shots ... Havel also paces the Brown and Orange in field-goal pct. (43.7%), and is second in steals (1.2).
• Freshman Miriam Justinger has 5.6 ppg, while sophomore Jasmine Matthews averages 5.5 ppg ... Justinger is 11-of-24 (45.8%) from three-point land and 30-of-37 (81.1%) from the free-throw line this year to date ... Matthews, who has missed three of the four MAC games, is tied for second on the Falcons in three-pointers, having hit 17 long-range attempts on the season.
• Senior Allison Papenfuss and junior Jill Stein have 4.9 and 3.8 ppg, respectively, this season ... Stein has 4.5 rebounds per contest, while Papenfuss has 4.0 rpg ... both players have a total of 11 blocked shots, tying for second on the team in that department.
• A pair of newcomers, junior Katrina Salinas and freshman Bailey Cairnduff, are averaging 3.3 and 3.1 points, respectively ... sophomore Deborah Hoekstra has played in 10 games and is averaging 3.0 ppg ... All three players have made at least seven three-pointers this season.
• Each of the aforementioned 11 players has scored in double digits at least once this season.
• Seven players have seen action in all 17 games this year ... that list includes Halfhill, Havel, Justinger, Papenfuss, Salinas, Steffen and Stein ... Rogers has played in 16 games, with Cairnduff seeing action in 14, Matthews 13 and Hoekstra 10 ... senior Simone Eli has been sidelined due to injury and has yet to see game action this season.
• Halfhill, Havel and Steffen each have started all 17 games to date, while Rogers has made 16 starts ... Cairnduff started the first four games of the season, while Matthews was in the starting lineup for each of the next nine contests ... Justinger made her first collegiate start in the KSU game, and has been in the starting five for each of the last four outings.
• In MAC play, BGSU's scoring is incredibly balanced, as seven players are averaging at least 6.3 ppg, but no Falcon has more than 8.8 points per game ... Justinger leads that scoring list, with Papenfuss averaging 8.3 ppg, Rogers 8.0 ppg and Salinas 7.5 ppg ... Halfhill has 6.5 ppg, 4.0 assists per contest and a league-best 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio in MAC play ... Steffen has 6.5 ppg as well, with Hoekstra at 6.3 ppg ... Stein leads the Falcons with 6.5 rebounds per game against conference foes, while Papenfuss has 6.5 rpg and Rogers 5.3 ... Papenfuss is shooting 51.9% from the field, having gone 14-for-27 in league action ... all 11 players are averaging at least 11.0 minutes played, with no Falcon above 26.3 mpg in MAC matches.
• Head coach Jennifer Roos welcomed back nine letterwinners, including four starters, from a year ago ... the Brown and Orange went 24-7 overall and 14-2 in the MAC in 2011-12 ... two of those starters, Steffen and Rogers, were selected to the Preseason All-MAC Team in 2012-13.
• In MAC action, BGSU is shooting .408 from the floor, .329 from long range and .703 from the line ... the opponents have a field-goal percentage of just .282, a three-point rate of only .164 (11-of-67) and a free-throw pct. of .685 in league play.
MILLENNIUM FALCON: STEFFEN SURPASSES 1,000-POINT MARK
Senior Chrissy Steffen scored five-straight points early in the second half of the Falcons' win over nationally-ranked Dayton on Dec. 30 ... the last of those five points gave her an even 1,000 for her career, making her just the 25th player in school history to reach the millennium mark ... entering the Miami game, the Carmel, Ind., native has 1,043 points in 112 career games at BGSU, and ranks 23rd on the BGSU scoring list ... Steffen's next target on that list is 22nd-place Megan McGuire (1,062 points from 1985-89).
STEFFEN'S IN THE TOP TEN ON THIS LIST
Senior Chrissy Steffen has moved into the top 10 on BGSU's career list for three-point field goals made ... she has connected on 152 long-range tries in her career to date ... Angie Farmer (160 from 1997-2001) currently ranks eighth on the BG list ... Steffen needs 21 more three-pointers to reach fourth place ... Lauren Prochaska holds the school record, having made 310 long-distance shots from 2007-11.
A QUICK LOOK AT MIAMI
Miami has a record of 11-6 on the season, and the RedHawks are 3-1 in MAC play following Sunday's (Jan. 20) 70-48 win over Eastern Michigan ... MU and BGSU are two of the four teams currently tied for the MAC's East Division lead ... the RedHawks have won three consecutive games and five of the last six contests ... MU lost, 62-59, at Ball State in the MAC opener, but have won the other three league games by over 20 points apiece, winning at Western Michigan and at home vs. Ohio and EMU ... overall, Miami is 7-1 at home, 3-4 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games to date ... individually, senior guard Courtney Osborn leads the team and ranks second in the MAC in scoring, with 17.6 points per game ... Osborn also is second in the entire conference in assists, with 5.3 per outing ... she leads the MAC in three-point field goals per game (2.9) and minutes per game (35.4) ... senior forward Kirsten Olowinski has 11.7 ppg, and leads the team – and the MAC – in rebounding, with 10.4 per contest ... junior guard Hannah Robertson has 10.1 ppg ... junior guard Haley Robertson (5.5 ppg) and junior center Kelsey Simon (4.5 ppg) joined that trio in the starting lineup for the EMU game ... head coach Maria Fantanarosa welcomed back eight letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's club ... the 2011-12 RedHawks went 21-10 overall and 11-5 in MAC play.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Miami, 45-25, in the all-time series between the teams, and BGSU has won the last seven meetings ... the Brown and Orange swept last season's two matchups, with a narrow 61-58 win at Millett Hall (Jan. 19, 2012) and a 64-55 triumph on 'Senior Day' at the Stroh Center (Feb. 25, 2012) ... Miami's last series win came on March 4, 2009, a 45-40 verdict that snapped the Falcons' school-record 25-game winning streak ... MU's last win in Bowling Green came just over five years ago, a 63-60 win at Anderson Arena on Jan. 22, 2008 ... the Falcons have a four-game home winning streak in the series ... BGSU is 21-11 in home games, 18-13 on the road and 6-1 in neutral-site contests vs. the Redskins/RedHawks through the years ... Jennifer Roos is meeting Miami for the first time as a collegiate head coach.
BG WINNING THE BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
The Falcons have won the rebounding battle in 14 of the season's first 17 games, including in 10 of the last 11 ... and, BGSU has pulled down at least six more boards than the opponent in 11 of those 14 contests ... the Falcons have posted a double-digit advantage on the glass five times this season ... on the year, the Falcons have a MAC-best rebounding margin of +5.5.
UP NEXT
Following the Miami game, the Falcons take to the road once again ... BGSU will play two-straight games, and five of the next six contests, away from home ... the Brown and Orange will head to Eastern Michigan for a Sunday afternoon (Jan. 27) contest, which will begin at 2:00 p.m. ... BG then ends the month of January with a Thursday (Jan. 31) game at Akron.
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