Thursday, January 31
Akron, OH
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
at
Akron
Falcons Venture to NE Ohio for Thursday Matchup with Akron
January 30, 2013 | Women's Basketball
Teams' last 3 games have been decided by a total of 11 points
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BGSU NOTES & STATS | AKRON NOTES & STATS
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QUICK HITS
• Something's got to give when BGSU and Akron meet on Thursday night ... the Zips enter the week ranked 12th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 76.0 points per game ... the Falcons are 24th in the country in scoring defense, having allowed just 52.5 ppg to date.
• Akron is in the top 40 nationally in three-point field goals made per game ... UA has hit 6.8 triples per game, good for 37th in the country ... the Falcons – who are 52nd in the nation in that category, by the way – are 15th in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to hit just 25.4 percent of their long-range attempts ... in MAC play, the Falcons' foes are only 15-of-92 (16.3%) from three-point land through six games.
• The Falcons are coming off a 61-47 win at Eastern Michigan on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 27) ... the win improved BGSU to 6-1 in road games this season, including a 2-0 mark in MAC road contests to date ... BG has won five consecutive road games overall ... the team's only road loss came on Nov. 19 at nationally-ranked Purdue.
• Freshman Bailey Cairnduff led the way in Sunday's win, scoring a career-high 18 points in her first collegiate game in her home state ... Cairnduff, a native of Morley, Mich., entered the game with a career-high single-game total of 12 points ... her top scoring total in MAC games had been seven points in last Thursday's (Jan. 24) Miami game ... but, Cairnduff had eight points in the first half at EMU, and 10 more in the second.
• That previous career-high scoring total of 12 points came in Cairnduff's collegiate debut, vs. Madonna at the Stroh Center (Nov. 10, 2012) ... she has averaged 15.0 points per game in the first two contests of her career against teams from the state of Michigan.
• Cairnduff became the 10th different player to lead the Falcons in scoring in at least one game this season.
• The freshman is averaging 4.3 points per game on the year, but has scored 6.8 ppg in MAC play ... Cairnduff has 10.0 ppg over the last three contests, and averaged 12.5 ppg in last week's two games.
• In non-conference play, Cairnduff scored a total of 35 points ... she has 34 points in MAC games, having seen action in five of the Falcons' six league contests.
• BGSU has had more than its fair share of success against Akron through the years ... the Falcons have won 48 of the 50 series meetings, including each of the last 19 contests ... the last three BG-UA matchups, however, have all been decided by five points or less ... the Brown and Orange won on a last-second shot two years ago, then captured four- and five-point decisions, respectively, in last season's two games ... more info on the series can be found later in these notes.
• For the first time in over two years, the Falcons are not in first place in the MAC's East Division ... BGSU's 57-54 loss to Miami last Thursday night (Jan. 24) at the Stroh Center vaulted MU to the top of the East ... the RedHawks lead the division with a 5-1 record, while BG is one of two teams in the East with 4-2 MAC marks.
• The last time BG dropped out of first place in the East was on Jan. 15, 2011 ... the Falcons suffered a 44-43 loss at Kent State on that date, moving the Golden Flashes to 4-0 in the MAC, a game ahead of BG ... in fact, the Falcons still sat in second place at the end of the month, with a 5-3 league record after a 66-55 loss at Western Michigan ... but, a BG win at Northern Illinois (Feb. 1, 2011), coupled with a KSU loss to Eastern Michigan, moved the Falcons into a first-place tie with the Flashes ... that win at NIU was the first of an 11-game winning streak that extended through the second half of the MAC regular-season schedule as well as the league tournament ... the 11th and final win in that streak was the 51-46 victory over EMU in the MAC Tournament championship.
• Last season, BGSU led the East Division early and often, going 10-0 to begin league play ... the Falcons clinched the divisional crown with a home win over Miami on Feb. 25, 2012, and BG went on to win the regular-season title outright.
• The loss to Miami ended a streak in which the Falcons had held four consecutive MAC opponents to fewer than 50 points, a school record.
• Through 19 games this season, the Falcons have held the opponent to fewer than 50 points on nine occasions, tying the 'modern-day' record ... 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 2006-07 BG team also held nine opponents to fewer than 50 points, en route to an appearance in 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 13-0 when scoring 60 or more points this year, and BG is 0-6 when the offense is held under the 60-point plateau.
• The Falcons' conference opponents have averaged just 44.7 points per game and shot only 32.4 percent from the field over the first six games.
• The Falcons have displayed incredible balance during the conference portion of the schedule to date ... this balance is evident in a glance at the MAC-only statistics (see page 15 of the PDF version of these notes) ... only one player is averaging more than 7.3 points per game in league games (redshirt junior Alexis Rogers at 10.3 ppg), but six BG players are averaging at least 6.2 ppg ... three other Falcons are averaging at least 4.2 ppg in league games, and all 11 BG players who have seen action have 3.0 ppg or more in conference play.
• In the six MAC games to date, BGSU has enjoyed a 148-54 advantage in bench scoring, an average of 24.7 bench points per game for the Falcons compared with 9.0 ppg for the foes.
• BGSU had a 42-24 rebounding advantage in the Eastern Michigan game, including a 25-10 lead in that category in the first half ... the Falcons have won the battle of the boards 16 times in the season's first 19 games, including in 12 of the last 13 contests.
• 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 Akron game, continue to own the best record in MAC history ... BGSU has an all-time record of 366-149 (.711) 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 (705) and highest overall winning percentage (.648) of any conference women's basketball-playing institution.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Akron game with an overall record of 13-6 on the season ... BGSU is 4-2 in the MAC after picking up a 61-47 win at Eastern Michigan on Sunday (Jan. 27) ... the Falcons have won three of the last four games.
• In MAC play, the Falcons have posted wins over Kent State, Ball State, Ohio and EMU, while losing to Toledo and Miami ... the latter loss came by a 57-54 score at the Stroh Center last Thursday (Jan. 24).
• The Miami loss came on the heels of back-to-back wins by a combined 57 points, as BGSU had posted a 73-42 win over visiting BSU (Jan. 16) before opening the road portion of the league schedule with a 67-41 win at Ohio (Jan. 20).
• After going undefeated in the month of December, the Falcons are now 4-3 in January ... BG lost, 59-56, to UCF in the final non-conference game (Jan. 4), before opening MAC play with a 69-33 win vs. KSU (Jan. 10) ... BG then dropped a 48-38 decision to UT (Jan. 13) before bouncing back with the wins over BSU and Ohio.
• That 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 2012-13 by splitting the first four games ... the losses came against a pair of teams in (or very near) 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 7-4 at home, 6-1 on the road and 0-1 in neutral-site games this season to date ... BGSU has a scoring margin of +9.5, and the Falcons lead the MAC in rebounding margin, at +5.9 ... in league play, BG is 2-2 at home and 2-0 in hostile venues.
• Individually, redshirt junior Alexis Rogers and senior Chrissy Steffen pace a balanced Falcon scoring attack ... Rogers is averaging 10.9 points per game, with Steffen right behind at 10.8 ppg this season.
• Rogers has a team-leading 6.4 rebounds per game, and also tops the Falcons in steals, with 2.2 spg ... Steffen averages 4.2 rpg along with 1.4 assists per contest, and she leads the Brown and Orange with 27 successful three-point field goals this season ... Steffen is shooting a MAC-best 84.8 percent from the free-throw line, having gone 39-of-46 from the stripe.
• Junior Jillian Halfhill has 8.5 ppg along with a team-leading 2.9 assists per contest ... the 5-6 point guard also has 4.5 rebounds per game, good for fourth on the team.
• Fifth-year senior Danielle Havel has 6.6 ppg, and is near the top of the team lists in numerous categories ... Havel is second on the Falcons in both rebounds (5.5 rpg) and assists (2.4 apg), and is tied for the team lead in blocked shots ... she has a BG-best four games with 10 or more rebounds this season to date ... Havel is shooting a team-best 45.7% from the field.
• Freshman Miriam Justinger has 5.5 ppg, as does sophomore Jasmine Matthews ... Justinger is 13-of-31 (41.9%) from three-point land and 31-of-39 (79.5%) from the free-throw line this year to date ... Matthews, who has missed five of the six MAC games, still is third on the Falcons in three-pointers, having hit 17 long-range attempts on the season.
• BGSU's two post players off the bench, senior Allison Papenfuss and junior Jill Stein, have 4.6 and 3.7 ppg ... freshman Bailey Cairnduff is in between that duo on the scoring list, with 4.3 ppg to date.
• Stein has 4.5 rebounds per contest, while Papenfuss has 3.8 rpg ... Stein has blocked 12 shots to tie Havel for the team lead, with Papenfuss right behind with 11 blocks this year.
• Cairnduff, after scoring seven points against Miami, exploded for a career-high 18 at Eastern Michigan ... she has hit 11 three-point field goals this year, making her the seventh Falcon to reach double figures in that category.
• Junior Katrina Salinas is averaging 2.9 ppg this season, while sophomore Deborah Hoekstra has 2.5 ppg ... Salinas has made nine triples and Hoekstra seven this season.
• Each of the aforementioned 11 players has scored in double digits at least once this season, and 10 of the 11 have led BGSU in the scoring column in at least one game in 2012-13.
• Seven players have seen action in all 19 games ... that list includes Halfhill, Havel, Justinger, Papenfuss, Salinas, Steffen and Stein ... Rogers has played in 18 games, with Cairnduff seeing action in 16, Matthews 13 and Hoekstra 12 ... 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 19 games to date, while Rogers has made 18 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 six MAC games.
• In MAC play, BGSU's scoring is incredibly balanced, as seven players are averaging at least 5.0 points per game, but only one Falcon has more than 7.3 ppg ... Rogers leads that scoring list at 10.3 ppg, followed by Justinger (7.3 ppg), Steffen (7.0 ppg) and Cairnduff (6.8 ppg) ... Halfhill has 6.3 ppg along with 3.7 assists per contest and a league-best 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio in MAC play ... Papenfuss has 6.2 ppg in MAC action, with Salinas at 5.0 ppg ... Rogers and Stein lead the Falcons with 6.0 rebounds per game apiece against conference foes, while Havel has 5.7 rpg and Papenfuss 5.0 ... Papenfuss is shooting 51.6% from the field and Rogers 51.1% ... all 11 players are averaging at least 11.0 minutes played, with no Falcon above 26.8 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.
• Havel, Rogers and Steffen each started all 31 games a year ago, while Matthews made 21 starts as a frosh ... Halfhill played in all 31 games, starting the first 10.
• The Falcons are shooting .384 from the field, and BG is .315 from three-point range and .725 from the free-throw line through the first 19 games ... the opponents have shot .369 from the floor, .254 from beyond the arc and .662 from the stripe.
• In MAC action, BGSU is shooting .398 from the floor, .287 from long range and .726 from the line ... the opponents have a field-goal percentage of just .324, a three-point rate of only .163 (15-of-92) and a free-throw pct. of .631 in league play.
A QUICK LOOK AT AKRON
Akron has a record of 12-7 on the season, and the Zips are 3-3 in MAC play ... UA, after winning four-straight games to begin the month of January, lost the next three ... the Zips' most recent game was a 92-69 setback on the road against MAC-leading Central Michigan Saturday (Jan. 26) ... UA has MAC wins over Ohio, Kent State and Northern Illinois, and the Zips have lost to Western Michigan, Toledo and CMU in league play ... overall, Akron is 5-3 at home and 7-4 on the road ... the Zips are ranked 12th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 76.0 points per game, and Akron is listed among the top-40 in six other NCAA categories, including assists per game (ninth), assist turnover ratio (26th), field-goal percentage (31st) and free-throw pct. (34th) ... redshirt junior forward Rachel Tecca leads the team in scoring, with 18.5 points per game, and also has 7.7 rebounds per contest ... Tecca is shooting 54% from the field ... junior guard Hanna Luburgh and junior G/F Sina King have 15.6 and 14.6 ppg, respectively ... Luburgh has made 39 three-point field goals, while King leads the Zips with 8.7 rpg ... senior guard Taylor Ruper has a team-high 49 three-pointers this season, and is averaging 5.4 ppg ... each of those four players, along with junior guard Kacie Cassell, have started all 19 games for the Zips ... Cassell has 4.8 ppg and is second in the entire nation in assists per game, with 7.5 ... head coach Jodi Kest's club went 14-18 overall and 7-9 in the MAC a year ago.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Akron, 48-2, in the all-time series between the teams, and BGSU has won the last 19 meetings ... BG has captured the last three games by a combined total of just 11 points, though ... the most recent meeting took place at Rhodes Arena, and saw the Falcons escape with a 60-55 win (Feb. 18, 2012) ... the Zips were within two points in the final minute of that game, and UA had a potential game-tying three-pointer bounce off the rim in the final seconds ... in last year's first matchup, the Falcons held off the Zips, 62-58, at the Stroh Center (Jan. 7, 2012) ... two years ago at the JAR, Lauren Prochaska's three-pointer with just 0.2 seconds left gave the Brown and Orange a 47-45 win (Feb. 22, 2011) ... the Falcons are 25-0 in home games, 21-2 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site contests vs. the Zips over the years ... Akron's wins both came at the JAR, a 74-56 win in the 1999 MAC Tournament quarterfinals, and an 88-63 blowout in February of 2001 ... Jennifer Roos is meeting UA for the first time as a collegiate head coach.
BG WINNING THE BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
The Falcons have won the rebounding battle in 16 of the season's first 19 games, including in 12 of the last 13 ... and, BGSU has pulled down at least six more boards than the opponent in 12 of those 16 contests ... the Falcons have posted a double-digit advantage on the glass six times this season ... on the year, the Falcons have a MAC-best rebounding margin of +5.9.
UP NEXT
The Eastern Michigan game began a stretch which sees the Falcons hit the road five times in a six-game span ... the lone home game during that time is against the lone undefeated team in the MAC, Central Michigan ... following the Akron game on Thursday, the Falcons will begin the month of February by hosting CMU on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 3) ... tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center for the team's annual Play 4Kay/Pink Zone game ... then, BGSU takes to the road again (and again and again), with trips to Buffalo (Feb. 7), Western Michigan (Feb. 10) and Northern Illinois (Feb. 16).
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