Bowling Green State University Athletics
Sunday, December 29
Bowling Green, OH
2:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
vs
Saint Francis (Pa.)
Falcons Face Saint Francis to Close Non-League Schedule
December 28, 2013 | Women's Basketball
BGSU hosts Red Flash Sunday afternoon in final game of 2013
BGSU NOTES | SFU NOTES
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
The Falcons won nine games during last year's non-conference schedule. That number sounds impressive – and it is – but it was BGSU's lowest total in over half a decade. Prior to the 2012-13 season, the Falcons had posted double-digit non-league win totals in six consecutive years. This season, BG again has nine victories, with one non-conference game to go.
LAST TIME OUT: NATIONALLY-RANKED PURDUE STOPS FALCONS, 57-48
• The Falcons outperformed host Purdue in a number of statistical categories on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 22), but could not overcome a poor shooting day in a 57-48 loss at Mackey Arena.
• BGSU held a rebounding advantage, committed fewer fouls and forced the Boilermakers into nearly twice as many turnovers as the Falcons. But, Purdue held BG to just a 17-of-65 (26.2%) day from the field, and BG hit just two three-point field goals in 19 attempts. The Boilermakers shot 38.3 percent from the floor, going 18-of-47 on the afternoon.
• Senior Jillian Halfhill had a double-double, with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds as BG held a 39-36 advantage on the boards. Halfhill hit both of the Falcons' long-distance shots on the day. Alexis Rogers led the Brown and Orange with 16 points.
• The teams were tied, 23-23, at the half, but the Falcons got off to a slow second-half start. BG held the hosts off the scoreboard for over two minutes to start the period, but a pair of Liza Clemons free throws gave the Boilermakers the lead for good.
• Purdue held an 11-point advantage, the largest of the game, with just over eight minutes remaining, and the Boilermakers still led by nine with just over four minutes to go. But, BG got within just two points with 1:30 to go.
• PU's April Wilson, however, threw up a crazy 'and-one' layup in traffic, completing the three-point play to give her team a five-point advantage with 1:10 to go. Rogers made a layup with 57.6 seconds left, but the hosts answered with 30.3 seconds remaining. The Falcons missed a shot the next time down the floor, and the home team closed out the game with four free throws in the final 21 seconds.
• Wilson had a game-high 18 points, pacing four Purdue players in double digits.
ROGERS NAMED MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Senior Alexis Rogers was named Mid-American Conference Player of the Week on Monday afternoon (Dec. 23), earning that honor for the first time this season and the sixth time in her BGSU career.
• Rogers, a native of West Chester, Ohio (Lakota West H.S.) averaged a team-high 16.0 points along with 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in the Falcons' two contests last week, and shot 68.4% from the field.
• Rogers had 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds against Massachusetts (Dec. 19), and hit 8-of-10 shots from the field in just 22 minutes of work as the Falcons romped to a 40-point win. Rogers also had three assists and two steals. Three days later at Purdue, Rogers again had 16 points, adding five rebounds. She hit 5-of-9 shots from the floor and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
QUICK HITS
• BGSU is 9-2 on the season after Sunday's nine-point loss on the road against nationally-ranked Purdue. That 57-48 setback snapped a five-game winning streak for the Brown and Orange, who had won each of those games by double digits.
• In fact, seven of the Falcons' nine victories this season have come by double figures. BGSU posted a one-point win at Iona (Nov. 9) in the second game of the year, and downed Butler by four points (Nov. 18) just over a week later, but each of the other seven wins came by at least 11 points.
• The Falcons have posted four wins of 23 points or more, including three in as many home games. BGSU is 3-0 at the Stroh Center this season, having won those three games by an average of 31.7 points per game.
• The Falcons received two votes in the USA Today Sports Top 25 women's basketball coaches poll this week. BGSU had received seven votes in each of the previous three polls before suffering the loss to Purdue.
• The Falcons have three home wins, three road victories and three neutral-site triumphs this season. BG a perfect 3-0 at the Stroh Center, and the Falcons are 3-1 both on the road and in neutral-site contests. BG has road wins over Iona, Butler and Ohio State, and the Falcons have topped Michigan, Old Dominion and Monmouth in neutral-site action. In addition to the road setback at Purdue, the Falcons' other loss came to Marist on a neutral court.
• In BGSU's three home games, vs. Niagara, Milwaukee and UMass, the Falcons have averaged 87.7 points per game and shot 49.4 percent from the field. BG has shot better than 50% from the floor in four of the six halves of basketball at the Stroh this season, including in the second half of each of the three games. BG has shot a combined 44-of-78 (56.4%) in the second half at home this year to date.
• BGSU has a balanced scoring attack, as evidenced by the next few bullet points. Five Falcons are averaging between 8.4 and 12.7 points per game, and two other players have at least 5.8 ppg to date.
• The Falcons' five starters each have attempted between 76 and 105 shots, meaning that every starter is averaging no fewer than 6.9, but no more than 9.5, field-goal attempts per game.
• BGSU leads the MAC and ranks 22nd in the nation in scoring defense, having allowed just 56.0 points per game. The Falcons also lead the MAC in rebounding margin (+8.9), and BG is second among league teams in both field-goal percentage (42.5%) and scoring margin (+12.9).
• The Falcons lead the MAC in field-goal pct. defense (37.0%), and BG is third in three-point FG pct. (34.8%). Stated another way, BGSU has had nearly as much success at making shots from beyond the arc as the opponents have had from anywhere on the court.
• BGSU is 35th in the nation in turnovers per game and 39th in the country in rebounding margin. The Falcons had a season-low eight turnovers at Purdue, and BG had a 39-36 advantage on the boards in that game.
STROH'ME-COURT ADVANTAGE
• The Falcons have enjoyed a long-standing tradition of success at home. Most of that success came at venerable Anderson Arena, where the Brown and Orange enjoyed an outstanding home-court advantage over the years. But, the BG women's basketball program now owns an overall record of 31-7 in the Stroh Center.
• After losing by just one point to nationally-ranked Purdue in the first-ever women's basketball game in the building in November of 2011, the Falcons reeled off 14-straight wins at the Stroh, before losing another one-point game to VCU in the WNIT.
• Last season, the Falcons again won 14 games at home, including 25-point wins over both nationally-ranked Dayton (the Flyers' only regular-season loss all year) and Central Michigan (the Chippewas entered the game with a 7-0 MAC record).
• The 31-7 mark at the Stroh comes after the Falcons went 333-116 (74.2%) in Anderson Arena during the team's tenure there. The record was even better during MAC play, as the Falcons had a league mark of 192-54 (78.0%) at "The House That Roars" through the years.
TOUGH TO SCORE AT THE STROH
• In 38 games at the Stroh Center, the Falcons have allowed the opponent to reach 70 points just three times. Akron (61 points in a BG win on Feb. 20) is the only MAC foe to surpass the 60-point mark against the Brown and Orange in 17 trips to the building by conference foes. Through the Massachusetts game, BG has allowed an average of 53.3 ppg in all games at the Stroh, and just 50.5 ppg against MAC opponents.
• BG has held 30 of 38 opponents to fewer than 60 points at the Stroh Center. The Falcons have limited 13 of those foes to less than 50 points, and on three occasions, BGSU has kept the opposition under the 40-point mark.
HOW MUCH CAN YOU BENCH?
In the Falcons' three home games to date, coach Jennifer Roos and her staff have seen the bench players score 40 points twice and 38 points in the other game. These numbers are all the more impressive considering that bench has consisted of just four players – juniors Deborah Hoekstra and Jasmine Matthews and freshmen Rachel Konieczki and Abby Siefker – in each of those three games.
DEFENSE!
• During her time as an assistant coach at BGSU, Jennifer Roos served as the team's defensive coordinator. The team enjoyed great success at the defensive end of the floor, and that success continued in her first season as head coach. In 2012-13, Roos and assistant coach Jesse Fleming helped the Falcons set a school record for fewest points allowed per game – 54.3 – breaking the record set the previous year.
• Last year's team also set new school records for fewest points allowed and lowest opponent field-goal percentage allowed in MAC games. In the 16 conference contests, league foes averaged just 51.9 points and shot only 36.1% from the floor.
• Those trends have continued as the 2013-14 season has gotten underway. In the first 11 games, despite playing a difficult schedule, BGSU has allowed 56.0 points per game and permitted the opponents to shoot just 37.0% from the field to date.
BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
The Falcons won the rebounding battle in 27 of last season's 35 games, including in 11 of the 16 MAC contests, and two other games saw the teams tie in that category. And, the trend has continued in the early part of the 2013-14 season. BGSU has out-rebounded the foes in nine of the first 11 games, with double-digit margins in three of those matchups. In one of the season's other two games, the Falcons and the opponent (Marist) tied in the rebounding department. BGSU owns a rebounding margin of +8.9 this year to date.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Senior Jillian Halfhill had a double-double, with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, in the Purdue game. The double-double was her first of the season and the second of her career. The Falcons now have a total of six double-doubles this season, after recording nine during all of last year. Senior Alexis Rogers has had three double-doubles this year to date, while fellow senior Jill Stein and redshirt sophomore Erica Donovan each had one against Old Dominion.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Purdue game with a record of 9-2 on the season. BGSU's wins include home games vs. Niagara, Milwaukee and Massachusetts, road games vs. Iona, Butler and Ohio State, and neutral-site matchups against Michigan, Old Dominion and Monmouth. The Falcons' losses came at the hands of Marist (Nov. 22) in the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge, and at Purdue on Sunday (Dec. 22).
• Fifth-year senior Alexis Rogers, redshirt sophomore Erica Donovan and fourth-year Falcon Jillian Halfhill each have scored between 124 and 140 points this season. Rogers is averaging 12.7 points per game, with Donovan scoring 11.7 ppg and Halfhill 11.3 ppg this year to date.
• Sophomore Miriam Justinger has averaged 8.7 points per game, while junior Deborah Hoekstra has scored 8.4 ppg off the bench. Junior Jasmine Matthews and senior Jill Stein have 6.0 and 5.8 points per contest, respectively.
• Stein leads the team in rebounding, with 9.1 boards per game, while Rogers has pulled down 7.7 rpg and Donovan 5.7. Halfhill leads the Falcons with 3.7 assists per outing, with Justinger handing out 2.8 apg to date.
• Rogers is shooting a BG-best 55.6 percent from the floor – good for second in the MAC – while Hoekstra is shooting 53.4% and Donovan 47.5%. From long distance, Halfhill has a team-leading 19 three-point field goals, and five of her teammates have made between seven and 14 treys apiece.
• Freshmen Rachel Konieczki and Abby Siefker are averaging 2.4 and 1.9 ppg, respectively. Freshman Kennedy Kirkpatrick has seen action in five games off the bench, and classmate Leah Bolton made her BGSU debut in the Monmouth game.
• Donovan, Halfhill, Justinger, Rogers and Stein each have started all 11 games this season to date.
• Through 11 games, the Falcons are shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 34.8% from three-point range and 69.2% from the foul line. Opponents are shooting 37.0% from the floor, 30.5% from the arc and 76.0% from the stripe. The Falcons have a scoring margin of +12.9, a rebounding margin of +8.9 and a turnover margin of +1.9 on the year.
LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY
Through the first 11 games of the season, there have been five (Michigan, Niagara, Old Dominion, Monmouth and UMass) contests in which BG never trailed, a sixth (Ohio State) in which the Falcons were behind for only 46 seconds, and a seventh (Milwaukee) that saw BG trail for just over a minute. This year to date, BGSU has led for a total of 338:55 – 77.0 percent of the time – and trailed for just 80:01 (18.1%). The Falcons and the opponents have been tied for a total of 21:04.
THE SAINT FRANCIS RED FLASH
Saint Francis enters Sunday's game with an overall record of 2-8, and the Red Flash will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak. The team's most recent game was an 89-67 decision vs. Tulane last weekend (Dec. 21). SFU is 1-2 at home, 1-5 on the road and 0-1 in neutral-site matches. The team's wins have come at home vs. Howard and on the road against East Tennessee State. Saint Francis is averaging 74.5 points per game, but allowing 91.7 ppg, this year to date. Individually, senior forward Alli Williams leads the Red Flash in both scoring and rebounding, with 22.1 points and 9.5 boards per contest this year to date. Williams also has 34 steals (3.4 spg), over three times more than any of her teammates. Junior guard Alexa Hayward is averaging 13.6 ppg and has hit a team-best 28 three-point field goals, and freshman forward Erin Blaine and sophomore guard Aisha Brock each have 7.1 ppg. Head coach Joe Haigh welcomed back seven letterwinners, including two starters, from last year's team. The 2012-13 edition of the Red Flash went 17-16 overall and 10-8 in Northeast Conference play.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Saint Francis, 4-0, in the all-time series between the teams, with all four previous meetings having come within the last decade. BGSU has picked up two wins apiece in Bowling Green and Loretto, Pa., and the Falcons have one 20-plus-point win and one narrow victory, both at home and on the road. The teams' first-ever meeting went to overtime, and the Falcons captured an 80-74 decision on the road (Dec. 18, 2004). The most recent game came four years ago, and saw BG escape with a 77-72 win at Anderson Arena (Dec. 1, 2009). BG posted a 22-point home win in 2005 and a 24-point road triumph in '08. Each of the prior two meetings in BG came at venerable Anderson Arena. Jennifer Roos is 0-0 against the Red Flash as a head coach.
THE FALCONS ARE/WERE ...
• 9-2 this year to date, after posting a 24-11 overall record last season;
• 11-5 in MAC play in 2012-13, after going 14-2 and earning an eighth-straight division title in '11-12;
• 291-105 since Jennifer Roos came to BGSU in the summer of 2001;
• 146-46 in MAC games in that time:
• 270-70 over the last 10-plus years, with 2012-13 marking BG's MAC-record 10th-straight season of at least 20 wins;
• a staggering 249-60 in the past nine-plus years, with no fewer than 23 wins in nine-straight seasons and a MAC overall regular-season title in seven of those nine years (2004-10 and again in '12, after winning an East Division crown in '11);
• an eye-popping 226-52 overall, and 111-17 in the MAC regular season, in the last eight-plus years, with at least 24 wins in each of the last eight seasons;
• a splendiferous 198-49 in the last seven-plus years, including a 95-17 league ledger;
• a/an (insert your own adjective here) 167-45 overall, and 80-16 in MAC regular-season games, in the last six-plus seasons, since Monique Rosati came to the BGSU program;
• 141-37 overall and 67-13 in MAC action over the last five-plus winters;
• 112-32, including a 52-12 MAC ledger, in the last four-plus seasons;
• 85-25 overall and 38-10 in the MAC since seniors Jillian Halfhill and Jill Stein ventured to campus;
• 57-20 overall, and 25-7 in MAC action, since senior Alexis Rogers and juniors Deborah Hoekstra and Jasmine Matthews first put on a BGSU uniform;
• 33-13 since senior Katrina Salinas and sophomore Miriam Justinger were added to the Falcons' roster;
• 134-21 in the last 155 games vs. MAC foes (regular-season and tournament);
• A perfect 63-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field since 2001;
• 232-11 when having a better FG percentage than the opposition in that time, including a 104-1 mark in the last five-plus seasons (the lone exception was the Drexel game in the third round of the WNIT last year);
• 220-38 when making more free throws than the opponent in the Roos Assistant-Coach/Associate-Head-Coach/Interim-Head-Coach/Head-Coaching Era;
• 185-23 when outrebounding the opponent in that 12-plus-year span;
• 65-7 in MAC home games in the last nine seasons;
• 53-11 in MAC road games over the last eight years;
• 20-4 in the MAC Tournament in the last nine years, with five titles (2005, '06, '07, '10 and '11), an additional championship-game appearance (2009), and trips to the semis in 2008 and 2012;
• 44-18 overall in the MAC Tournament since it was instituted in 1982;
• 21-6 at Gund/Quicken Loans Arena, the site of the MAC Tournament;
• 49-6 in all non-conference home games since the start of the 2003-04 season;
• 7-16 in 16 national postseason appearances (including a 3-11 record in the NCAA Championships and a 4-5 mark in WNIT trips);
• 6-9 in national postseason action since Roos arrived at BG (including a 2-5 mark in the NCAAs and a 4-4 record in the WNIT); and
• 31-7 in the Stroh Center, with five of the seven losses coming by a combined 11 points.
TRY TO MAKE MORE THAN THEY TAKE
The 2013-14 Falcons appear to be continuing an impressive trend of getting to the foul line much more often than the other team. BGSU has made a total of 155 free throws this season to date. That total is nearly as many as the opponents have attempted (171). BGSU has made more tosses than the foes have attempted in three of the last five years. And, the Falcons' total of free throws made has been at least 100 higher than the opponents' FTM total in each of the last eight seasons. The 2002-03 campaign was the last time the opposition made, or attempted, more free throws than BG.
UP NEXT
Following the Saint Francis game, the Falcons will begin both the 2014 calendar year and the Mid-American Conference portion of the schedule next weekend. BGSU will host the University at Buffalo on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 4, at the Stroh Center. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
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