Bowling Green State University Athletics
Sunday, February 3
Bowling Green, OH
1:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
vs
Central Michigan
Falcons Host MAC-Leading CMU in Play 4Kay/Pink Zone Game
February 02, 2013 | Women's Basketball
BGSU meets the Chippewas on Sunday at 2 p.m.
LINKS
BGSU NOTES | CMU NOTES
SUNDAY'S GAME: Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Tickets
PLAY 4KAY / PINK ZONE GAME
Sunday's Central Michigan contest marks the Falcons' annual Play 4Kay / Pink Zone game in support of breast cancer awareness ... the Falcons will be wearing their white jerseys with pink trim, and fans are asked to wear pink to the game ... additionally, every fan in attendance will receive a pink rally towel, courtesy of Kroger.
QUICK HITS
• The Bowling Green defense will be put to the test against the high-powered Central Michigan offense on Sunday ... the Chippewas lead the league in scoring offense in MAC games, averaging 80.7 points per game ... Central also tops the MAC in scoring margin (+24.7) in league games ... the Falcons lead the MAC in scoring defense, having allowed only 48.0 ppg in MAC action to date.
• The Falcons also lead the MAC in three-point field-goal percentage defense, as opponents have made just 20 of 109 long-distance attempts (18.3%) in the first seven MAC games ... but, CMU has three players among the top-four in the league in three-point FG pct., and the Chippewas are averaging a MAC-best 8.7 successful triples per game in conference contests.
• BGSU is coming off a 68-63 loss at Akron on Thursday night (Jan. 31) ... Akron's win snapped the Falcons' 19-game series winning streak, and was just the third victory for the Zips in 51 series meetings.
• Akron's last victory over the Falcons came just under 12 years ago, on Feb. 10, 2001 ... all three of UA's series wins (the first was in February of 1999) have come at Rhodes Arena.
• Senior Chrissy Steffen led the Falcons with 19 points at Akron ... she now has 1,078 career points at BGSU, tying her for 21st on the school's career scoring list ... Steffen moved past Megan McGuire (1,062 points from 1985-89) in the UA game, and is now tied with Judit Lendvay (1989-93) ... her next target is 20th-place Stefanie Wenzel, who scored 1,099 points at BGSU from 2000-04.
• Steffen hit a game-high three three-point field goals vs. the Zips, and now has made 156 in her career ... that total is good for ninth in BGSU history ... Steffen is four behind eighth-place Angie Farmer, who connected on 160 three-pointers from 1997-2001.
• BGSU and Central Michigan played a pair of memorable games last season ... in last year's regular-season meeting, the Falcons pulled out a 77-72 win in overtime in Mount Pleasant (Jan. 28, 2012) ... that game was notable for the absences of several players and a coach ... Curt Miller did not make the trip to mid-Michigan for health reasons, with Jennifer Roos serving as interim coach for the Falcons ... the Chippewas were without their top-three scorers due to suspension.
• All parties were back with their respective programs when the teams met in downtown Cleveland just over a month later ... Crystal Bradford led the Chippewas to a 69-66 win over the Brown and Orange in the semifinal round of the MAC Tournament (March 9, 2012) ... Bradford scored 18 of her game-high 20 points after halftime, including seven in the final 1:36 of the contest ... she had 12 rebounds and eight assists in addition to those 20 points.
• Through 20 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.
• Thursday's Akron game marked the first time all season that BGSU has lost when surpassing the 60-point mark ... the Falcons now have a record of 13-1 when scoring 60 or more points this year ... BG is 0-6 when the offense is held under the 60-point plateau.
• Akron held a double-digit rebounding advantage over the Falcons ... it was just the second time in the last 14 games, and only the fourth time all season, that BGSU has been outrebounded.
• All 11 Falcons who have seen action this season have scored in double figures at least once.
• No fewer than 10 different players have led BGSU in scoring in at least one game this season.
• In the seven MAC games to date, BGSU has enjoyed a 151-61 advantage in bench scoring, an average of 21.6 bench points per game for the Falcons compared with 8.7 ppg for the foes.
• The Falcons have displayed impressive balance during the conference portion of the schedule to date ... this balance is evident in a glance at the MAC-only statistics ... only one player is averaging more than 8.7 points per game in league games (redshirt junior Alexis Rogers at 10.4 ppg), but seven BG players are averaging at least 5.3 ppg ... all 11 BG players who have seen action have 2.7 ppg or more in conference play.
• The Falcons' conference opponents have averaged just 48.0 points per game and shot only 33.4 percent from the field over the first seven games.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Central Michigan game with an overall record of 13-7 on the season ... BGSU is 4-3 in the MAC after dropping a 68-63 decision at Akron on Thursday night (Jan. 31).
• BGSU had won three of four games prior to the loss at Akron, with the most recent victory coming at Eastern Michigan, 61-47, on Sunday (Jan. 27) ... the Falcons' other MAC wins have come against Kent State, Ball State and Ohio, with BG's league losses occurring against Toledo, Miami and UA.
• BG's four MAC wins have come by a total of 107 points, an average of 26.8 points per game ... the three losses have been by a combined total of 18 points (6.0 ppg).
• The Falcons are 7-4 at home, 6-2 on the road and 0-1 in neutral-site games this season to date ... BGSU has a scoring margin of +8.8 and a rebounding margin of +5.0 ... in league play, BG is 2-2 at home and 2-1 in hostile venues.
• Individually, senior Chrissy Steffen and redshirt junior Alexis Rogers pace a balanced Falcon scoring attack ... Steffen is averaging 11.3 points per game, with Rogers scoring at a 10.9 ppg clip.
• Rogers has a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per game, and also tops the Falcons in steals, with 2.1 spg ... Steffen averages 4.1 rpg along with 1.5 assists per contest, and she leads the Brown and Orange with 30 successful three-point field goals this season ... Steffen is shooting a MAC-best 85.4 percent from the free-throw line, having gone 41-of-48 from the stripe.
• Junior Jillian Halfhill has 8.6 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 third on the team.
• Fifth-year senior Danielle Havel has 6.8 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 (2.3 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 45.6% from the field.
• Freshman Miriam Justinger has 5.7 ppg and sophomore Jasmine Matthews 5.5 ... Justinger is 14-of-34 (38.5%) from three-point land and 33-of-41 (80.5%) from the free-throw line this year to date ... Matthews, who has missed six of the seven 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 4.4 and 3.5 ppg ... freshman Bailey Cairnduff is in between that duo on the scoring list, with 4.2 ppg to date.
• Stein has 4.5 rebounds per contest, while Papenfuss has 3.7 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 12 three-point field goals this year, making her the seventh Falcon to reach double figures in that category.
• Junior Katrina Salinas is averaging 2.8 ppg this season, while sophomore Deborah Hoekstra has 2.3 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 20 games ... that list includes Halfhill, Havel, Justinger, Papenfuss, Salinas, Steffen and Stein ... Rogers has played in 19 games, with Cairnduff seeing action in 17, and Hoekstra and Matthews 13 ... 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 20 games to date, while Rogers has made 19 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 seven MAC games.
• In MAC play, BGSU's scoring is incredibly balanced, as seven players are averaging at least 5.3 points per game, but only one Falcon has more than 8.7 ppg ... Rogers leads that scoring list at 10.4 ppg, followed by Steffen (8.7 ppg), Justinger (7.6 ppg), Halfhill (7.0 ppg) and Cairnduff (6.2 ppg) ... Halfhill has 3.4 assists per contest and a league-best 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio in MAC play ... Havel has 5.4 ppg in MAC action, with Papenfuss at 5.3 ppg ... Rogers leads the Falcons with 5.7 rebounds per game against conference foes, while Havel and Stein have 5.6 rpg apiece ... Havel is shooting 51.7% from the field, with Rogers and Papenfuss each hitting 50.0% of their shots ... all 11 players are averaging at least 11.0 minutes played, with no Falcon above 28.1 mpg in MAC matches.
• The Falcons are shooting 38.4% from the field, and BG is 32.0% from three-point range and 72.7% from the free-throw line through the first 20 games ... the opponents have shot 37.0% from the floor, 25.6% from beyond the arc and 67.2% from the stripe.
• In MAC action, BGSU is shooting 39.5% from the floor, 30.6% from long range and 73.3% from the line ... the opponents have a field-goal pct. of just 33.4%, a three-point rate of only 18.3% (20-of-109) and a free-throw pct. of 66.7% in league play.
A QUICK LOOK AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Central Michigan has a record of 13-7 on the season, and the Chippewas are a perfect 7-0 in MAC play ... Central's seven league wins have come by an average of 24.3 points per game ... most recently, the Chippewas dismantled Kent State, 91-44, on Thursday night (Jan. 31) in Mount Pleasant ... CMU's league wins have come at home vs. Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Akron and KSU, and on the road against Toledo and Ohio ... Central ranks 11th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 76.1 points per game, and the Chips have surpassed 90 points in each of the last two games ... individually, sophomore guard Crystal Bradford leads the team in numerous categories, including scoring (15.2 ppg), rebounding (9.5 rpg), assists (3.4 apg) and blocked shots (1.8 bpg) ... sophomore guard Jessica Green and senior forward Jessica Schroll are scoring in double digits as well, with 11.8 and 10.8 ppg, respectively ... five other Chippewas are averaging between 6.1 and 8.6 points per contest ... junior guard Niki DiGuilio has a team-leading 36 three-point field goals and is shooting nearly 43 percent from long range ... she is one of five players to have hit more than 20 triples this winter ... senior guard Brandie Baker (6.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg) joins Bradford, DiGuilio, Green and Schroll in the probable starting lineup for head coach Sue Guevara ... Guevara welcomed back nine letterwinners, including all five starters from last year's club ... the 2011-12 Chippewas went 20-16 overall and 8-8 in MAC play, advancing to the MAC Tournament's championship game as well as to the WNIT.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Central Michigan, 45-14, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Chippewas captured the most recent meeting ... BGSU won a 77-72 overtime decision in last year's regular-season matchup in Mount Pleasant (Jan. 28, 2012) ... but, Central picked up a 69-66 victory in the MAC Tournament's semifinal round (March 9, 2012) ... the teams' last meeting in Bowling Green saw the Falcons capture a 90-62 win at Anderson Arena two years ago (Jan. 22, 2011) ... BGSU is 23-4 in home games, 18-7 in road contests and 4-3 in neutral-site meetings vs. the Chippewas ... BGSU won nine-straight games vs. Central from 2004-09, but CMU has now captured two of the last five matchups ... Jennifer Roos is meeting Central for the first time as a collegiate head coach, although she served as interim head coach of the Falcons for last year's regular-season game in Mount Pleasant.
UP NEXT
The Eastern Michigan game last Sunday 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 CMU game, the Falcons will take to the road for each of the next three matches, beginning with a game at Buffalo on Thursday (Feb. 7) ... then, BG has a quick turnaround, as the Falcons play at Western Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 10 ... a three-game road swing will come to a close with a Feb. 16 contest at Northern Illinois.
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