Bowling Green State University Athletics
Sunday, January 12
Bowling Green, OH
2:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
vs
Akron ^
Falcons Host East Division Favorite as Akron Comes to Town
January 11, 2014 | Women's Basketball
BGSU faces the Zips Sunday at 2, in the first half of a hoops DH at the Stroh
GAME NOTES
Bowling Green | Akron
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SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE
Worlds will collide when BGSU faces Akron on Sunday. The Zips are ranked 16th in the country in scoring offense, averaging 83.5 points per game. Akron seniors Rachel Tecca (24.3 ppg) and Hanna Luburgh (23.6 ppg) are the top-two scorers in the MAC, with Tecca ranked fifth in the nation in scoring and Luburgh seventh. Meanwhile, BGSU is first in the MAC and 11th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 55.1 points per contest. And, Akron leads the league in field goal percentage, while the Falcons top the conference in FG pct. defense.
SPEAKING OF DEFENSE...
Something definitely gave when Kent State's offense met BGSU's defense on Thursday (Jan. 9). The Falcons allowed just 13 first-half points en route to a 58-39 win over the Golden Flashes. The 13 points were the fewest allowed in a half by the BG defense in nearly two years, since BG surrendered just 12 first-half points in a 57-47 win over Northern Illinois at the Stroh Center on Feb. 1, 2012. On that night, as then-BGSU head coach Curt Miller missed his second consecutive game for health reasons, the Falcons were guided by interim head coach Jennifer Roos.
OFF TO A GOOD START
The Falcons are off to a 2-0 start in MAC play for the 20th time in 33 years of MAC basketball. On Sunday, BGSU will be looking to improve to 3-0 in the league for the 16th time in school history.
LAST TIME OUT: FALCONS SHUT DOWN KENT STATE, 58-39
• Senior Jillian Halfhill scored 15 points and classmate Jill Stein had a double-double as the Falcons recorded a 58-39 win at Kent State Thursday night (Jan. 9).
• On a night when most players on both teams struggled to make shots, Halfhill went 5-of-9 from the field and hit a pair of three-pointers. She scored 10 of her 15 points in the second half as BG pulled away after leading by seven points at the intermission.
• Stein had 12 points and game-high totals of 11 rebounds and four steals. The Falcons had a 39-30 advantage on the glass, and BG had 12 steals on the night. Stein made 6-of-11 shots from the floor.
• BGSU took a 20-13 lead into the half, but the Falcons went on a 15-0 run early in the second period to put the game away. That run gave the Brown and Orange a 37-17 lead.
• The Falcons shot 36.0 percent from the field for the game, including an 11-of-24 effort (45.8%) in the second half. BG made just four three-point shots in 20 attempts, but the Brown and Orange shot 90.0% from the free-throw line, going 18-of-20. By contrast, Kent State did not get to the stripe until just 2:29 remained in the game, and the Flashes were 1-for-4 on the night.
FALCONS HAVE THE FLASHES' NUMBER (AND IT'S A LOW NUMBER)
In Thursday's BGSU win, the Falcons held the Kent State offense to fewer than 40 points for the third time in the teams' four meetings during the Jennifer Roos Head-Coaching Era. In those four games, the Golden Flashes have averaged 37.5 points per game, and have not scored more than 43 points in any of those contests.
BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
The Falcons have enjoyed more than their fair share of success on the glass over the last year-plus. Since the start of the 2012-13 season, BGSU has won the rebounding battle in 39 of 49 games, including in 13 of the 18 MAC contests. Three of the other games saw the teams tie in that category. This year, the Falcons have out-rebounded the foes in 12 of the first 14 games, with double-digit margins in five of those matchups. BG owns a rebounding margin of +10.0 this year to date.
TAKE SOME, THEY'RE FREE
BGSU struggled at the free-throw line early in the season, but the Falcons' fortunes have improved as of late. BG made fewer than 60 percent of its tosses three times in the first five games of the year, and the Falcons were shooting just 64.0% (96 of 150) through the end of November. Since that time, however, BGSU has shot better than 80% from the line, having gone 118-of-147 (80.3%) over the last seven games.
QUICK HITS
• BGSU is 12-2 overall and 2-0 in MAC play. The Falcons have won eight of the last nine games, capturing each of those eight decisions by at least 12 points.
• In fact, 10 of the Falcons' 12 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 10 wins came by at least 11 points.
• The Falcons have posted four wins of 23 points or more, including three in five home games this year to date. BGSU has won those five games at the Stroh Center by an average of 24.4 points per contest.
• In addition to the five home wins, the Falcons have four road victories and three neutral-site triumphs this season. BG is a perfect 5-0 at the Stroh Center, and the Falcons are 4-1 on the road and 3-1 in neutral-site contests. BG has road wins over Iona, Butler, Ohio State and Kent State, and the Falcons have topped Michigan, Old Dominion and Monmouth in neutral-site action. The team's losses have come to then #18/21-ranked Purdue on the road and to Marist on a neutral court.
• In BGSU's five home games – vs. Niagara, Milwaukee, UMass, Saint Francis and Buffalo – the Falcons have averaged 81.2 points per game. BG has shot better than 50% from the floor in five of the 10 halves of basketball at the Stroh this season to date.
• BGSU has had a balanced scoring attack this season. Five Falcons are averaging between 8.5 and 12.8 points per game, and two other players have at least 5.5 ppg to date.
• The Falcons' five starters each have attempted between 99 and 136 shots, meaning that every starter is averaging no fewer than 7.0, but no more than 9.7, field-goal attempts per game.
• BGSU leads the MAC and ranks 11th in the nation in scoring defense, having allowed just 55.1 points per game. The Falcons also lead the MAC in rebounding margin (+9.7) and field-goal percentage defense (36.6%), and BG is second among league teams in scoring margin (+13.4).
• BGSU is 19th in the nation in rebounding margin. The Falcons have outrebounded the last three opponents (Saint Francis, Buffalo and KSU) by an average of 14.0 boards per game.
• For the second-straight week, the Falcons received six votes in the USA Today Sports Top 25 women's basketball coaches poll. BGSU had received seven votes in each of three-straight weeks in December, before getting two votes two weeks ago, after a loss at nationally-ranked Purdue.
LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY
• Through the first 14 games this season, there have been seven (Michigan, Niagara, Old Dominion, Monmouth, UMass, Saint Francis and Kent State) contests in which BG never trailed, an eighth (Ohio State) in which the Falcons were behind for only 46 seconds, and a ninth (Milwaukee) that saw BG trail for just over a minute.
• This year to date, BGSU has led for a total of 450:12 – 80.4 percent of the time – and trailed for just 86:19 (15.4%). The Falcons and the opponents have been tied for a total of 23:29.
• BGSU has trailed for a total of just seven minutes and 29 seconds (in 200 minutes of action) in the first five home games, and the Falcons have not trailed later than the 12:40 mark of the first half of any game at the Stroh Center this season.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Akron game with an overall record of 12-2 and a 2-0 MAC ledger. BGSU's non-conference wins included home games vs. Niagara, Milwaukee, Massachusetts and Saint Francis, 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 the road (Dec. 22).
• BGSU opened MAC play with a 62-50 win over Buffalo at the Stroh Center last weekend (Jan. 4), before downing Kent State, 58-39, in Northeast Ohio on Thursday evening (Jan. 9).
• Fifth-year senior Alexis Rogers, redshirt sophomore Erica Donovan and fourth-year Falcon Jillian Halfhill lead a balanced scoring attack. Rogers is averaging 12.8 points per game, with Donovan scoring 11.8 ppg and Halfhill 11.1 ppg this year to date.
• Sophomore Miriam Justinger has 8.9 points per game and junior Deborah Hoekstra 8.5 ppg. Senior Jill Stein and junior Jasmine Matthews have scored 6.2 and 5.5 points per contest, respectively.
• Stein leads the team and ranks third in the MAC in rebounding, with 9.4 boards per game, while Rogers has pulled down 8.2 rpg and Donovan 5.8. Rogers and Stein combined for 30 total rebounds in the win over UB. Halfhill leads the Falcons with 3.3 assists per outing, with Justinger handing out 2.7 apg to date. Stein is third on the team in that category, with 2.2 helpers per game.
• Rogers is shooting 53.5 percent from the floor – she leads the entire MAC in that category – while Donovan is shooting 47.6% and Hoekstra 45.8%. From long range, Halfhill has made a team-leading 22 three-point field goals, while Hoekstra has hit 19 shots from beyond the arc. Four other Falcons have made between seven and 14 treys apiece.
• Hoekstra leads the entire MAC in three-point field-goal percentage, having gone 19-of-43 (44.2%) from long distance to date.
• Freshmen Rachel Konieczki and Abby Siefker are averaging 1.9 ppg apiece. Freshman Kennedy Kirkpatrick has seen action in five games off the bench, and classmate Leah Bolton made her BGSU debut in the Monmouth game.
• Halfhill, Justinger, Rogers and Stein each have started all 14 games this season to date. Donovan started the first 12 games, but Matthews took her place in the lineup for the Buffalo game, as Donovan missed tipoff due to a funeral. Donovan was back in the starting five for the Kent State game.
• Head coach Jennifer Roos and her staff welcomed back seven letterwinners from a year ago, and the program also has added seven newcomers – five to the roster and two to the coaching staff.
• The returnees include three starters from last season in Halfhill, Justinger and Rogers, along with Hoekstra, Matthews, Stein and senior Katrina Salinas. Salinas suffered an injury in practice prior to the season opener, and is expected to miss the entire 2013-14 campaign.
• Through 14 games, the Falcons are shooting 41.1 percent from the field, 32.5% from three-point range and 72.1% from the foul line. Opponents are shooting 36.5% from the floor, 30.8% from the arc and 71.4% from the stripe. The Falcons have a scoring margin of +13.4, a rebounding margin of +10.0 and a turnover margin of +1.6 on the year.
THE AKRON ZIPS
Akron enters Sunday's game with an overall record of 7-6, and the Zips are 1-1 in MAC play. UA downed Ball State, 87-78, in last weekend's conference opener, but saw a three-game winning streak snapped with a 109-83 loss to Central Michigan Thursday night (Jan. 9). The Zips are 6-1 in home games (with both MAC games coming at home), 1-4 on the road and 0-1 in neutral-site matches. Akron was picked to win the MAC's East Division in the preseason coaches poll. Individually, senior forward Rachel Tecca and senior guard Hanna Luburgh rank 1-2 in the MAC in scoring. Tecca is averaging 24.3 points per game, with Luburgh scoring 23.6 points per outing. They rank fifth and seventh, respectively, in the country in scoring. Tecca leads the Zips with 8.6 rebounds per game, with Luburgh averaging 7.6 rpg. Senior forward Carly Young has 9.8 ppg and 5.7 rpg. Luburgh has a team-leading 19 three-point field goals made, while Young has hit 19 shots from long range. Senior guard Kacie Cassell leads the MAC with 6.4 assists per game. Head coach Jodi Kest welcomed back 10 letterwinners, including four starters, from last year's team. The 2012-13 edition of the Zips went 23-10 overall and 12-4 in MAC regular-season play, winning the East Division and advancing to the championship game of the MAC Tournament.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Akron, 49-3, in the all-time series between the teams, and BGSU won the most recent meeting. The Falcons captured a 74-61 decision at the Stroh Center late last season (Feb. 20, 2013), avenging a loss to the Zips in the previous meeting. Host UA pulled out a 68-63 decision at Rhodes Arena in last year's first matchup (Jan. 31, 2013), snapping a 19-game BGSU series winning streak. BG had won the previous three games by a combined total of just 11 points. The Falcons are a perfect 26-0 in home games, 21-3 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site contests vs. the Zips over the years. All three of Akron's wins came at the JAR, including a 74-56 win in the 1999 MAC Tournament quarterfinals, an 88-63 blowout in February of 2001, and last year's aforementioned games. Jennifer Roos is 1-1 against the Zips as a head coach.
FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering the Akron game, BGSU has an all-time record of 375-152 (.712) in MAC regular-season contests, for the most wins and highest winning pct. of all league institutions. And, BG 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 victories (728) and highest overall winning percentage (.651) of any conference school.
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 33-7 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).
• This year, the Falcons are 5-0 at home heading into the Akron game, having won those five games by an average of 24.4 points.
• The 33-7 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 40 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 last Feb. 20) is the only MAC foe to surpass the 60-point mark against the Brown and Orange in 18 trips to the building by conference foes. Through the Buffalo game, BG has allowed an average of 53.6 ppg in all games at the Stroh, and just 50.4 ppg against MAC opponents.
• BG has held 31 of 40 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.
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 14 games, despite playing a difficult schedule, BGSU has allowed 55.1 points per game and permitted the opponents to shoot just 36.5% from the field to date.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Fifth-year senior Alexis Rogers had a double-double, exploding for 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, in the Buffalo game. The double-double was her fourth of the season and the 19th of her career. Then, on Thursday, senior Jill Stein had her second double-double of the year, with 12 points and 11 rebounds at Kent State. The Falcons now have a total of nine double-doubles this season, matching the total for all of last year. In addition to the four by Rogers and two by Stein this winter, redshirt sophomore Erica Donovan has had two double-doubles and senior Jillian Halfhill one.
THE FALCONS ARE ...
• 12-2 this year to date, after posting a 24-11 overall record last season;
• 2-0 in MAC play in 2013-14, after going 11-5 in MAC play in '12-13 (Last year's team finished in second place in the East Division by a game, snapping a streak of eight-straight division titles);
• 294-105 since Jennifer Roos came to BGSU in the summer of 2001;
• 148-46 in MAC games in that time:
• 273-70 over the last 10-plus years, with 2012-13 marking BG's MAC-record 10th-straight season of at least 20 wins;
• a staggering 252-60 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 229-52 overall, and 113-17 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 201-49 in the last seven-plus years, including a 97-17 league ledger;
• a/an (insert your own adjective here) 170-45 overall, and 82-16 in MAC regular-season games, in the last six-plus seasons, since Monique Rosati came to the BGSU program;
• 144-37 overall and 69-13 in MAC action over the last five-plus winters;
• 115-32, including a 54-12 MAC ledger, in the last four-plus seasons;
• 88-25 overall and 40-10 in the MAC since seniors Jillian Halfhill and Jill Stein ventured to campus;
• 60-20 overall, and 27-7 in MAC action, since senior Alexis Rogers and juniors Deborah Hoekstra and Jasmine Matthews first put on a BGSU uniform;
• 36-13 since senior Katrina Salinas and sophomore Miriam Justinger were added to the Falcons' roster;
• 136-21 in the last 157 games vs. MAC foes (regular-season and tournament);
• A perfect 63-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field since 2001;
• 235-11 when having a better FG percentage than the opposition in that time, including a 107-1 mark in the last five-plus seasons (the lone exception was the Drexel game in the third round of the WNIT last year);
• 223-38 when making more free throws than the opponent in the Roos Assistant-Coach/Associate-Head-Coach/Interim-Head-Coach/Head-Coaching Era;
• 188-23 when outrebounding the opponent in that 12-plus-year span;
• 66-7 in MAC home games in the last nine-plus seasons;
• 54-11 in MAC road games over the last eight-plus 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;
• 50-6 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
• 33-7 in the Stroh Center, with five of the seven losses coming by a combined 11 points.
FALCONS PICKED TO PLACE SECOND IN MAC EAST IN 2013-14
The Falcons have been picked to finish second in the MAC's East Division in 2013-14, according to the league's preseason coaches poll. The Falcons finished second in the East last year, snapping a streak of eight consecutive MAC divisional titles. BG won the West Division in 2005 and captured the East in each of the next seven years. In seven of those eight seasons (all except 2010-11), BGSU had the league's best overall regular-season mark. Akron and Central Michigan were picked to win the East and West divisions, respectively, in 2013-14, and nine of the 12 head coaches tabbed CMU to capture the conference tourney crown.
THEN AND NOW
• Junior Deborah Hoekstra scored a total of 83 points, making 23 total field goals including 13 three-pointers, over her first two seasons. This year to date, Hoekstra has 119 points, having hit 38 total shots including 19 from beyond the arc.
• Hoekstra has scored in double figures six times this year, after doing so on two occasions over her first two years.
• Redshirt sophomore Erica Donovan has hit double figures eight times this year. She reached double digits six times during her entire first season, at North Carolina State two years ago.
• Sophomore Miriam Justinger has scored in double digits six times this season, after doing so four times during her freshman campaign.
• Senior Jill Stein entered the season with a career total of 45 assists, and averaged 0.5 assists per game over her first three years. This year, Stein is averaging 2.2 apg, good for third on the team. She has had at least three helpers on six occasions, and has had a career-high five assists twice in the last five games (vs. Massachusetts and Buffalo).
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 214 free throws this season to date. That total is 11 more than the opponents have attempted (203). 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.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, #MACTION
• The Falcons will be featured at least four times as part of the MAC's television schedule for the 2013-14 season. The league's TV package includes BGSU's home game vs. Northern Illinois on Jan. 26, as well as road contests at Ball State (Jan. 15), Central Michigan (Jan. 18) and Toledo (Feb. 2).
• The 55-game package will be produced and distributed by the new home for MAC basketball, Time Warner Cable Sports Channel (TWC). All games will be produced in high definition, available to Time Warner Cable subscribers and offered to ESPN for inclusion on ESPN3, Watch ESPN and ESPN Full Court. TWC will also work with affiliates in the MAC footprint concerning distribution in Michigan, Illinois and Indiana.
UP NEXT
Following the Akron game, the Falcons will hit the road for a pair of MAC TV games next week. BGSU will venture to Muncie, Ind., for a Wednesday (Jan. 15) game vs. Ball State, with tipoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Then, the Brown and Orange will head to Mount Pleasant, Mich., for a Saturday (Jan. 18) game against Central Michigan. BG then returns home to face Eastern Michigan (Jan. 23) and Northern Illinois (Jan. 26).
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