Bowling Green State University Athletics
Thursday, January 30
Athens, OH
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
at
Ohio
Falcons Set for Thursday Tilt with Ohio in Athens
January 29, 2014 | Women's Basketball
BGSU looks to close the month of January on a winning note
GAME NOTES
Bowling Green | Ohio
LAST TIME OUT: FALCONS STOP NORTHERN, 57-44, SUNDAY
• The Falcons used stingy defense and a late first-half run to build a double-digit lead at the half, then held off a late Northern Illinois surge en route to a 57-44 win Sunday afternoon (Jan. 26) at the Stroh Center.
• Senior Jillian Halfhill scored a game-high 14 points, while redshirt sophomore Erica Donovan added 13. Sophomore Miriam Justinger rounded out BG's double-figure scorers with 11 points in the win. NIU got 12 points from Natecia Augusta and 11 from Amanda Corral.
• Halfhill scored 11 of her 14 points in the first half. The point guard had eight of the Falcons' first 11 points of the game, capped by a three-point field goal that gave the Brown and Orange the lead for good with just over eight minutes gone.
• The Falcons shook off a slow shooting start, heating up as the first half rolled along. After making two of three shots, all from long distance, to begin the game, the Brown and Orange then missed seven-straight shot attempts. But, beginning with that Halfhill trey, the Falcons proceeded to make five consecutive shots, and BG hit 9-of-11 attempts before a last-second shot was off the mark.
• BG wound up shooting an even 50 percent in that first half, going 12-of-24 from the field and taking a 32-17 lead into the intermission. The Falcons seized control with a 16-3 run during that opening period.
• In the second half, the Falcons hit three triples within the first three and a half minutes, opening up a 20-point lead. The Huskies fought back, cutting BG's advantage to nine points with just under seven minutes to go, but Northern would draw no closer. The home side extended the lead back out to 17 points before winning by 13.
• Senior Jill Stein scored nine points, while classmate Alexis Rogers had six points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The Falcons held a 39-33 advantage on the glass.
• After making those 12 field goals in the first half, the Falcons hit just seven shots in the second half. Meanwhile, NIU made 12 second-half buckets after hitting seven in the opening period.
• While both teams hit 19 total shots in the game, however, it took the Huskies 21 more attempts than the Falcons to get there. NIU went just 19-of-63 on the afternoon, for a 30.2% success rate. BGSU shot 45.2% from the floor (19-of-42) for the game.
• The Falcons were 7-of-17 (41.2%) from three-point land, with Donovan hitting three long-range tries and Halfhill two. Northern made just one trey in nine tries.
LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY
• Through the first 19 games this season, there have been nine contests (Michigan, Niagara, Old Dominion, Monmouth, UMass, Saint Francis, Kent State, Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois) in which BG never trailed, two more (Ohio State and Akron) in which the Falcons were behind for less than a minute, and a 12th (Milwaukee) that saw BG trail for just over a minute.
• This year to date, BGSU has led for 611:21 minutes – 79.9 percent of the time – and trailed for just 111:44 (14.6%). The Falcons and the opponents have been tied for a total of 41:55.
• BGSU has trailed for a total of just eight minutes and 19 seconds (in 320 minutes of action) in the eight 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.
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 43 of 54 games, including in 17 of the 23 MAC contests. Three of the other games saw the teams tie in that category.
• This year, the Falcons have out-rebounded the foes in 16 of the first 19 games, with double-digit margins in six of those matchups. BG owns a MAC-best rebounding margin of +8.5 this year to date. BGSU has out-boarded six of seven MAC opponents so far in '13-14, with a +6.7 rebounding margin in league play.
QUICK HITS
• BGSU is 16-3 overall and 6-1 in MAC play. The Falcons had won five-straight games and 10 of 11 contests, capturing each of those 10 decisions by double-digit margins, before suffering an 82-79 overtime loss on the road against preseason MAC favorite Central Michigan on Jan. 18. But, BG bounced back with a pair of home victories, downing Eastern Michigan, 71-57, on Thursday (Jan. 23), before topping Northern Illinois by a 57-44 count Sunday afternoon (Jan. 26).
• Fourteen of the Falcons' 16 victories this season – including all seven home games – 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 wins has come by at least 11 points.
• The Falcons have posted four wins of 23 points or more, with three of those four coming at home. BGSU is 8-0 at the Stroh Center, having won those eight games by an average of 20.6 points per contest.
• In addition to the eight home wins, the Falcons have eight victories away from home, with marks of 5-2 on the road and 3-1 in neutral-site contests. BG has road wins over Iona, Butler, Ohio State, Kent State and Ball 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, to Marist on a neutral court, and at CMU.
• In BGSU's eight home games, the Falcons have averaged 76.9 points per game. BG has topped the 80-point plateau five times this season, with all of those totals coming in home contests.
• BGSU has had a balanced scoring attack this season. Five Falcons are averaging between 8.3 and 13.6 points per game, and two other players have at least 5.4 ppg to date.
• The Falcons' five starters each have attempted between 126 and 183 shots, meaning that every starter is averaging somewhere between 6.6 and 9.7 field-goal attempts per game.
• BGSU leads the MAC and ranks 16th in the nation in scoring defense, having allowed just 56.8 points per game. The Falcons also lead the MAC in scoring margin (+12.6) and rebounding margin (+8.5), and BG also paces the conference in three-point field-goal percentage defense (27.9). The Falcons are second among league teams in field-goal pct. defense (36.9%).
• BGSU is 24th in the nation in rebounding margin in the most recent NCAA statistics. The Falcons have been out-rebounded in just one game since Nov. 18, as Ball State had a narrow 31-29 edge in that category on Jan. 15.
• The Falcons received votes in the USA Today Sports Top 25 coaches poll in 10-straight weeks, but have not done so on either of the last two Tuesdays (Jan. 21 & 28). But, BG has garnered three votes each of the last two Associated Press polls after a five-week absence.
THREE FOR ALL
BGSU made seven three-point field goals in the Northern Illinois game. The Falcons now have hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last 295 games. BG has not been held without a trey since Feb. 12, 2005, at Akron, when the Falcons downed the Zips, 61-52, despite going 0-of-13 from long distance.
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 nearly 80% from the line, having gone 217-of-273 (79.5%) over the last 12 games.
• In the last six games – despite a 12-of-18 effort vs. NIU – the Brown and Orange have made 117 free throws in 146 attempts, good for a success rate of 80.1%. On the year, the Falcons are shooting 74.0% from the line (ranking third in the MAC), and a league-leading 79.9% (131-of-164) from the stripe in conference games.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Ohio game with an overall record of 16-3 and a 6-1 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' non-league 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 four consecutive double-digit wins, downing Buffalo and preseason East Division favorite Akron at home, and Kent State and Ball State on the road. In a battle of the last two remaining MAC unbeatens, host Central Michigan picked up an 82-79 overtime decision over the Falcons on Jan. 18, but the Brown and Orange bounced back with home wins over Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois last week.
• Fifth-year senior Alexis Rogers, fourth-year Falcon Jillian Halfhill and redshirt sophomore Erica Donovan lead a balanced scoring attack. Rogers is averaging 13.6 points per game, while Halfhill has 12.2 ppg and Donovan 11.2 ppg this year to date.
• Sophomore Miriam Justinger has 8.7 points per game, while junior Deborah Hoekstra is close behind with 8.3 ppg off the bench. Senior Jill Stein and junior Jasmine Matthews have scored 6.5 and 5.4 points per contest, respectively.
• Stein leads the team and ranks seventh in the MAC in rebounding, with 8.7 boards per game, while Rogers has pulled down 8.3 rpg (ninth in the league) and Donovan 5.8. BGSU has had at least one player with 10 rebounds in 16 of this season's first 19 games.
• Halfhill leads the Falcons with 3.3 assists per outing, with Justinger handing out 2.4 apg to date. Stein is third on the team in that category, with 2.1 helpers per game.
• Rogers is shooting 52.9 percent from the floor, ranking second in the MAC in that category, while Donovan is shooting 45.5% and Hoekstra 44.0%. From long range, Halfhill has made a team-leading 33 three-point field goals, while Hoekstra has hit 25 shots from beyond the arc. Four other Falcons have made between nine and 21 treys apiece.
• Hoekstra ranks third in the entire MAC in three-point field-goal percentage, having gone 25-of-60 (41.7%) from long distance to date.
• Freshmen Rachel Konieczki and Abby Siefker are averaging 1.9 and 1.5 ppg, respectively. Another freshman, Kennedy Kirkpatrick, has seen action in five games off the bench, and classmate Leah Bolton has played in two contests, including the EMU match last week. Bolton made her BGSU debut in the Monmouth game back on Dec. 1.
• Halfhill, Justinger, Rogers and Stein each have started all 19 games this season to date, with Donovan starting 18. 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, and has started each game since that time.
• 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.
• Through 19 games, the Falcons are shooting 41.9 percent from the field, 34.4% from three-point range and 74.0% from the foul line. Opponents are shooting 36.9% from the floor, 27.9% from the arc and 68.7% from the stripe. The Falcons have a scoring margin of +12.6, a rebounding margin of +8.5 and a turnover margin of +0.6 on the year.
• In MAC games, BGSU is shooting 41.4% from the field, 34.8% from three-point land and 79.9% from the line. Opponents have shot 36.7% overall, 25.2% from long range and 60.0% from the stripe in MAC play.
THE OHIO BOBCATS
Ohio enters Thursday's game with an overall record of 8-10, and the Bobcats are 3-4 in MAC play. The team already has surpassed the conference and overall win totals for all of last season. Ohio posted three-straight double-digit wins in MAC play, downing Miami and Western Michigan at home and Kent State on the road, but the 'Cats are looking to reverse a three-game losing streak. The most recent game was a 64-62 home setback vs. Toledo on Sunday (Jan. 26). Ohio is 4-2 at home, 3-6 on the road and 1-2 in neutral-site matches this year. Individually, sophomore guard Kiyanna Black leads the team in scoring, with 13.3 points per game, and she also paces the 'Cats with 2.0 steals per contest. Freshman guard Quiera Lampkins and junior guard Mariah Byard are averaging 10.8 and 10.5 ppg, respectively, while four other Bobcats have between 6.2 and 7.7 ppg this year. Sophomore forward Lexie Baldwin has 7.7 ppg and leads the team with 5.7 rebounds, while Lampkins has 5.4 rpg. Black has hit a team-high 44 three-point field goals, while Byard has made 34 long-range shots. First-year Bobcat head coach Bob Boldon inherited four letterwinners, including two starters, from last year's team. The 2012-13 edition of the Bobcats went 6-23 overall and 1-15 in the MAC.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Ohio, 53-21, in the all-time series between the teams, and BGSU has won the last two meetings. Last season, the Falcons swept the two matchups, with a 67-41 decision in the team's last trip to Athens (Jan. 20, 2013) and a 73-52 win at the Stroh Center on Senior Day (March 3, 2013). The Bobcats' last series win came on Feb. 22, 2012, when Ohio's Tenishia Benson scored eight points in the final 2:08 of the game for a 60-56 win over the Falcons. That marked BG's first loss at the Convocation Center in a decade. BGSU is 30-5 in home games, 20-14 on the road and 3-2 in neutral-site contests vs. the 'Cats through the years. Jennifer Roos is 2-0 against the Bobcats as a collegiate head coach.
FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering the Ohio game, BGSU has an all-time record of 379-153 (.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 (732) and highest overall winning percentage (.652) of any conference school.
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 in the 2013-14 season. In the first 19 games, despite playing a difficult schedule, BGSU has allowed 56.8 points per game and permitted the opponents to shoot just 36.9% from the field to date.
THE FALCONS ARE ...
• 16-3 this year to date, after posting a 24-11 overall record last season;
• 6-1 in MAC play in 2013-14, after going 11-5 in MAC action 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);
• 298-106 since Jennifer Roos came to BGSU in the summer of 2001;
• 152-47 in MAC games in that time:
• 277-71 over the last 10-plus years, with 2012-13 marking BG's MAC-record 10th-straight season of at least 20 wins;
• a staggering 256-61 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 233-53 overall, and 117-18 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 205-50 in the last seven-plus years, including a 101-18 league ledger;
• a/an (insert your own adjective here) 174-46 overall, and 86-17 in MAC regular-season games, in the last six-plus seasons, since Monique Rosati came to the BGSU program;
• 148-38 overall and 73-14 in MAC action over the last five-plus winters;
• 119-33, including a 58-13 MAC ledger, in the last four-plus seasons;
• 92-26 overall and 44-11 in the MAC since seniors Jillian Halfhill and Jill Stein ventured to campus;
• 64-21 overall, and 31-8 in MAC action, since senior Alexis Rogers and juniors Deborah Hoekstra and Jasmine Matthews first put on a BGSU uniform;
• 40-14 since senior Katrina Salinas and sophomore Miriam Justinger were added to the Falcons' roster;
• 140-22 in the last 162 games vs. MAC foes (regular-season and tournament);
• A perfect 63-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field since 2001;
• 238-12 when having a better FG percentage than the opposition in that time, including a 110-2 mark in the last five-plus seasons;
• 227-38 when making more free throws than the opponent in the Roos Assistant-Coach/Associate-Head-Coach/Interim-Head-Coach/Head-Coaching Era;
• 191-24 when outrebounding the opponent in that 12-plus-year span;
• 69-7 in MAC home games in the last nine-plus seasons;
• 55-12 in MAC road games over the last eight-plus years;
• 0-0 since we deleted a few bullet points from this list on Wednesday morning, Jan. 29, because we doubt anyone is still reading them anyway; and
• 36-7 in the Stroh Center, with five of the seven losses coming by a combined 11 points.
UP NEXT
Following the Ohio game, the Falcons will take to the road once again, albeit for a slightly shorter trip. BGSU will make the trek up I-75 for a Sunday (Feb. 2) contest vs. the University of Toledo. That contest, part of the MAC's television package, is scheduled to begin at 12:07 p.m. at Savage Arena. BG then begins the month of February with home games vs. Western Michigan (Feb. 5) and Miami (Feb. 9).
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