Rutgers Comes to Town as WNIT Quarterfinals Commence

Jasmine Matthews v Michigan - Bianca Garza photo

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, having posted three double-digit wins in as many games in Women's National Invitation Tournament play, advances to the tourney's quarterfinal round for the first time in school history. The Falcons of head coach Jennifer Roos will host Rutgers University on Monday night (March 31), with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center (4,280).

LINKS
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GAME NOTES: BGSU | Rutgers
WNIT Bracket
Sharp-Shooting Falcons Advance Past Michigan, 63-53
Fast Start Sends Falcons by St. Bonaventure, 76-65
BGSU Downs High Point in WNIT Opener
BGSU Game Notes from 2009-Present
BGSU Media Guide: PDF | Flip Interactive
Career Stats of Current Falcons

BG IN THE WNIT
• The 2013-14 season marks the Falcons' sixth appearance in the WNIT, and the third in as many years. BGSU has a record of 7-5 in the tourney to date, with five of those victories coming in the last two seasons.

• The Falcons are 7-4 in WNIT home games, with records of 2-2 at venerable Anderson Arena and 5-2 at the Stroh Center. And, BGSU is 7-4 in the WNIT since Jennifer Roos came to Northwest Ohio, including 5-1 during her head-coaching tenure.

• The Brown and Orange earned the Mid-American Conference's automatic bid to the 2014 WNIT after winning the MAC's regular-season title outright. BGSU topped High Point, 72-62, in first-round action (March 20) before downing St. Bonaventure by a 76-65 score in Monday's second-round game (March 24). On Thursday evening (March 27), the Falcons defeated Michigan for the second time this season, this time by a 63-53 score.

• Last year, the Falcons won back-to-back WNIT games for the first time in program history. BG topped SMU, 76-70, for the program's first national postseason win since 2009, then rallied for a 61-54 win over Duquesne. The Falcons fell to eventual tourney champion Drexel, 50-47, in the third round.

• BGSU hosted Butler in the 1998 WNIT, losing a 95-90 decision at Anderson in the team's first appearance in the tourney. In 2008, the Brown and Orange picked up a home win over UD before losing at Michigan State two days later.

• The following March, the Falcons were awarded a first-round bye in the then 48-team event, and BG played a pair of games at Anderson. The Falcons downed Syracuse by a 72-69 final in second-round action at "The House That Roars," but BGSU fell to visiting Indiana, 75-67, in the third round.

• Two years ago, VCU scored at the buzzer for a 72-71 win over the Falcons at the Stroh, after BG had taken the lead on a pair of free throws with 5.1 seconds left. The complete list of BGSU's WNIT game-by-game results can be found in the PDF version of these very same notes, just a click away at/near the top of this very page on this very internet.

THIRTY WINS
Thursday night's (March 27) win over Michigan improved BGSU's record to 30-4 this season to date. The 2013-14 Falcons are only the second team in Mid-American Conference history to reach the 30-victory mark for a season. The first? The 2006-07 BGSU club, which became the first (and still the only) team in MAC women's basketball history to advance to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Championships.

STORY TIME
Sit back and enjoy a long, rambling story that touches upon this year's BGSU-Rutgers game in some small way...

• The Falcons have become just the second team in school and MAC history to reach 30 wins, and BGSU will face Rutgers at the Stroh Center on Monday.

• Way back in aught seven, the winningest team in school and MAC history crossed paths with the Scarlet Knights on back-to-back weekends. BGSU won a pair of NCAA Championships games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich., defeating Oklahoma State (70-66) and Vanderbilt (59-56) to advance to the 'Sweet Sixteen' in Greensboro, N.C.

• Rutgers also ventured to East Lansing for the first and second rounds, and the Scarlet Knights downed East Carolina and host MSU to advance to the Round of 16.

• BGSU's '06-07 season came to an end on March 24, when Arizona State topped the Falcons, 67-49, at the Greensboro Coliseum. The second game of the doubleheader saw Rutgers rally from 10 points down for a 53-52 win over Duke. The Scarlet Knights downed ASU two days later, and advanced all the way to the national championship game before losing to Tennessee.

BG BALANCE
The Falcons have had a balanced attack all season long, and nothing has changed in national postseason play. No fewer than five players are averaging double digits in scoring in the team's three WNIT games to date. Sophomore Miriam Justinger leads the way with 13.7 points per game off the bench in that time, while seniors Jillian Halfhill (13.3 ppg) and Alexis Rogers (12.0), redshirt sophomore Erica Donovan (11.7) and junior Jasmine Matthews (10.7) all are close behind in the scoring column. All five players have made between 11 and 15 field goals in the three games.

NATIONAL POSTSEASON PLAY FOR THE 10TH-STRAIGHT SEASON
The Falcons are participating in national postseason play for the 10th consecutive season, a school- and MAC-record streak. BGSU has made the WNIT field in five of those seasons, participating in the tourney in 2008 and 2009 as well as each of the last three years. The Falcons also have gone to the NCAA Championships five times in that span, making three-straight trips from 2005-07, then returning to the NCAAs in 2010 and '11. Prior to the current run, the school's previous record for consecutive postseason appearances was four, as Fran Voll guided the Falcons to the NCAAs in each year from 1987 through 1990.

BG'S BEST TOURNAMENT RUNS
• The Falcons have advanced to the fourth round of a national postseason tournament for the first time in school history. BGSU made it to the third round of a tourney on three previous occasions, with one of those trips receiving slightly more attention than the other two. The 2006-07 Falcons defeated Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt in the NCAA Championships, becoming the only team in MAC history to advance to the "Sweet Sixteen."

• BGSU has advanced to at least the third round of the WNIT on three occasions, in 2009, '13 and '14. The 2009 team earned a first-round bye, then downed Syracuse in second-round action to advance to the third round against Indiana.

• Last season, the Falcons topped SMU and Duquesne before losing a three-point decision to Drexel in the third round. All three of BGSU's 2013 games in the WNIT took place at the Stroh Center.

A DREAM SEASON FOR YOU = A TYPICAL YEAR FOR US
• The Falcons enter the Rutgers game with an overall record of 30-4. At many schools around the nation, 30 wins would easily be a single-season record (no other MAC institution has ever won more than 29 games in a season). But, at Bowling Green, lofty win totals have become a relatively common occurrence.

• A MAC team has won as many as 27 games on a total of 12 occasions. Bowling Green has been that team on eight of those 12 occasions, including six times in the last nine seasons. The 2006-07 "Sweet Sixteen" team won a MAC-record 31 games, while the 2008-09 club – and now the '13-14 team – posted 29 wins. The '05-06 and '10-11 Falcons won 28 games, while three BGSU teams won 27 games apiece.

• BGSU has won at least 29 games three times now, while the rest of the MAC schools combined have reached 29 wins just twice. And, only twice has a MAC school reached 30 wins, and BG has been that school on both occasions.

• A complete list of MAC teams with 27 wins or more can be found on page 10 of the PDF notes.

CHAMPIONS. AGAIN.
The Falcons won the MAC's regular-season title outright, achieving that feat for the eighth time in the last 10 years. BGSU now has captured a total of 14 regular-season championships. A few more notes about BG's titles ...

• BGSU won league regular-season titles in three consecutive years from 1986-87 to 1988-89 under head coach Fran Voll, and Jaci Clark's teams captured back-to-back crowns in the 1992-93 and '93-94 campaigns. In 2005, the Falcons had the MAC's best overall record at 13-3, and won the West Division. BGSU then won the East Division outright seven years running (2006-12), with MAC marks of 16-0, 15-1, 13-3, 15-1, 14-2, 13-3 and 14-2 in those seven seasons.

• BGSU has won nine division titles in the last 10 years. The lone exception came last season, when the Falcons finished in second place in the East, one game behind Akron, with a league mark of 11-5.

• BGSU's 14 total regular-season titles are the most of any conference institution.

• A total of 13 of BGSU's 14 MAC regular-season championships have been outright crowns. In each of the Falcons' first five championship seasons (1987, 1988, 1989, 1993 and 1994), the MAC had just one division, and BGSU had the best overall regular-season record outright.

• In each of the six-straight seasons from 2005 to 2010, head coach Curt Miller's teams not only won a division title, but also had the best overall record among all MAC schools. The 2011-12 campaign was the only year that BG won a title without winning the overall regular-season championship, as the Falcons won the East Division with a 13-3 mark, but West Division-winning Toledo was 14-2 in the league.

LAST TIME OUT: SHARP-SHOOTING FALCONS ADVANCE PAST MICHIGAN
• The Falcons got clutch performances from three seniors, ensuring that trio at least one more home game in their careers, as BGSU defeated Michigan, 63-53, in WNIT third-round action on Thursday night (March 27).

• The three seniors on BGSU's active roster combined for 48 of the Falcons' 63 points. Alexis Rogers had a game-high 20 points, making 7-of-8 shots from the floor, while Jillian Halfhill scored 18 points and Jill Stein 10. Stein had a double-double, with 11 rebounds in the win.

• The Falcons shot 55.8 percent from the field, including a blistering 12-of-18 (66.7%) in the second half. BGSU went 9-of-16 (56.3%) from three-point range, with Halfhill making four triples, junior Jasmine Matthews three and Rogers two.

• Rogers was a perfect 2-of-2 from long distance, while Matthews joined the senior trio in double digits with 11 points. In addition to her double-double, Stein dished out a BG-high five assists.

• BGSU made 7-of-8 shots to begin the second half, with two three-pointers from Matthews and one from Halfhill during that nine-minute span.

• Neither team led by more than three points until BG ended the first half on a 9-1 run to take a 31-22 lead into the intermission.

• The Falcons never trailed in the second half, but U-M got within nine before BG went on a 9-0 run to take a commanding 61-43 lead at the final media timeout. Michigan scored 10 of the game's final 12 points, but it was too little, too late.

• The Falcons had 15 assists on 24 field goals, with all eight players who saw action dishing out at least one assist. BGSU had a slim 28-27 rebounding advantage, as the three seniors combined for 21 of those 28 boards. In addition to Stein's 11 rebounds, Rogers had six and Halfhill four.

YOU CAN'T SPELL "WNIT" WITHOUT "JENNIFER" (AS LONG AS YOU ADD A "W" AND A "T" AND MAYBE GET RID OF SOME OTHER LETTERS)
After the win over Michigan, BGSU now has an overall record of 7-5 in the WNIT. The Falcons are 5-1 in the tourney with Jennifer Roos as head coach, after going 2-3 in WNIT action in the Curt Miller Era. BGSU's first-ever WNIT game, a first-round loss in 1998, came under head coach Jaci Clark.

HOME COOKIN'
With the win over St. Bonaventure, the Falcons broke the school record for home wins in a season. After downing Michigan on Thursday (March 27), BGSU is now a perfect 16-0 at the Stroh Center. The previous record of 14 home wins was set by the 2008-09 team and matched no fewer than three times over the next four years. In fact, BG has won at least 13 home games in each of the last six seasons. To follow are the top home records in program annals ...
MOST WINS AT HOME, SEASON
Record // Year (Notes)
16-0 // 2013-14 (BGSU hosts Rutgers Monday in WNIT quarterfinal-round action)
14-1 // 2010-11 (Only setback was by one point to The School Up North)
14-1 // 2008-09 (Lone loss came to Indiana in third round of WNIT)
14-2 // 2011-12 (Falcons lost by one point to Purdue in Nov., VCU in March)
14-5 // 2012-13 (BGSU opened the Roos Era by tying the record once again)
13-0 // 2009-10 (BG's '11-12 seniors: 55-3 (31-1 MAC) at home in their careers)
13-1 // 1988-89 (13th home win was BGSU's first-ever NCAA Tourn. victory)
13-1 // 1992-93 (Lone home loss came to Florida in NCAA Tournament play)

FALCONS ARE 16-AND-OH AT THE STROH
The Falcons' win over Ohio on March 2 capped a perfect home regular-season schedule, and BG has picked up three more home victories in the WNIT. The Falcons have a record of 16-0 at the Stroh Center entering the Rutgers game. BGSU completed the regular season with an unblemished home record for the eighth time in program history, and the first time at the Stroh. Seven Falcon teams made it through the regular season unscathed when the team called Anderson Arena home (three of those teams suffered a loss at home during national postseason play)...
UNDEFEATED REGULAR-SEASON HOME RECORDS
Record // Year (Notes)
7-0 // 1974-75 (Coach Sue Hager's team finished 15-5 overall)
6-0 // 1975-76 (Hager & the Falcons went 11-4 on the year)
13-0^ // 1992-93 (Lone home loss came to Florida in NCAA Tournament play)
12-0^ // 1993-94 (Only home setback came vs. Creighton in the NCAA Tourney)
11-0 // 2005-06 (Part of a 29-game winning streak in reg.-season home games)
13-0^ // 2008-09 (BG then split two WNIT games to finish 14-1 at home)
13-0 // 2009-10 (Part of a 40-game winning streak in reg.-season home games)
16-0 // 2013-14 (Falcons won 13 reg.-season games by an average of 24.1 points)
^ suffered a home loss in national postseason play

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 had an outstanding home-court advantage over the years. But, the BG women's basketball program has begun a new tradition of excellence at a new building. The Falcons now own an overall record of 44-7 in the Stroh Center, including a 23-2 ledger vs. MAC opponents in regular-season games.

• 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 to end that 2011-12 campaign with a 14-2 mark at home.

• 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 have gone a perfect 16-0 at home to date. BG has won those 16 games by an average of 21.5 points.

• The 44-7 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 51 games at the Stroh Center, the Falcons have allowed the opponent to reach 70 points just three times. Akron is the only MAC foe to surpass the 60-point mark against the Brown and Orange in 26 trips to the building by conference foes, and the Zips have done so twice (61 points in a BG win last Feb. 20; 65 points in another Falcon victory this season [Jan. 12]). Entering the Rutgers game, BG has allowed an average of 53.2 ppg in all games at the Stroh, and just 50.0 ppg against MAC opponents.

• BG has held 39 of 51 opponents to fewer than 60 points at the Stroh Center. The Falcons have limited 17 of those foes to less than 50 points, and on five occasions, BGSU has kept the opposition under the 40-point mark.

ROGERS EARNS WBCA ALL-REGION ACCOLADES
• Senior Alexis Rogers has been named one of 52 regional finalists for the 2014 Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division I Coaches' All-America Team. She earns the honor for the second time in her three playing seasons at BGSU.

• Rogers' selection in 2014 marks the seventh time in eight seasons that a BGSU player has earned the honor. Lauren Prochaska was one of the 52 finalists in three consecutive years (2009-11). Ali Mann was a regional finalist in 2007, while Kate Achter was recognized in '08.

• The selection committee will review the 52 candidates and select the 10-member WBCA Division I Coaches' All-America Team from that list. The All-America squad will be announced at 1:10 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 5, during NCAA women's Final Four Super Saturday festivities.

HALFHILL, ROGERS AND DONOVAN NAMED TO ALL-MAC TEAM
• BGSU seniors Jillian Halfhill and Alexis Rogers were named to the All-MAC First Team, while redshirt sophomore Erica Donovan earned all-league honorable mention. This season marks the first time in five years that BGSU has had two players named to the first team (Tracy Pontius and Lauren Prochaska in 2009).

• Rogers earned all-league first-team honors for the second time, and she has received conference accolades in each of her three playing seasons at BGSU. Rogers was named to the All-MAC First Team two years ago before earning second-team honors last March. Halfhill and Donovan each earned all-league honors for the first time in their respective careers.

ROOS NAMED MAC COACH OF THE YEAR IN THE MAC...
BGSU's Jennifer Roos was named the MAC Coach of the Year. Roos, in just her second year as a collegiate head coach, earned the honor for the first time. Roos has an overall record of 54-15 heading into Monday's Rutgers game, and she has guided the Falcons to a 28-6 MAC record over her first two seasons. Those marks do not include a 2-0 record as the Falcons' interim head coach during the 2011-12 season.

... AND THE REGION
On Wednesday afternoon (March 26), BGSU's Jennifer Roos was named the 2014 Russell Athletic/WBCA Region 4 Coach of the Year. The Coach-of-the-Year honorees in each of the eight divisions all are finalists for the inaugural Pat Summitt Trophy, to be presented to the 2014 Russell Athletic/WBCA NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year on Monday, April 7. Roos earns the region C-O-Y honor for the first time. 2014 marks the eighth time a BGSU head coach has earned a WBCA district/region coach-of-the-year award. Curt Miller received the honor four times at BG, with Jaci Clark being recognized twice and Fran Voll once. Miller, now at Indiana, was named the 2014 Russell Athletic/WBCA C-O-Y for Region 6.

QUICK HITS
• BGSU is 30-4 overall, and the Falcons finished the regular season with a record of 17-1 in MAC play, good for the outright Mid-American Conference title. BGSU won 13 consecutive games before dropping a 73-55 decision to Ball State in the semifinal round of the MAC Tournament.

• The Falcons won the East Division title, obviously, en route to the overall MAC regular-season crown. BGSU now has won a division title in nine of the last 10 seasons, and the Falcons have had the best overall regular-season record in the MAC in eight of those 10 years.

• BGSU has won at least 20 games in each of the last 11 seasons, and the Falcons have posted as many as 23 wins in the last 10 years – both are school and MAC records. BG has amassed 24 or more victories in nine-straight seasons, and 2013-14 marks the sixth time in those nine years that the program has recorded 27 wins.

• BG moved into the national rankings for the first time in five years, as the Falcons were 25th in the March 10 Associated Press poll. The Falcons dropped out of the poll after the loss to Ball State, but BG received votes in both the AP and USA Today polls on March 17.

• Also, for what it's worth, the Falcons were ranked 32nd in the NCAA's most recent RPI listings, released on March 17.

• The Falcons' four losses this season all came to teams that qualified for either the NCAA Championships (Marist, Purdue) or the WNIT (Central Michigan, Ball State). All four games came away from home, with the Purdue and CMU games decided by single digits on the road, and the Marist and BSU contests being held at neutral sites.

• BGSU posted seven wins over teams in the NCAA and WNIT fields. BG went 2-2 vs. NCAA participants, with a pair of wins over Akron. The Falcons were 5-2 against the WNIT field during the regular season, picking up wins over BSU, Butler, CMU, Iona and Michigan. Four of those five wins came away from home.

• BG topped last year's MAC win total by six, albeit in two more games. The 2012-13 Falcons went 11-5 in league play. The conference returned to an 18-game schedule this season after playing 16 league games from 1998-99 through '12-13.

• Twenty-five of the Falcons' 30 victories this season – including all 16 home games – have come by double figures. The Falcons' 66-59 win at Toledo on Feb. 2 marked BGSU's first single-digit win since Nov. 18, and BG picked up a five-point victory over Eastern Michigan on Feb. 15 and a one-point win at Akron to end the regular season (March 8). The Brown and Orange posted a one-point win at Iona (Nov. 9) in the second game of the year, and downed Butler by four nine days later (Nov. 18).

• The Falcons have recorded eight wins of 22 points or more, with seven of those eight coming at home. BGSU has gone a perfect 16-0 at the Stroh Center, winning those 16 games by an average of 21.5 points per contest.

• In addition to the 16 wins at the Stroh, the Falcons have 14 victories away from home, with marks of 11-2 on the road and 3-2 in neutral-site contests. BG posted road wins over Iona, Butler and Ohio State in non-conference play, and Kent State, Ball State, Ohio, Toledo, EMU, Buffalo, Miami and Akron during the league schedule. And, the Falcons topped Michigan, Old Dominion and Monmouth at neutral sites.

• Monday's game will be BG's 35th contest of the season, tying the school record. The 2006-07 Falcons played 35 games, as did last year's team. In both '06-07 and '12-13, the 35th game of the year came in the third round of a national postseason tournament.

• In BGSU's 16 home games this year, the Falcons have averaged 75.1 points. BG has topped the 80-point plateau seven times this season, with all of those totals coming in home contests.

• The most recent victory at the Stroh came against Michigan, 63-53. That win came nearly five months after the Falcons beat U-M by nearly the identical score. The season opener for both teams came on Nov. 8, 2013, when the Brown and Orange downed the Wolverines, 63-52, at the Iona Tip-Off Tournament in New Rochelle, N.Y.

• After combining for just two points along with seven rebounds in BGSU's WNIT second-round win over St. Bonaventure, seniors Alexis Rogers and Jill Stein combined for 30 points and 17 boards in the win over U-M. The Falcons' other senior on the active roster, Jillian Halfhill, scored 18 points for the second-straight game.

• BGSU has had a balanced scoring attack this season. Five Falcons are averaging between 7.1 and 14.4 points per game, and two other players have at least 6.5 ppg to date.

• The Falcons' top-seven scorers each have attempted between 189 and 336 shots, and each of the seven are averaging between 5.5 and 9.9 field-goal attempts per game.

• Rogers has scored 214 points and Halfhill 213 in home games. Rogers is shooting 59.4 percent from the field at the Stroh Center, while Halfhill has hit over 45% of her three-point attempts in the Falcons' 16 home wins.

• Rogers is shooting a blistering 72.2% (13-of-18) in the Falcons' three WNIT games, while sophomore Miriam Justinger is shooting 55.6% vs. WNIT foes.

• BGSU leads the MAC and ranks 15th in the nation in scoring defense, having allowed just 56.8 points per game. The Falcons also lead the MAC in scoring margin (+13.4), rebounding margin (+6.8), three-point field-goal percentage (35.4) and three-point FG pct. defense (25.8), and BG is second in the conference in FG pct. (42.5), FG pct. defense (37.2), free-throw pct. (74.8) and three-pointers made (7.6).

• The Falcons are third in the nation in three-point FG pct. defense, and BG ranks sixth in W-L pct. and 19th in scoring margin. In fact, BGSU is ranked among the nation's top-50 teams in nine of the 18 statistical categories kept by the NCAA.

• BGSU is 34th in the country in rebounding margin. The Falcons have been out-rebounded in just five games since Nov. 18.

TAKE SOME, THEY'RE FREE
• BGSU struggled at the free-throw line early in the season, but the Falcons' fortunes quickly improved in that area. 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 444-of-572 (77.6%) over the last 27 games.

• On the year, the Falcons are shooting 74.8% from the line (ranking second in the MAC), and BG was 78.5% from the stripe (best in the MAC) in conference games.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Rutgers game with an overall record of 30-4, and BG finished with a 17-1 MAC ledger. BGSU won the East Division title, and the Falcons had the best overall record in MAC play for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons. The division title was the program's ninth in that 10-year span.

• 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 UA 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 13-straight wins to end the regular season.

• BG fell to Ball State, 73-55, in the MAC Tournament's semifinal round (March 14), but the Falcons have posted three double-digit home wins, over High Point (72-62), St. Bonaventure (76-65) and Michigan (63-53) in the WNIT to date.

• Fourteen of BG's 17 MAC wins this season were by double figures.

• Fifth-year senior Alexis Rogers, fourth-year Falcon Jillian Halfhill and redshirt sophomore Erica Donovan lead a balanced scoring attack. Rogers is averaging 14.4 points per game, while Halfhill has 13.3 ppg and Donovan 10.9 ppg this year to date.

• Sophomore Miriam Justinger has 8.6 points per game, and junior Deborah Hoekstra has come off the bench to score 7.1 ppg. Senior Jill Stein and junior Jasmine Matthews have scored 6.6 and 6.5 points per contest, respectively.

• Stein leads the team and ranks sixth in the MAC in rebounding, with 8.5 boards per game, while Rogers has pulled down 8.0 (ninth in the MAC) rpg and Donovan 5.6.

• Halfhill leads the Falcons with 3.2 assists per outing, with Justinger handing out 2.5 apg to date. Stein ranks third on the team in that category, with 2.3 per game.

• Rogers is shooting 53.8 percent from the floor, ranking third in the MAC and 38th in the country in that category, while Donovan is shooting 44.2%. From long range, Halfhill has made a team-leading 71 three-point field goals, while Matthews has hit 44 shots from beyond the arc and Hoekstra 41. Three other Falcons have made between 26 and 36 treys apiece.

• Halfhill is third in the MAC – and ranks 20th in the entire nation – in three-point field-goal percentage, having gone 71-of-169 (42.0%) from long distance to date, while Hoekstra is seventh in the league on that list (36.6%).

• Freshmen Abby Siefker and Rachel Konieczki are averaging 1.8 ppg apiece. Konieczki has seen action in 33 of the 34 games to date, while Siefker has played in 30. Another freshman, Kennedy Kirkpatrick, saw action in five games off the bench, and classmate Leah Bolton played in two contests. Kirkpatrick has not seen action since the Ohio State game on Nov. 24, while Bolton's two appearances came on Dec. 1 and Jan. 23.

• Halfhill, Rogers and Stein each have started all 34 games this season to date, with Donovan starting 33 and Justinger 27. Matthews has made eight starts, including the first Buffalo game (Jan. 4, in place of Donovan) as well as the last seven games. Justinger missed the Ohio and Miami contests in early March, and has come off the bench to play in each of the last five games.

• 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 34 games, the Falcons are shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 35.3% from three-point range and 74.8% from the foul line. Opponents are shooting 37.2% from the floor, 25.8% from the arc and 69.1% from the stripe. The Falcons have a scoring margin of +13.4, a rebounding margin of +6.8 and a turnover margin of +1.1 on the year.

• In MAC games, BGSU shot 43.0% from the field, 36.1% from three-point land and 78.5% from the line. Opponents shot 36.4% overall, 22.0% from long range and 64.8% from the stripe in MAC play.

• Rogers tied for fifth in scoring in MAC games, with 16.4 ppg, and she finished sixth in rebounding, with 8.6 rpg. Rogers shot 52.2% from the field to rank fourth in the league.

• Halfhill finished 10th in the league in scoring (14.7 ppg), and she led the MAC in three-point FG pct. in MAC games, hitting 47.1% (40-of-85) of her long-range tries. She was third in the MAC in three-pointers made (2.2 per game) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio.

• Stein wound up eighth in the league in rebounding (8.2 rpg) and fourth in blocked shots (1.4 bpg) in MAC matches. Justinger led the entire conference in free-throw pct., making 38-of-40 shots from the stripe (95.0%) in MAC play, while Rogers (86.7%) and Halfhill (83.3%) finished third and seventh, respectively, in the league.

THE RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS
Rutgers enters Monday's game with an overall record of 25-9, and the Scarlet Knights went 12-6 in American Athletic Conference play. RU earned an at-large bid to the WNIT, and advanced to the quarterfinals with home wins over Delaware, Harvard and Seton Hall. The last win was a 91-79, double-overtime victory Thursday night (March 27). Rutgers is 15-3 at home, 8-4 on the road and 2-2 in neutral-site games. Individually, sophomore forward Kahleah Copper leads the Scarlet Knights in scoring, with 16.2 points per game. Copper, who was an all-conference first-team selection, also has 6.2 rebounds per game. Junior G/F Betnijah Laney is averaging 12.5 ppg and a team-leading 8.9 rpg. Sophomore center Rachel Hollivay is eighth in the nation in blocked shots (3.3 bpg), with a school-record 111 blocks this year to date. Head coach C. Vivian Stringer is in her 19th year at RU and her 43rd season as a collegiate head coach. She welcomed back eight letterwinners, including two starters, from last year's team. The 2012-13 edition of the Scarlet Knights went 16-14 overall and 7-9 in the Big East.

THE SERIES
Monday's game will mark the first-ever women's basketball game between the Falcons and Rutgers.

THE ARC (SOME SHOOT FROM INSIDE IT, SOME FROM OUTSIDE)
It's safe to say that most of the Rutgers offensive success this year has come inside the arc. The Scarlet Knights rank 343rd of 343 NCAA Division-I teams in three-point field goals made per game, having hit 1.3 triples per game to date, and RU has not attempted enough treys to be listed in the NCAA rankings for three-point field-goal percentage. RU has gone 43-of-150 from long range this season. In comparision, the Falcons have made 260 three-pointers this year to date, and three BG individuals have made more than 40 triples on the year.

THE FALCONS ARE ...
• 30-4 this year to date, after posting a 24-11 overall record last season;
• 17-1 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, but BG has won the East again in 2014);
• 312-107 since Jennifer Roos came to BGSU in the summer of 2001;
• 163-47 in MAC games in that time:
• 291-72 over the last 10-plus years, with 2013-14 marking BG's MAC-record 11th-straight season of at least 20 wins;
• a staggering 270-62 in the past nine-plus years, with no fewer than 23 wins in 10-straight seasons now, and a MAC overall regular-season title in eight of the last 10 years (2004-10, 2012 and again in '14, plus an East Division crown in '11);
• an eye-popping 247-54 overall, and 128-18 in the MAC regular season, in the last eight-plus years, with at least 24 wins in each of those nine years;
• a superb 219-51 in the last seven-plus years, including a 112-18 league ledger;
• a/an (insert your own adjective here) 188-47 overall, and 97-17 in MAC regular-season games, in the last six-plus seasons, since Monique Rosati came to the BGSU program;
• 162-39 overall and 84-14 in MAC action over the last five-plus winters;
• 133-34, including a 69-13 MAC ledger, in the last four-plus seasons;
• 106-27 overall and 55-11 in the MAC since seniors Jillian Halfhill and Jill Stein ventured to campus;
• 78-22 overall, and 42-8 in MAC action, since senior Alexis Rogers and juniors Deborah Hoekstra and Jasmine Matthews first put on a BGSU uniform;
• 54-15 since senior Katrina Salinas and sophomore Miriam Justinger were added to the Falcons' roster;
• 151-23 in the last 174 games vs. MAC foes (regular-season and tournament);
• A perfect 67-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field since 2001;
• 249-12 when having a better FG percentage than the opposition in that time, including a 121-2 mark in the last five-plus seasons;
• 238-38 when making more free throws than the opponent in the Roos Assistant-Coach/Associate-Head-Coach/Interim-Head-Coach/Head-Coaching Era;
• 201-25 when outrebounding the opponent in that 12-plus-year span;
• 74-7 in MAC home games in the last 10 seasons;
• 61-12 in MAC road games over the last nine years;
• 20-5 in the MAC Tournament in the last 10 years, with five titles (2005, '06, '07, '10 and '11), an additional championship-game appearance (2009), and trips to the semis in 2008, 2012 and 2014;
• 44-19 overall in the MAC Tournament since it was instituted in 1982;
• 21-7 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;
• 10-16 in 17 national postseason appearances (including a 3-11 record in the NCAA Championships and a 7-5 mark in WNIT trips);
• 9-9 in national postseason action since Roos arrived at BG (including a 2-5 mark in the NCAAs and a 7-4 record in the WNIT); and
• 44-7 in the Stroh Center, with five of the losses coming by a combined 11 points.

ROGERS REACHES MILLENNIUM MARK
Senior Alexis Rogers blew past her would-be defender for a driving layup with 7:08 left in the Falcons' win over Eastern Michigan on Jan. 23. That layup gave her exactly 1,000 points in her BGSU career. Entering the Rutgers game, she now has 1,241 points in 99 games at BG, an average of 12.5 ppg. Rogers moved up two spots on the school career scoring list in the win over Michigan, and she now ranks 17th in BG history. Her next target on that list is former teammate Chrissy Steffen, who had 1,245 career points from 2009-13.

UP NEXT
The winner of Monday's BGSU-Rutgers game will face either USF or Mississippi State in the WNIT's semifinal round, with date and site to be determined.

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