BGSU Battles Broncos Wednesday in Kalamazoo

Wednesday, January 21

Kalamazoo, MI

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Western Michigan

Tickets

Erica Fullenkamp v NIU - Jan 14 2015 - Garza photo

Erica Fullenkamp & the Falcons take on Western Michigan Wedneday night

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

January 20, 2015 | Women's Basketball

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team wraps up a stretch of 12 road games in a 15-game span this week. The Falcons of head coach Jennifer Roos head to Kalamazoo for a midweek matchup with Western Michigan University. BGSU will battle the Broncos on Wednesday night (Jan. 21), with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. at University Arena (5,421).

GAME NOTES
BGSU | Western Michigan

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
If you can't make it to Kalamazoo on Wednesday, you can still follow the Falcons via your radio or computer machine. The game – like all BGSU women's basketball action – will be broadcast by WBGU-FM 88.1, the flagship home of Falcon women's basketball, and will be available over the air or on the web.

Additionally, live stats for Wednesday's game will be available via WMUBroncos.com, and a video stream (fee required) will be available as well. And, in-game twitter updates can be found at @BGSUwbb. Log on to BGSUFalcons.com and click the 'calendar' link on the day or the game, or navigate your way to the women's basketball schedule page and bask in the veritable plethora of links.

TAKE SOME, THEY'RE FREE: BGSU LEADS THE NATION IN FT PERCENTAGE
• As of Monday night (Jan. 19), the Falcons led the entire nation in free-throw percentage. BGSU is shooting 78.9% (221-of-280) from the charity stripe heading into Wednesday's WMU game. BG is first among 343 Division-I teams listed in the NCAA rankings. The school single-season record for FT percentage is 79.9% by the 2010-11 team.

• The Falcons' 78.9% free-throw rate is impressive, to be sure, but BG is shooting an eye-popping 86.8% as a team in MAC games. Through the first five conference contests, BGSU has made 59-of-68 shots from the stripe.

• BG set a Stroh Center record for free-throw percentage by shooting 92.3% in the Ball State game, and the Falcons were an identical 12-of-13 at Akron as well. After going 7-for-9 at Kent State, BGSU hit 19-of-23 (82.6%) shots from the line against Northern Illinois and 9-of-10 tosses at Eastern Michigan. The Falcons have made at least 70% of their free throws in 15 of this year's 16 games, including each of the last nine.

• Individually, senior Deborah Hoekstra leads the MAC and ranks sixth in the nation in free-throw percentage. Hoekstra has gone 43-of-47 at the stripe this season, good for a success rate of 91.5%.

LAST TIME OUT: DESPITE 3-POINT BARRAGE, FALCONS FALL AT EMU
• The Falcons hit a season-high 11 three-point field goals and got yet another double-double from senior Deborah Hoekstra, but it was not enough to overcome a relentless rebounding performance by host Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 17). The Eagles pulled away in the late stages of the game for a 64-52 win at the Convocation Center.

• Hoekstra had the third double-double of her career (and her third in the last four games), and totaled 14 points and 10 rebounds for the second-straight contest. She had identical numbers in Wednesday's (Jan. 14) win over Northern Illinois.

• Junior Miriam Justinger scored 12 points and freshman Rachel Myers 10 for the Falcons on Saturday. For the second-straight game, six different Falcons made at least one three-point hoop.

• Hoekstra led the long-range attack, with three triples on the day. Justinger, Myers and freshman Haley Puk each hit two treys, with Puk a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc en route to eight points.

• BGSU shot better than 40 percent from the arc, going 11-of-27 (40.7%), and the Falcons were 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.

• The Eagles, however, forced BGSU into 21 turnovers, including 16 in the first half. At the other end of the court, Eastern had 19 offensive rebounds en route to an overall 39-29 advantage on the boards.

• Cha Sweeney wound up with a game-high 15 points to lead three double-figure scorers for the Eagles. She hit three triple tries on the afternoon, the last coming at the final buzzer to provide the 12-point final margin, the largest of the game.

• Justinger played all 40 minutes for the first time in her career, while Hoekstra and Myers each were on the court for 35 minutes. Each of the three played all 20 minutes of the second half.

• BGSU got off to a strong-shooting start on Saturday. The Falcons' first shot attempt of the day was off the mark, but BG then hit seven-straight shots, including four three-pointers. Then, however, the Brown and Orange went over eight minutes without a point and nearly 12 minutes without hitting a field goal. BG missed six shots and committed 11 turnovers before hitting another bucket, with 2:25 left in the first half.

• When that shot, by freshman Sarah Baer, went through the hoop, however, BG trailed by only four points, and the Falcons' deficit was still just four points at the intermission.

• In the second period, the EMU lead was four points before redshirt freshman Kennedy Kirkpatrick and Hoekstra hit treys less than a minute apart. Eastern regained the lead before a Myers triple put the Falcons ahead, 42-41, with 11:23 to go. But, the Eagles scored the game's next six points to retake the lead for good.

• BG got back within two, and it was still a four-point game when Hoekstra hit a three out of the day's final media timeout, but the Eagles scored six-straight points to take control.

DOUBLE(-DOUBLE) TROUBLE
BGSU players have had seven double-doubles this season, including four in the first five MAC games. Senior Deborah Hoekstra has three career double-doubles, all coming in the last four games. That came after junior Miriam Justinger recorded the first double-double of her career in the MAC opener vs. Ball State. Other than Justinger and Hoekstra, redshirt junior Erica Donovan is the only member of the 2014-15 roster to have recorded a double-double in college. Donovan's six career double-doubles included three in this season's first eight games.
BGSU DOUBLE-DOUBLES IN 2014-15
• Erica Donovan vs. UC Irvine – Nov. 28 – 13p, 12r
• Donovan vs. Cincinnati – Dec. 7 – 17p, 10r
• Donovan at Illinois State – Dec. 19 – 20p, 15r
• Miriam Justinger vs. Ball State – Jan. 3 – 16p, 10r
• Deborah Hoekstra at Akron – Jan. 7 – 12p, 12r
• Hoekstra vs. Northern Illinois – Jan. 14 – 14p, 10r
• Hoekstra at Eastern Michigan – Jan. 17 – 14p, 10r

HOEKSTRA'S A REBOUNDING MACHINE
• Just over three weeks ago, senior Deborah Hoekstra had never had more than six rebounds in a game. Over the last six games, however, the guard has averaged 9.7 boards per contest, with at least eight rebounds in all six of those games. Hoekstra had nine rebounds at FIU in the final non-conference game, then matched that total against Ball State in the MAC opener. Hoekstra had 12 rebounds vs. Akron, grabbed eight more at Kent State and pulled down a game-high 10 boards in the win over NIU. She again led the Falcons with 10 rebounds at EMU.

• In MAC play, Hoekstra is nearly averaging a double-double, with team-leading numbers of 12.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game through five contests. She is tied for fourth in the MAC in rebounding in conference games.

FULLENKAMP JOINS FALCONS
BGSU volleyball standout Erica Fullenkamp recently joined the Falcon women's basketball program. Fullenkamp, a senior at the University, completed a successful four-year career with the volleyball Falcons in November, and helped that team to a MAC Tournament championship and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Championships in 2012. Fullenkamp participated in her first practice with the women's basketball team on Jan. 8, and was in uniform for the Falcons' game at Kent State two days later. She did not see action vs. the Golden Flashes, but made her BG hoops debut on Jan. 14 vs. Northern Illinois, playing five minutes and pulling down a rebound. On Saturday (Jan. 17), Fullenkamp again saw action, with three rebounds in just four minutes at Eastern Michigan.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Western Michigan game with an overall record of 8-8, and BGSU is 1-4 in Mid-American Conference play after a 64-52 loss at Eastern Michigan Saturday afternoon (Jan. 17).

• After winning four-straight games prior to Christmas, BGSU then dropped five consecutive contests, the program's longest slide since the 2000-01 season. The Falcons snapped that streak with a 65-59 win over visiting Northern Illinois last Wednesday night (Jan. 14).

• After opening the season with a one-point loss to Bucknell, BGSU bounced back with three-straight wins, beginning with a convincing 80-59 home victory over Iona. The Falcons went on the road and downed Milwaukee, then headed to the left coast and topped UC Irvine before suffering a narrow loss to Loyola Marymount. The latter two games came at the DoubleTree LA Westside Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by LMU.

• The Falcons returned home and posted a 66-55 win over Cincinnati, the team's lone home game in a month-and-a-half span, to begin a four-game winning streak. Road wins over Saint Francis (Pa.), Illinois State and Bradley followed, but two players suffered season-ending injuries in the ISU game.

• The Brown and Orange dropped a pair of games just after the Christmas holiday in Miami, Fla., against Hampton and the host school at the FIU Sun & Fun Classic. BG opened MAC play with a 62-50 loss to Ball State at the Stroh Center, then – with just seven players in uniform – fell by a 67-59 score at Akron, before suffering a 55-48 setback at Kent State.

• Redshirt junior Erica Donovan and freshman Lauren Webb were injured in that Illinois State game. Both are expected to miss the remainder of the 2014-15 season. Donovan was the Falcons' leading scorer and rebounder at the time of her injury, with 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. She had 20 points in each of her last two games, vs. SFU and ISU, with a career-high 15 boards in the latter contest.

• Sophomore Abby Siefker and redshirt freshman Leah Bolton are expected to miss the rest of the season as well. Bolton saw action in the Falcons' exhibition game on Nov. 7, but did not play in a regular-season game in 2014-15.

• Siefker started the first 12 games of the season, and averaged 5.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. She was second on the team in rebounding behind Donovan, and led the Falcons in blocked shots, with 1.0 rejections per game.

• Two Falcons – junior Miriam Justinger and sophomore Rachel Konieczki – have started all 16 games this season to date. Senior Deborah Hoekstra, after coming off the bench for the first 83 games of her BGSU career, has started the last 10 games, while freshman Haley Puk made her first collegiate start in the win at Bradley and has now started eight games. Another freshman, Rachel Myers, made her first collegiate start at Akron, and now has started four games in a row.

• Hoekstra leads the active Falcons in scoring, with 11.0 points per game, while Justinger and Myers have scored 9.8 and 7.4 ppg, respectively. Konieczki has 6.7 points per contest, with Puk averaging 5.6 ppg to date.

• Justinger is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game, while Hoekstra has 5.7 rpg, including 9.8 boards per contest in the Falcons' five MAC games to date. Hoekstra has posted double-doubles in three of BG's last four games, with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds at Akron, and 14 points and 10 boards vs. NIU and EMU. Justinger had the first double-double of her career in the Ball State game, with 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.

• Justinger has 2.3 assists per game to pace the Falcons in that category, while Konieczki has 1.6 assists and Hoekstra 1.3 helpers per contest. Hoekstra also has 1.3 steals per game, leading BGSU in that category, and Koneczki and Justinger have 1.1 and 1.0 spg, respectively. None of the active Falcons have blocked more than four shots this season.

• BGSU is shooting 36.3 percent from the field, 30.4% from three-point range and 78.9% from the free-throw line through 16 games. The Falcons' opponents have shot 38.8% from the floor, 26.7% from the arc and 63.6% from the stripe.

• The Falcons have averaged 6.5 three-pointers made to date, including a season-high 11 at EMU. Hoekstra has hit 27 triples to lead the way, while Myers has knocked down 23 long-range attempts, including a career-high four treys en route to 17 points (also a career high) at Akron. Puk has connected 15 times from beyond the arc and Konieczki and Justinger 12 times apiece.

• Hoekstra, Justinger, Konieczki, Myers and Puk each have seen action in all 16 games, while redshirt freshman Kennedy Kirkpatrick has played in 15 games and true freshman Sarah Baer 12. Senior Jasmine Matthews has played in 10 games this season, and has played a total of 18 minutes over the last three games after playing just one minute over the previous seven contests.

• Senior Erica Fullenkamp, who joined the team on Jan. 8, made her BGSU women's basketball debut six days later vs. Northern Illinois. She has played in two games, averaging 2.0 rebounds in just 4.5 minutes per game. Fullenkamp earned four letters on the Falcon volleyball team at BG.

• In MAC games to date, Hoekstra has scored 61 points, Justinger 58 and Myers 53, and all are averaging between 10.6 and 12.2 ppg. Hoekstra, as mentioned, also has 9.8 rpg to lead the Falcons in that category. Justinger has 6.8 rpg and 2.0 apg in conference contests, and Myers has hit a team-leading 11 three-point field goals vs. MAC foes. BGSU is shooting 86.8% from the free-throw line in MAC games, having made 59-of-68 shots from the stripe.

• The Falcons returned six letterwinners, including two starters (Donovan and Justinger), from a 2013-14 team that won 30 overall games and captured a MAC regular-season title with a 17-1 league ledger. BGSU won the East Division crown, 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.

• Last year's edition of the Brown and Orange advanced to national postseason play for the 10th consecutive March, winning three games in the WNIT before falling in the quarterfinal round to eventual tourney champion Rutgers. BGSU won more than 20 games for the 11th consecutive year.

• In addition to the six returnees, head coach Jennifer Roos and her staff – assistant coaches Jesse Fleming, Jacey Brooks and Sahar Nusseibeh and director of operations Monique Rosati – also added six players with freshman status on the roster. The 12-player active roster at the start of the 2014-15 season included two seniors, two juniors, two sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and the four true frosh.

THE STARTING FIVE
Last season, head coach Jennifer Roos used a total of three different starting lineups over the 35-game schedule. But, this year's version of the Falcons had used four different lineups by the 13th game. Junior Miriam Justinger and sophomore Rachel Konieczki are the only two players to have started all 16 contests for the Brown and Orange this year to date.

THE WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS
Western Michigan has an overall record of 10-6 on the season, and the Broncos are 3-2 in MAC play. Western is looking to bounce back from a 65-46 home loss to Toledo on Saturday (Jan. 17). WMU's MAC wins have come at home vs. Akron and Ohio and on the road vs. Buffalo, and the Broncos' other MAC loss was at Ball State. Western is 6-1 at home, 3-5 on the road and 1-0 in neutral-site games. Individually, junior forward Miracle Woods leads the team in scoring, with 13.3 points per game, and she is second on the Broncos in rebounding, with 5.7 boards per contest. Woods is shooting a WMU-best 50.0 percent from the field. Three Broncos are averaging between 8.1 and 8.8 ppg. That group includes senior guard A.J. Johnson (8.8 ppg), junior guard Alex Morton (8.3 ppg) and junior forward Jessica Jessing (8.1 ppg). Morton leads the team in both assists (3.1 apg) and steals (1.6 spg) per game, while Johnson (2.4 apg, 1.5 spg) is second in both categories. Last year, head coach Shane Clipfell's team went 13-18 overall and 8-10 in the MAC. Clipfell welcomed back eight letterwinners, including all five starters, from the 2013-14 club.

THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Western Michigan, 35-23, in the all-time series between the teams, and BGSU has won the last two meetings, including last year's lone matchup.

• In the only 2013-14 meeting, the Falcons began the second half on an 18-2 run to race past the Broncos, 72-50, at the Stroh Center (Feb. 5, 2014). All nine BGSU players in uniform scored at least two points and pulled down at least one rebound in the win.

• Two years ago, the Falcons and Broncos played a pair of games that went right down to the wire. In BG's last trip to Kalamazoo, Corie Buchanan hit a shot in the lane with just 4.6 seconds to go, lifting Western to a 55-54 win (Feb. 10, 2013). The teams met again in the MAC Tournament, as the Falcons built an 18-point lead and held off a spirited Bronco comeback for a 55-53 win in second-round action in downtown Cleveland (March 13, 2013).

• BGSU is 18-10 in home games (2-0 at the Stroh Center), 14-12 on the road and 3-1 in neutral-site contests vs. the Broncos through the years.

• WMU has won two-straight meetings with the Falcons in Kalamazoo. BGSU's last road win over the Broncos was a 79-77 overtime affair six years ago (Feb. 7, 2009).

• Jennifer Roos is 2-1 against the Broncos as a collegiate head coach.

FALCONS LIKE THEIR #MACTION
Since Jennifer Roos became head coach prior to the 2012-13 season, the Falcons have a record of 29-10 in MAC regular-season games. BGSU has won those 29 games by an average of 17.2 points per game, and the Falcons' MAC losses have been by 7.6 ppg. Twenty-three of the 29 wins have been by double digits, with just four of the 10 losses coming by 10 points or more.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering the WMU game, BGSU has an all-time record of 391-157 (.714) 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 (754) and highest overall winning percentage (.653) of any conference school.

THE FALCONS ARE/WERE ...
• 8-8 this season, after posting a 30-5 overall record last winter;
• 1-4 in MAC play. BG was 17-1 in the MAC in 2013-14, winning a division title for the ninth time in a 10-season span;
• 320-116 since Jennifer Roos came to BGSU in the summer of 2001;
• 165-51 in MAC games in that time:
• 299-81 over the last 11-plus years, with 2013-14 marking BG's MAC-record 11th-straight season of at least 20 wins;
• a staggering 278-71 in the past 10-plus years, with no fewer than 23 wins in each of the 10 seasons and eight MAC overall regular-season titles (2004-10, 2012 and again in '14, plus an East Division crown in '11);
• an eye-popping 255-63 overall, and 129-22 in the MAC regular season, in the last nine-plus years, with at least 24 wins in each of those nine seasons;
• a superb 227-60 in the last eight-plus years, including a 113-22 league ledger;
• a/an (insert your own adjective here) 196-56 overall, and 98-21 in MAC regular-season games, in the last seven-plus seasons, since Monique Rosati came to the BGSU program;
• 170-48 overall and 85-18 in MAC action over the last six-plus winters;
• 141-43, including a 70-17 MAC ledger, in the last five-plus seasons;
• 114-36 overall and 56-15 in the MAC in the last four-plus years;
• 86-31 overall, and 43-12 in MAC action, since seniors Deborah Hoekstra and Jasmine Matthews first put on a BGSU uniform;
• 62-24 overall and 29-10 in league play since Jennifer Roos became head coach, junior Miriam Justinger joined the Falcons' roster, and redshirt junior Erica Donovan transferred to BG;
• 38-13 since Donovan and sophomores Rachel Konieczki and Abby Siefker began their BGSU playing careers, and redshirt freshmen Leah Bolton and Kennedy Kirkpatrick came to campus;
• 152-27 in the last 179 games vs. MAC foes (regular-season and tournament);
• A perfect 67-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field since 2001;
• 255-13 when having a better FG percentage than the opposition in that time, including a 127-3 mark in the last six-plus seasons;
• 244-44 when making more free throws than the opponent in the Roos Assistant-Coach/Associate-Head-Coach/Interim-Head-Coach/Head-Coaching Era;
• 207-26 when outrebounding the opponent in that 13-plus-year span;
• 75-8 in MAC home games in the last 10-plus seasons;
• 61-15 in MAC road games over the last nine-plus 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;
• 52-7 in all non-conference home games since the start of the 2003-04 season;
• 10-17 in 17 national postseason appearances (including a 3-11 record in the NCAA Championships and a 7-6 mark in WNIT trips);
• 9-10 in national postseason action since Roos arrived at BG (including a 2-5 mark in the NCAAs and a 7-5 record in the WNIT); and
• 47-10 in the Stroh Center, with seven losses coming by a total of 17 points.

MAKE MORE THAN THEY TAKE
So far this season, BG appears to be continuing an impressive program trend of getting to the foul line much more often than the other team. BGSU has made a total of 221 free throws this year to date. That total is more than the opponents have attempted (217), much less made (138). The Falcons' total of free throws made has been at least 100 higher than the opponents' FTM total in each of the last nine seasons, and BG is on pace to accomplish that feat yet again this year. The 2002-03 campaign was the last time the opposition made, or attempted, more free throws than BG.

MAKE IT TOUGH FOR THEM TO SCORE
Just prior to Christmas, the Falcons ranked 18th in the nation in scoring defense, as BGSU had surrendered just 53.9 points per game. Now, despite playing the last eight contests with at least 25 percent of the roster sidelined due to injuries, BG still ranks 51st in the nation in scoring defense. The Falcons have allowed 57.8 ppg heading into Wednesday's game at Western Michigan.

THREE FOR ALL
The Falcons have made 6.5 three-point field goals per game this year to date, ranking second in the MAC. BGSU has hit at least four triples in each of this season's 16 games. In conference play, the Falcons have made 7.8 treys per contest.

THREE-MARKABLE
BGSU made a season-high 11 three-point field goals in the Eastern Michigan game. The Falcons now have made at least one three-pointer in each of the last 327 games. BG has not been held without a triple in nearly 10 years – since Feb. 12, 2005, at Akron, when the Falcons downed the Zips, 61-52, despite going 0-of-13 from long distance.

FRIES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG (A FEW FINAL FALCON FACTS)
• Senior Deborah Hoekstra and junior Miriam Justinger rank second and fourth, respectively, in the MAC in minutes played in league games. Hoekstra is averaging 36.4 minutes per game in MAC contests, while Justinger averages 35.8 mpg.

• Rachel Myers is tied for first among freshman in the MAC in scoring in league games, with 10.6 points per contest. Myers leads all freshmen in free-throw percentage in MAC games, while Haley Puk is second.

• Puk leads all freshmen in steals per game in league matches.

• Justinger has played 39 or more minutes in three games this season. She played 39 minutes in BG's win over Cincinnati in early December, then played all but the final 10 seconds of the contest at Kent State on Jan. 10. Seven days later, Justinger played all 40 minutes at Eastern Michigan.

• Hoekstra played 38 minutes vs. KSU and 39 minutes in BG's next game, vs. Northern Illinois.

• Hoekstra has led the Falcons in scoring in each of the last three games, and has paced the team in rebounding in four of the last six contests.

• Redshirt freshman Kennedy Kirkpatrick scored a total of two points over her first 10 career games (five last year, five this year). Since then, however, she has averaged 4.8 ppg, with 48 points over the last 10 contests off the bench.

UP NEXT
• Following the Western Michigan game, the Falcons return home to face Miami on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 24). Tipoff will be at 2:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center, with the first 500 fans through the gates receiving a free T-shirt. Additionally, the women's basketball Falcons will be signing autographs after the game. Then, after a trip to Northern Illinois (Jan. 28), BG ends the month of January by facing Toledo (Jan. 31) at the Stroh to begin a two-game homestand.