BGSU Faces No. 5/6 Louisville to Begin Busy Weekend Stretch

Saturday, November 19

Louisville, KY

4:30 PM

Bowling Green State University

#5/6 Louisville

Jennifer Roos Haley Puk Nov 15 2016 v UC Garza photo

Louisville native Jennifer Roos & the Falcons will play 3 games in 3 days at the KFC Yum! Center

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

November 17, 2016 | Women's Basketball

The Falcons will play 3 games in 3 days at the KFC Yum! Center

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team hits the road for the next four games, as head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons take part in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge. The Brown and Orange will travel to Louisville, Ky., for the first three games in the tourney, beginning with a Saturday (Nov. 19) road contest vs. a top-10 team, the University of Louisville. The Falcons and Cardinals will meet in a 4:30 p.m. start at the KFC Yum! Center.

Following the UofL contest, the winningest program in Mid-American Conference history will face the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Sunday (Nov. 20), then wrap up the three-games-in-three-days stretch with a Monday (Nov. 21) matchup against Lafayette College. The Chattanooga game begins at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, with the Lafayette tilt set for a 5:00 p.m. start at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge will conclude with a quadruple-header on Sunday, Nov. 27, in Springfield, Mass. BGSU will play the first game of the day, meeting Saint Peter's University in a 10:30 a.m. tipoff at the MassMutual Center.

LINKS
GAME NOTES: BGSU | Louisville | Chattanooga | Lafayette
BGSU's 2016-17 Notes for All Games
Santoro Named MAC Player of the Week
Roos, Falcons Sign Five to National Letters of Intent
UC Recap: Late Rally Sends Bearcats Past BG
BGSU Statistics | Career Stats for Current Falcons
Falcons in Cuba! -- Day One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven
BGSU Women's Basketball on...: YouTube | Twitter
Buy Tickets | Join the Falcon Club Today!

THIS WEEKEND'S SCHEDULE IN LOUISVILLE...
(all games at KFC Yum! Center -- start times are ET)
Saturday, Nov. 19
Lafayette vs. Chattanooga, 2:00 p.m.
Bowling Green at Louisville, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 20
Bowling Green vs. Chattanooga, 2:00 p.m.
Lafayette at Louisville, 4:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 21
Bowling Green vs. Lafayette, 5:00 p.m.
Chattanooga at Louisville, 7:30 p.m.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
If you can't make it to the arena on game day, fear not – you can still follow the Falcons via your radio- or computer-like devices. All of BG's games 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, Saturday's UofL game will be broadcast via ACC Network Extra and WatchESPN. Live stats will be available as well, and in-game updates can be found at @BGSUwbb on your twitter machine. To follow the Falcons, simply log on to BGSUFalcons.com and click the 'calendar' link on the day of the game, or navigate your way to the women's basketball page.

BGSU HOOPS TO BE SHOWN ON ESPN3
All but two BGSU home regular-season games will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app in 2016-17. All nine of the Falcons' MAC games at the Stroh Center, as well as the non-league matchups with Cincinnati, Davis & Elkins, Virginia and Cleveland State, will be aired.

The Falcons' home game vs. Western Michigan, as well as the games at Eastern Michigan and Toledo, will be aired by BCSN/Time Warner Cable Sports Channel, and the game at Ball State will be broadcast by the American Sports Network. All games that are picked up by ASN and BCSN/TWCS will also be aired on ESPN3.

BGSU's two home games not scheduled for ESPN3 broadcasts (Ohio Valley and Malone) still will have live streaming available in some form.

Numerous other road and neutral-site games will likely have live-streaming availability as well. For the latest information and links, access the women's basketball schedule page right here at BGSUFalcons.com.

SANTORO NAMED MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Carly Santoro was named the MAC Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Tuesday evening (Nov. 15). Santoro, a native of Bellevue, Ohio, earned the honor for the first time as a Falcon, after exploding for career-high totals of 20 points and 12 rebounds in the season opener at Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 11).

SIEFKER STUFFS THE STAT SHEET
Senior Abby Siefker had the finest game of her Falcon career, with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds vs. Cincinnati on Tuesday (Nov. 15). The Ottoville, Ohio, native set career highs in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots (four) and she tied her BG best with five assists.

Siefker also set a career standard in minutes played, with 34, and she tied her career high in field goals made (five) as well as assists.

The double-double was the first of Siefker's collegiate career. Siefker's previous career standards had been 12 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.

SANTO-RIFFIC!
Carly Santoro got her sophomore season off to a solid start, to say the least. Santoro exploded for team-high totals of 20 points and 12 rebounds in the Falcons' season opener at Eastern Kentucky Friday night (Nov. 11).

The double-double was the first of Santoro's collegiate career, and she shattered her career highs in both categories. Prior to Friday, Santoro's career bests were 11 points (Jan. 6, 2016, at Western Michigan) and six rebounds (on two occasions). She doubled her previous rebounding best, and nearly doubled her prior career-high point total.

Santoro also set career standards in assists (three), field goals made (eight) and attempted (16) and minutes played (30) vs. the Colonels. Six of her 12 rebounds came at the offensive end of the court.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Falcons had a total of three double-doubles during all of last season, but BGSU now has had two in as many games this year. Sophomore Carly Santoro had 20 points and 12 rebounds at Eastern Kentucky, while senior Abby Siefker scored 14 points and pulled down 16 boards vs. Cincinnati.

For both Santoro and Siefker, the double-double was the first as a Falcon. Lauren Tibbs had all three of the team's double-doubles last winter.

PASSING THEIR BOARDS
A BG player had as many as 12 rebounds in a game only one time during all of last season (Tibbs again). But, it has happened twice in as many games in 2016-17. Sophomore Carly Santoro doubled her previous career high with 12 boards at EKU, while senior Abby Siefker pulled down a career-high 16 caroms vs. Cincinnati.

LAST TIME OUT: LATE RALLY SENDS CINCINNATI PAST FALCONS
Cincinnati took the lead with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and the visiting Bearcats hit their free throws down the stretch to post a 68-58 win over the Falcons Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 15) at the Stroh Center.

Senior Abby Siefker had the finest game of her career, with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. The Ottoville, Ohio, native set career highs in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots (four) and she tied her career best with five assists.

Shanice Johnson led all players with 25 points for the visitors, while Ana Owens added 20.

Sophomore Carly Santoro posted a double-figure scoring total for the second-straight game, with 12 points, while junior Rachel Myers had eight and classmate Haley Puk and freshman Caterrion Thompson seven apiece.

Siefker and the Falcons held a 38-28 rebounding advantage on Tuesday, and the Falcons shot 45.5 percent from the field to the Bearcats' 39.1%. But, after UC took the lead in the late stages of the contest, the visitors went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final minute.

The teams were called for a combined 41 fouls on the day, with the Falcons whistled for 23 and the Bearcats 18. UC had a pair of technical fouls in the first half, and both teams had multiple players in foul trouble for seemingly the entire game.

BG led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter, and the Falcons were up, 29-22, at the half. UC quickly tied the game, then briefly took the lead early in the third quarter.

The game stayed close, and when Owens hit a fast-break layup with 3:53 left, the contest was tied. Santoro's second-chance three-pointer gave BG the lead once again, but Johnson answered with a long-range make of her own at the 2:53 mark.

Then, Santoro drove the right baseline and got a layup try to go as the whistle blew. But, the call went against the Falcon sophomore, for her fifth foul of the day. The basket did not count, the game remained tied and the ball went back to the Bearcats with 2:31 remaining.

On the next possession, Siefker blocked a Johnson shot, but the UC junior grabbed the rebound and put the ball back up and in. The visitors had the lead with 2:06 to go.

After another offensive foul call against BG, Owens knocked down a three-pointer, and the visitors had a five-point advantage. The 'Cats sealed the game from the line, and Owens made the final six of her team's FT attempts, all in the final 34.7 seconds.

FALCONS PICKED TO PLACE FOURTH IN MAC EAST IN 2016-17
The Falcons were picked to finish fourth in the MAC's East Division in the 2016-17 season, according to the league's preseason coaches poll. Ohio and Central Michigan were predicted to win the East and West divisions, respectively, and the Chippewas were the choice to win both the conference overall regular-season and tourney crowns.
EAST DIVISION WEST DIVISION
1 - Ohio (9 first-place votes) – 69 pts.   1 - Central Michigan (12) – 72
2 - Buffalo (3) – 60 T2 - Ball State – 53
3 - Akron – 48 T2 - Toledo – 53
4 - Bowling Green –30 4 - Western Michigan – 34
5 - Miami – 27 5 - Northern Illinois – 25
6 - Kent State –18   6 - Eastern Michigan – 15
PREDICTED REG.-SEASON CHAMPION: Central Mich. 6, Ohio 5, Buffalo 1.
PREDICTED MAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPION: CMU 7; Ohio 4; Buffalo 1.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
Head coach Jennifer Roos and her staff – which is comprised of assistant coaches Jacey Brooks, Nick Moore and Jessie Ivey, director of operations Monique Rosati and video coordinator Heidi Schlegel – welcome back a total of eight returning letterwinners from a year ago. That group includes a trio of seniors in Rachel Konieczki, Abby Siefker and Ashley Tunstall. The junior class includes Rachel Myers and Haley Puk, while sophomores Maddie Cole, Sydney Lambert and Carly Santoro complete that list.

The eight active returnees have been joined by four newcomers, freshmen Andrea Cecil, Clare Glowniak, Caterrion Thompson and Jane Uecker. The entire team – including the incoming frosh – got a jump-start on the 2016-17 season with a trip to Cuba in mid-August, as the Falcons were able to practice prior to the trip, then play three games while on the foreign tour.

Lambert is the top returning scorer for the Falcons. She started all 28 games during her freshman season, averaging 9.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game and leading the MAC in three-point field-goal percentage. Lambert shot better than 40 percent from three-point range in her first year with the Falcons. Myers also started every game last winter, and had 7.6 ppg. Lambert (56) and Myers (51) combined to make 107 three-point field goals on the year.

Santoro and Tunstall averaged 4.3 and 4.1 ppg, respectively. Santoro played in all 28 games off the bench, while Tunstall made 11 starts in her first year at BG, but missed the last seven-plus games due to injury. Siefker, Konieczki and Puk all saw action in at least 26 contests a season ago, while Cole played in 13 games, including seven of the final eight.

DID YOU SAY CUBA?
In August, the Falcons made an historic trip, traveling to Cuba for a cultural immersion tour. Bowling Green became only the third NCAA college team, and just the second women's basketball team, to travel to Cuba (Louisville went to Cuba three days before the Falcons' trip began).

The Falcon travel party received a warm welcome from the residents of the island nation, and BGSU players and coaches played three games – including two against the Cuban National Team – and conducted several clinics with local children and a Havana-based university team while on the trip.

For Coach Roos and the Falcons, the off-court lessons were just as important as any practices or games, and each member of the travel party learned a great deal about the people, culture and history of Cuba. The team grew both on and off the court during an eventful nine days in mid-August, and the BGSU coaches and student-athletes were wonderful ambassadors for their nation and the game of basketball.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering the 2016-17 season, BGSU has an all-time record of 398-181 (.687) in MAC regular-season contests, for the most wins and highest winning percentage 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 and highest overall winning pct. of any conference institution.

THREE-MARKABLE
No fewer than 12 different players made at least one three-point field goal for the Falcons last season. Through two games, six Falcons have hit at least one triple this season.

THREE-MENDOUS
The Falcons hit 10 or more three-point field goals on seven occasions last season, including five times in MAC play. BG exploded for 15 three-pointers in the Falcons' first win over Kent State (Jan. 23), going 15-for-29 from long range and tying the Stroh Center record for treys made.

BGSU hit 11 triples in 23 tries (47.8%) en route to a win over MAC West Division favorite Eastern Michigan at the Stroh four days later (Jan. 27), and the Falcons went 16-of-27 at Central Michigan (Feb. 6), tying the school record for three-pointers made in a game. BG's success rate of 59.3% from beyond the arc was the program's best in nearly six years.

THREE-LIGHTFUL
The Falcons made at least five three-point field goals in 24 of last season's 28 games, and BG hit at least four triples in all 28 contests. The Brown and Orange have continued that streak, connecting at least five times in each of this year's two games.

THREE-GION OF BOOM
In fact, BG has hit four or more treys in 62 of the last 63 games, dating to late in the 2013-14 season. The lone exception during that stretch was a 2015 MAC Tournament first-round game, when BG made three treys at Western Michigan.

THREE- ... UMMM, SOME OTHER PHRASE THAT STARTS WITH 'THREE'
BGSU will be looking to extend an uber-impressive streak in the Louisville game. The Falcons have hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last 371 games. BG has not been held without a triple in over 11 years – since Feb. 12, 2005, at Akron, when the Falcons won, 61-52, despite going 0-of-13 from long distance.

A TRADITION OF SUCCESS
Bowling Green has won 14 MAC regular-season championships and 11 league tournament titles, the highest totals among all conference teams. Prior to the injury-plagued season of 2014-15, the Falcons had won at least 20 games in a MAC-record 11 consecutive seasons. BG won at least 24 games in nine-straight seasons during that span, losing just 18 total games in MAC regular-season play during those nine years.

The Falcons made 10 consecutive national postseason trips from 2005-14, with five NCAA Championships appearances and five trips to the WNIT during that time. The 2006-07 team was the most successful in MAC history, winning a league-record 31 games en route to an NCAA 'Sweet Sixteen' appearance.

Overall, BGSU has won 20 or more games 19 times, the highest total among all Mid-American Conference women's basketball-playing institutions.

SCOUTING LOUISVILLE
Louisville is 3-0 after a 91-72 win at Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, and the Cardinals are ranked fifth in the Associated Press poll and sixth in the USA Today coaches' poll. The Cards also have downed UT Martin and Belmont this season, and UofL has a +28.3 scoring margin through three games. Sophomore guard Asia Durr is averaging 21.3 points per game, while junior forward Mariya Moore has 16.3 ppg and three other players have scored at least 8.7 ppg. The Cards were picked to finish second in the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason poll, and junior forward Myisha Hines-Allen was voted the league's preseason Player of the Year. Head coach Jeff Walz welcomed back eight letterwinners, including all five starters, from a year ago, when UofL finished 26-8 overall and 15-1 in the ACC.

THE BGSU-LOUISVILLE SERIES
The Falcons and Louisville are tied, 1-1, in the all-time series between the teams, and the teams have not met in nearly 20 years. BGSU picked up a four-point win in Bloomington, Ind., in December of 1983, while UofL eked out a one-point victory in Boulder, Colo., on the last day of November in 1996.

FALCONS VS. THE TOP 25
BGSU enters Saturday's Louisville game with an all-time record of 5-32 against nationally ranked teams, and the Falcons are 2-11 vs. top-10 teams.

The two wins over top-10 programs came vs. Purdue in November of 1991 and against Vanderbilt in March of 2007. The Boilermakers were ranked 10th in both polls before falling to the Falcons, 75-72, at venerable Anderson Arena.

Vanderbilt was ranked seventh in the AP poll and eighth by USA Today when BG topped the Commodores, 59-56, in the second round of the NCAA Championships in East Lansing, Mich.

Three of BGSU's five wins over top-25 teams have come vs. Vandy, as the Falcons picked up a road win in 2009 and a home victory in '10. The most recent win over a nationally-ranked foe was a 65-40 drubbing of #15/14 Dayton in December of 2012 at the Stroh Center (UD's only regular-season loss that year).

Jennifer Roos is 1-2 vs. nationally-ranked teams as a collegiate head coach. Saturday's game – which will be played in her hometown – will be her first-ever game against a top-10 team as a head coach.

SCOUTING CHATTANOOGA
Chattanooga is 1-1 heading into a Thursday home game vs. #23 Indiana. The Mocs defeated Rutgers in the season opener, before falling to visiting Florida on Monday. Senior F/C Jasmine Joyner leads the team with 14.5 points per game, and also has 6.5 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Chelsey Shumpert. has 13.0 ppg, while four other players have between 6.0 and 7.0 ppg. Head coach Jim Foster welcomed back 12 of 13 letterwinners, including four starters, from a year ago. Last year's team went 24-8 overall and 12-2 in the Southern Conference. The Mocs have won four-straight SoCon titles, and were picked to repeat in this year's league preseason media and coaches' polls.

A LOOK AT LAFAYETTE
Lafayette takes a 1-2 record to Louisville. The Leopards downed La Salle on the road in the season opener, but have fallen to Rider and Robert Morris. Junior guard Sammy Stipa leads the team with 10.7 points per game, and she also paces the Leopards in assists, with 3.7 per contest. Another junior guard, Anna Ptasinski, has 9.3 ppg through three contests, while four players have between 4.7 and 5.7 rebounds per game. Head coach Theresa Grentz, in her second season, welcomed back nine letterwinners, including four starters, from a year ago. The Leopards went 6-23 overall and 4-14 in the Patriot League last winter. Lafayette was picked to finish eighth in the league this year, according to the preseason poll.

THE SERIES
BGSU will be meeting both Chattanooga and Lafayette in women's basketball for the first time.

FALCONS SIGN FIVE
Head coach Jennifer Roos recently announced the signing of five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Terri Battle (Chicago, Ill.), Madisen Parker (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Angela Perry (Rochester, Ill.), Sierra Thompson (Mattoon, Ill.) and Kennedy Williams (Marshall, Ill.) will join the Falcon program for the 2017-18 academic year.
Terri Battle 6-2 C   Chicago, Ill. (Simeon)
Madisen Parker   5-9 G   Fort Wayne, Ind. (Homestead)
Angela Perry 6-2   C   Rochester, Ill. (Rochester)
Sierra Thompson 5-11   F   Mattoon, Ill. (Mattoon)
Kennedy Williams 5-6 G   Marshall, Ill. (Marshall)

UP NEXT
Following the three games in Louisville, the Falcons will conclude play in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge on Sunday, Nov. 27. BGSU will face Saint Peter's in a 10:30 a.m. start at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. BGSU's next home game is Wednesday, Nov. 30, against Davis & Elkins.

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