Falcons Face Ferris in Saturday Exhibition

Saturday, November 5

Bowling Green, OH

12:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Ferris State

Buy Tickets

Myers Tunstall Santoro practice Oct 3 2016 MJC photo

Photo by: BGSU Strategic Communications

November 02, 2016 | Women's Basketball

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Bowling Green State University women's basketball fans get their first chance to see the 2016-17 team in action Saturday afternoon (Nov. 5), as head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons host Ferris State University in the team's lone exhibition game. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center, and tickets for Saturday's game are just $5.

BGSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LINKS
Falcons Picked to Finish Fourth in the East
Buy your BGSU Athletics tickets today!
2016-17 BGSU Women's BKB Season Ticket Info.
2016-17 BGSU Women's Basketball Schedule
Falcons in Cuba! -- Day One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven
Join the Falcon Club Today!

ABOUT THE FALCONS
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.

The Falcons were picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference's East Division in 2016-17, according to the league's preseason poll. BGSU finished fourth in the East a year ago, losing to eventual MAC Tournament champion Buffalo in the conference tourney.

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.

A TRADITION OF SUCCESS
The Falcons have won 19 games over the past two seasons, including nine wins two years ago after injuries reduced the active roster to seven players (including four freshmen) at one point. But, BGSU remains one of the benchmark programs in the Mid-American Conference.

Entering the 2016-17 campaign, 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 percentage of any conference institution.

MARCHING TOWARD MARCH
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, and the Falcons lost only 18 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.

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.

A LOOK AT FERRIS STATE
Ferris State, under the direction of second-year head coach Kendra Faustin, was picked to finish seventh in the 2016-17 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. Junior center Rachel McInerney was chosen to the GLIAC Preseason North Division First Team. She averaged 14.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game last winter.

Faustin returns eight squad members from a year ago, in addition to welcoming six freshmen.

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
Following Saturday's exhibition, the Falcons will prepare for the regular-season opener, which is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 11, at Eastern Kentucky. The home opener is Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 12:00 p.m. against Cincinnati.

BGSU women's basketball season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the BGSU Ticket Office at 877-BGSU-TICKET or by visiting the Falcon Ticket Zone right here at BGSUFalcons.com.