BGSU Faces WMU Wednesday Night in the First of Three-Straight Home Games

Wednesday, February 10

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Western Michigan

Tickets

Rachel Konieczki Rachel Myers v EMU - Jan 27 2016 -

Photo by: Ruben Kappler, BGSU Marketing & Communications

BGSU Faces WMU Wednesday Night in the First of Three-Straight Home Games

February 09, 2016 | Women's Basketball

It'll be National Girls & Women in Sports Day at the Stroh

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team begins a three-game homestand with a Mid-American Conference midweek matchup. The Falcons of head coach Jennifer Roos host Western Michigan University on Wednesday night (Feb. 10), with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center.

LINKS
GAME NOTES: BGSU | WMU
2015-16 Women's Basketball Media Central
BGSU's 2015-16 Notes for All Games
Season Statistics | Career Stats for Current Falcons
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NOTE OF THE WEEK
Bowling Green tied an NCAA record on Saturday (Feb. 6) at Central Michigan. The Falcons made 11 consecutive three-point attempts vs. the Chippewas, matching the NCAA Division-I mark set by TCU vs. Lamar in March of 1996. BGSU missed the final three-point attempt of the first quarter, then made all six long-distance tries in the second quarter before going 5-for-5 from beyond the arc to begin the third period.

NATIONAL GIRLS & WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY
Wednesday's game is National Girls & Women in Sports Day, and BGSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will hold a sports clinic from 5:45-6:45 p.m. Each of BG's women's athletic teams will interact and engage with children to teach the importance of sport participation, leadership and leading a healthy and active lifestyle. More information is available on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.

WATER FOR FLINT
Fans are encouraged to assist Flint, Mich., as that community's water crisis continues. BGSU Athletics will be collecting unopened cases of water at the north and south lobbies of the Stroh Center during the men's basketball game on Tuesday and the women's game on Wednesday. For each case of water donated, fans will receive a voucher good for a $5 general-admission ticket for any remaining regular-season basketball game (excluding the women's basketball's game vs. Toledo).

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
If you can't make it to the Stroh on Wednesday night, fear not – you can still follow the Falcons via your radio- or computer-like devices. The BGSU-WMU game, like 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, Wednesday's game will be streamed on ESPN3.com, and 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.

WEDNESDAYS WITH WESTERN
(a few fun facts about the Falcons' game vs. the Broncos)
• Wednesday night's game features arguably the top-two three-point shooting teams in the conference. Western Michigan leads the league in three-point field-goal percentage, with a 39.5 percent success rate in MAC games. The Falcons are second on the MAC with a 37.9% long-distance performance in conference contests.

• Individually, the top-four three-point markswomen in the league will be on display at the Stroh. BGSU's starting backcourt – freshman Sydney Lambert and sophomore Rachel Myers – are ranked one-two in three-point FG pct. in MAC games. Lambert is shooting a whopping 50.8% from long distance, having gone 30-of-59 from beyond the arc vs. MAC foes, while Myers is shooting 46.4% (26-of-56 in MAC play). Western Michigan's Jessica Jessing and Alex Morton are third and fourth, respectively, in the league in that category. Additionally, the Broncos' Meredith Shipman ranks seventh in the MAC in long-distance accuracy.

• None of the last four BGSU-WMU games have been decided by fewer than 22 points. Western has won the last three games by an average of 27.3 points, but all three of those games were played in Kalamazoo. In the teams' last meeting at the Stroh Center, the Falcons won by a 72-50 result (Feb. 5, 2014). The visiting team has not won a BGSU-WMU game since 2009, when the Falcons pulled out a 79-77 overtime decision at Western's University Arena.

LAST TIME OUT: FALCONS LOSE A THRILLER IN MOUNT PLEASANT
• Presley Hudson hit a layup at the buzzer, as host Central Michigan pulled out a 76-75 win over the BGSU women's basketball team Saturday afternoon (Feb. 6).

• Sophomore Rachel Myers led the Falcons (8-11, 4-6 MAC) with a career-high 24 points, hitting seven three-point field goals. Myers fell just one triple shy of tying the school single-game record. As a team, BG did indeed tie the school record by making 16 treys.

• Senior Lauren Tibbs had 14 points for the Brown and Orange, while classmate Miriam Justinger and sophomore Haley Puk added 13 apiece. Justinger was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range, while Puk's point total was a career best.

• Reyna Frost had 24 points to lead four double-digit scorers for the Chippewas (15-7, 9-2 MAC). Cassie Breen scored 15, Hudson 14 and Tinara Moore 11.

• Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field, and over 57% from three-point range, in the game. BGSU was 27-of-53 from the field on the day, good for a 50.9% success rate. And, the Falcons went 16-of-27 (59.3%) from three-point land.

• Myers missed her first two three-point attempts of the day, then proceeded to make seven in a row, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in both the second and third quarters.

• But, the Chippewas shot 54.9% from the floor, and 57.1% from beyond the arc. CMU's overall 28-of-51 shooting performance included an 8-of-14 three-point effort.

• The Falcons led by as many as 15 midway through the second quarter, before CMU went on a 19-6 run to end the half. The Chippewas were within two points at the break, and it was still a two-point game midway through the third period, before the Falcons surged ahead by 12 late in the quarter.

• Central slowly crept back, however, and a long, rainbow three-pointer by Hudson, as the shot-clock buzzer sounded, made it a two-point game with three minutes to go. Frost's jumper with 2:34 remaining tied the game at 72-all, and Jewel Cotton's short jumper with 1:03 left gave CMU the lead for the first time all day.

• On BG's next possession, Myers was fouled and split her free throws. After the miss, though, Tibbs tapped the rebound out to Justinger, who grabbed the ball and was fouled. Justinger split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 74-74.

• Hudson was called for an offensive foul with 18.7 seconds left, and junior Ashley Tunstall was fouled with 6.8 seconds to go, splitting the ensuing tosses to give BG a 75-74 lead.

• But, after the Falcons fouled twice, putting the clock at 4.9 seconds, Hudson drove down the left side of the lane and put a shot off glass and in as time expired. The officials reviewed the play to confirm that Hudson got her shot off in time, which she had, and the Chippewas had the win.

A SCHOOL RECORD-TYING EFFORT
BGSU tied the school record for three-point field goals made in a game, connecting from beyond the arc 16 times in Saturday's (Feb. 6) Central Michigan contest. It marked the fifth time in school history that the Falcons had hit 16 triples, and all five have come in MAC regular-season games. It's interesting (or maybe it's not interesting at all) to note that two of the previous four such games took place at venerable Anderson Arena, while the other two occurred at Kent State's M.A.C. Center. The list...
BGSU RECORD BOOK - THREE-POINT FG MADE, GAME
16 - vs. Akron -------------- Jan. 26, 2000 -- W 94-72
16 - at Kent State ---------- Jan. 16, 2008 -- W 90-64
16 - vs. Buffalo ------------ March 2, 2011 -- W 92-68
16 - at Kent State ---------- Feb. 28, 2012 -- W 91-48
16 - at Central Michigan ---- Feb. 6, 2016 --- L 75-76

NEARLY A SCHOOL RECORD-TYING EFFORT
Sophomore Rachel Myers hit seven of BG's 16 three-pointers on Saturday at CMU, falling just one trey shy of tying the school single-game record for an individual. Whitney Taylor made a school-record eight three-pointers in one of those aforementioned Kent State games (Jan. 16, 2008), while Tracy Pontius tied the record with eight triples in a MAC Tournament win over Toledo (March 14, 2009).

A FEW MORE NOTES ABOUT THREE-POINTERS, TO REPLACE SOME OF THE USUAL NOTES ABOUT THREE-POINTERS IN THESE NOTES
• During the Falcons' three-point shooting clinic at Central Michigan, BG went went 9-of-15 from beyond the arc in that opening half, including a perfect 6-for-6 effort from long range in the second quarter. Senior Miriam Justinger, sophomore Rachel Myers and freshman Sydney Lambert all hit three first-half triples, with all three of Lambert's makes coming in the first quarter, and both Justinger and Myers going a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown in the second.

• And, BG did not cool off as the third quarter got underway. After that 6-for-6 performance in the second period, the Falcons went 6-for-7 from long distance in the third.

• Myers missed her first two three-point attempts in the game, then made seven in a row. After going 3-for-3 from long distance in the second quarter, she was again 3-of-3 from downtown in the third, and also hit her first trifecta try of the fourth quarter. Additionally, classmate Haley Puk went 2-for-2 from long range in the third period.

• Over the last four games, BGSU has made an average of 11.5 three-pointers per game and shot 46.9 percent (46 of 98) from long distance.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green enters Wednesday's game with an overall record of 8-11, and the Falcons are 4-6 in MAC play after suffering a loss at the buzzer on the road against the MAC's West Division leader.

• BGSU is looking to snap a two-game losing streak, as the Falcons fell by a 75-61 final on the road at Toledo (Jan. 30), before losing, 76-75, at Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 6). Prior to the UT game, BG had put together a season-best three-game winning streak.

• That winning streak included a 67-63 win over Eastern Michigan, picked to win the MAC's West Division in the preseason coaches poll, on Jan. 27. The EMU win came on the heels of victories over Northern Illinois on the road (58-43; Jan. 20) and Kent State at home (71-49; Jan. 23).

• BG opened conference action with a 64-58 win at Miami (Jan. 2), but the Brown and Orange then suffered a road loss to Western Michigan before falling at home to defending MAC champion Ohio, Akron and Ball State.

• The Miami game was the Falcons' first in 12 days, and just BG's second in a 25-day span. BGSU played three games in seven days to begin December, and after a game on Dec. 8, did not play again until Dec. 21. Then, a trip to San Antonio just after Christmas was cancelled.

• BGSU is 5-4 at home, 2-6 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games this season. The Falcons are 2-3 at the Stroh in MAC play, and BG is also 2-3 on the road in league action after going 0-10 against conference opponents away from Bowling Green last year (0-9 in the regular season, 0-1 in the MAC Tournament).

• BG began the season with a pair of double-digit wins at the Stroh, then left Northwest Ohio and played three games that were decided by a total of 10 points. After beating Illinois State and Bradley to begin the season, the Falcons also posted non-conference wins over Jacksonville and Evansville.

• A pair of BGSU newcomers have posted double-digit scoring averages to date. Fifth-year senior Lauren Tibbs has 11.6 points per game, while freshman Sydney Lambert is scoring 10.3 ppg. Tibbs, in her first season at BGSU after transferring from Marquette, also leads the Falcons with 7.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocked shots per contest. Tibbs, who was 7-of-11 from the field en route to 14 points at CMU, is shooting 56.3 percent from the field to lead the team and rank third in the MAC in that category.

• Lambert leads the Falcons in minutes played (30.1), is tied for the steals lead (1.1 spg) and ranks second on the team in assists (2.1 apg). Lambert paces the team in three-point field goals made, with 45, and she leads the entire MAC in three-point percentage, having made 46.9% of her long-distance attempts to rank among the national leaders as well.

• Senior Miriam Justinger and sophomore Rachel Myers have 8.5 and 8.3 ppg, respectively. Justinger leads the Falcons in assists, with 2.2 per game, and she is tied for first on the team in steals and ranks third in rebounding. Justinger has made 25 long-distance shots this year, ranking third on the Falcons on that list as well. She was a perfect 4-for-4 from long range in the CMU contest.

• Myers has hit 39 three-pointers this winter to date, including seven triples – just one shy of the school record – at Central. She ranks fourth in the MAC with a three-point field-goal percentage of 41.1%.

• Myers and Lambert have combined to make 32 three-pointers over the last four games. Despite hitting just four long-distance shots vs. UT, the Falcons have made 46 triples as a team over the last four contests.

• Junior Ashley Tunstall has 4.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg, ranking second on the team in the latter category. Redshirt sophomore Kennedy Kirkpatrick has 4.2 ppg and ranks third on the Falcons in assists, while freshman Carly Santoro has 4.1 ppg and is tied for fourth on the team with nine three-pointers made.

• Sophomore Haley Puk has 2.9 ppg, while juniors Abby Siefker and Rachel Konieczki are averaging 1.7 and 1.4 ppg, respectively. Puk scored a career-high 13 points at Central Michigan, adding three assists in 26 minutes. Siefker had a season-high seven points at NIU, and she pulled down six rebounds in the wins over Northern and Kent State. Siefker is second on the team in blocked shots, with 11 rejections in 19 games.

• Seven players – Justinger, Kirkpatrick, Lambert, Myers, Santoro, Siefker and Tibbs – each have seen action in all 19 games, while Konieczki, Puk and Tunstall all have played in 17. Sophomore Sarah Baer and freshman Maddie Cole have come off the bench in 11 and six games, respectively. Justinger, Lambert, Myers and Tibbs each have started all 19 games for the Brown and Orange this season, while Tunstall has started nine and Siefker four. Tunstall returned to the starting lineup for the EMU game after Siefker had started the prior four contests.

• The Falcons are shooting 39.8% from the field, 35.3% from three-point land (good for second in the MAC) and 69.1% from the free-throw line. The opponents are shooting 39.2% from the floor, 33.0% from the arc and 69.3% from the stripe.

• In MAC games only, Tibbs is averaging 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds and is shooting 53.8% from the floor, while Lambert has 11.5 ppg and has hit a team-leading 30 triples. Myers and Justinger have 10.3 and 8.2 ppg, respectively.

• Lambert (50.8%) and Myers (46.4%) rank first and second, respectively, in three-point field-goal percentage in MAC games. The Falcons are second in the league in both three-pointers per game (9.1) and long-range accuracy (37.9%) in conference contests.

AMONG THE LEADERS
• Freshman Sydney Lambert leads the MAC and is ranked second in the entire nation in three-point field goal percentage. Lambert has hit 45 triples in 96 tries, for a success rate of 46.9 percent. Lambert trails only Maryland's Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who as of Monday afternoon (Feb. 8) was shooting an otherworldly 58.5% from long distance. Sophomore Rachel Myers is 40th in the nation in three-point accuracy (40.6%).

• Senior Lauren Tibbs is shooting 56.3% from the field this season to date. She is currently third in the MAC, and 21st in the nation, in that category.

• As a team, BGSU is ranked 20th in the nation in three-point field goals made (8.1 per game) and 35th in three-point pct. (35.3%). The Falcons are second in the MAC in both categories.

THE WMU BRONCOS
Western Michigan enters Wednesday's game with an overall record of 13-10, and the Broncos are 5-6 in MAC play. Western is looking to snap a two-game losing streak, with the most recent loss coming in double overtime on Saturday (Feb. 6) at Eastern Michigan. The Broncos have lost four of the last five games after winning three in a row prior to that time. WMU leads the MAC in both three-point field goal percentage (35.9% - 27th in the nation) and three-point FG defense (27.6%). In MAC games only, the Broncos are shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc. WMU is 7-2 at home, 5-6 on the road and 1-2 in neutral-site games this season to date. In MAC play, the Broncos are 3-2 in Kalamazoo and 2-4 at hostile venues. Senior forward Miracle Woods leads three double-digit scorers with 13.9 points per game, and she has 4.5 rebounds per contest and is shooting 50.5% from the field. Senior forward Jessica Jessing and junior guard Meredith Shipman are averaging 10.7 and 10.4 ppg, respectively. Jessing leads the Broncos with 6.9 rpg, while Shipman has hit a team-high 54 three-pointers. Shipman is second in the MAC and 10th in the nation in three-point percentage, shooting 43.9% from long distance. Jessing, Shipman and senior guard Alex Morton (8.3 ppg, a team-leading 3.6 assists per game) each have started all 23 games this season for head coach Shane Clipfell. Last season, the Broncos finished with a 20-13 overall mark and an 11-7 MAC ledger, and WMU advanced to the WNIT.

THE BGSU-WMU SERIES
The Falcons lead Western Michigan, 35-26, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Broncos have captured each of the last three meetings by lopsided scores in Kalamazoo. Last month (Jan. 6, 2016), Western dealt the Falcons a 74-45 defeat at University Arena. Last season, the Broncos shot nearly 60 percent from the field in the second half of the teams' regular-season matchup, breaking open a close game en route to an 82-52 win (Jan. 21, 2015). Rachel Myers led the Falcons with a game- and then career-high 21 points, but the 30-point margin of victory was WMU's largest in series history. Then, the Broncos downed the Brown and Orange by a 65-42 final in MAC Tournament first-round action in Kalamazoo six weeks later (March 9, 2015). In the last series meeting in Bowling Green, the Falcons downed the Broncos, 72-50, just over two years ago (Feb. 5, 2014) at the Stroh Center. After the teams played two games decided by two points or less in 2012-13, none of the last four matchups has been decided by fewer than 22 points. BGSU is 18-10 in home games (2-0 at the Stroh Center), 14-15 in road contests and 3-1 in neutral-site meetings vs. Western over the years. Jennifer Roos is 2-4 against the Broncos as a collegiate head coach.

A VIEW FROM THE NORTH
Falcon senior Miriam Justinger had a standout career at Sylvania Northview H.S. She was a First-Team All-Ohio selection as a senior, averaging 19.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists as the Wildcats went 21-2 and won a third consecutive Northern Lakes League championship. WMU senior Jessica Jessing was a teammate of Justinger's at Northview, joining Justinger on the all-league team. First-year Falcon Maddie Cole, then as now, was a freshman when Justinger and Jessing were seniors. Cole averaged 4.1 points and 3.6 rebounds as that 2011-12 Northview team went a perfect 14-0 in NLL play.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering Wednesday's WMU game, BGSU has an all-time record of 396-175 (.694) 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.

JUSTINGER IS MOVING UP THE SCORING LIST
Senior Miriam Justinger enters the WMU game with a career total of 942 points at BGSU, good for 28th in school history. Justinger moved up three spots in the CMU game, passing Kim Griech (931 points from 1999-2003), Jen Uhl (932 points from 2007-11) and former teammate Jillian Halfhill (932 points from 2010-14). Her next target on the BGSU career list is 27th-place Rhonda Moore, who had 966 career points from 1982-86.

UP NEXT
Following the WMU game, the Falcons' three-game home swing continues with a Saturday (Feb. 13) game vs. Buffalo. That contest will be the Falcons' Play 4Kay game, with fans encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness and the Play 4Kay initiative. Saturday's game, the second half of a doubleheader, is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. The twinbill begins with the BG men facing Western Michigan at 2:00 p.m.

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