BGSU, Ball State Meet Again in Muncie

Wednesday, January 24

Muncie, IN

7:00 PM ET

Bowling Green State University

Ball State

Sierra Thompson vs Kent State - Jan 17 2018

January 23, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Falcons travel to Indiana for midweek matchup

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

BGSU at BALL STATE
<><> Wednesday, January 24, 2018 • 7:00 p.m. <><>
<><> Worthen Arena (11,500) • Muncie, Ind. <><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><> TELEVISION / VIDEO: ESPN3.com <><>
<><> RADIO / AUDIO: None <><>
<><> LIVE STATS: www.BallStateSports.com <><>
<><> TWITTER: @BGSUwbb <><>

all available audio, stats & video links can be found at BGSUFalcons.com on game day

UP NEXT FOR YOUR FALCONS...
>> The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team returns to the road for a midweek Mid-American Conference matchup. Head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons head to Muncie, Ind., for a Wednesday (Jan. 24) game vs. Ball State University, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Worthen Arena.

>> Then, the Brown and Orange will return home to face the arch-rival University of Toledo this weekend. The Falcons and Rockets will meet Saturday (Jan. 27), in a 2:00 p.m. start at the Stroh Center.

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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. Wednesday's Ball State game will feature a free video stream, as well as live stats and Twitter updates. All links will be available via BGSUFalcons.com.

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. Any and all available links to ticket info. and game coverage will be available there.

LAST TIME OUT: OHIO ESCAPES THE STROH WITH 70-63 WIN
Visiting Ohio University used a fourth-quarter run to forge ahead in a close game at the Stroh Center, and the Bobcats went on to post a 70-63 win over the Falcons on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 20).

Cierra Hooks scored a game-high 20 points for the Bobcats, with 13 of those points coming in the fourth period. Senior Haley Puk led a balanced BG scoring effort with 14 points, while juniors Sydney Lambert and Carly Santoro had 13 points apiece.

Santoro fell just one rebound shy of a double-double, with a game-high nine boards as BG held a 39-37 advantage on the glass.

"WELL THEN..."
Last year's edition of the Falcons won a total of eight games. To quote Jon Lovitz in the movie A League of Their Own, "Well then, this would be more, wouldn't it?"

The win at Akron just over a week ago (Jan. 13) was the ninth of the season for the Orange and Brown, topping the total for all of last year, and BGSU picked up win number 10 four days later vs. Kent State. BG has surpassed both the home and road win totals for the entire 2016-17 campaign.

The Falcons have a 5-4 record at the Stroh Center this season to date. The fourth home win came on Dec. 18, topping last year's home victory total.

Last year's club won a total of five games away from the Stroh, including three true road contests. This year, BG has four road wins and five total victories away from home. BG is 5-4 in all games played away from the Stroh Center this season.
FALCONS BY VENUE
Season   Home Road   Neut. Total
2016-17   3-12 3-10   2-1   8-23
2017-18   5-4   4-4 1-0 10-8

THE FALCONS: A QUICK OVERVIEW
BGSU is 10-8 on the season, and the Falcons are 2-5 in Mid-American Conference play. BG is 5-4 at the Stroh Center, 4-4 in true road games and 1-0 in neutral-site contests this season to date.

The Falcons opened the season with seven games in a 19-day span. BGSU went 6-1 during that time, then began December by downing Xavier before a large School Day crowd at the Stroh. But, BG then dropped six of the last seven games.

After an 82-73 win over Ferris State, BG suffered a loss at Cincinnati to end the non-conference slate, then opened league play with four losses vs. West Division foes. BGSU lost at Western Michigan, at home to Eastern Michigan and Ball State, and on the road vs. Central Michigan. The Brown and Orange snapped the five-game losing streak with a 66-64 win at Akron, and BG then downed Kent State, 60-50, last Wednesday. But, Ohio snapped the Falcons' modest two-game winning streak with a 70-63 verdict at the Stroh on Saturday.

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 Amanda Cutcher – welcomed back a total of nine returning players, including three starters, from a year ago. The list of returnees includes two seniors, three juniors and four second-year Falcons.

Rachel Myers and Haley Puk make up the senior class, while Maddie Cole, Sydney Lambert and Carly Santoro each are in their junior year. Sophomores Andrea Cecil, Caterrion Thompson and Jane Uecker also return, as does Clare Glowniak, who is a redshirt freshman in terms of eligibility after missing the bulk of last season due to injury.

The nine returnees are joined by five freshmen, including Terri Battle, Madisen Parker, Angela Perry, Sierra Thompson and Kennedy Williams. Perry made her collegiate debut in the MAC opener at WMU, after missing the entire non-league portion of the schedule due to injury.

Cecil, Lambert, Puk and Santoro each have started all 18 games this season. Uecker started the first 13 contests of the year, while Glowniak has been in the starting five in each of the last five games.

Heading into the rematch with BSU, two Falcons are scoring in double digits, with two others just shy of that mark. Santoro leads the way with 14.0 ppg, and is nearly averaging a double-double, with a team-leading 9.8 rpg. She ranks second in the MAC in rebounds. Cecil has 10.2 ppg, while Lambert and Puk each are averaging 9.6 ppg. Caterrion Thompson (5.8 ppg) and Uecker (5.4) are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, on the team in scoring.

Lambert leads the team in assists, with 2.4 per game, while Santoro has 1.9 helpers per contest. Santoro (1.8) and Lambert (1.7) are ranked 1-2 on the team in steals per game. Lambert has knocked down 36 three-point field goals this year, while Puk has hit 31.

Through seven MAC games, Santoro has BG-best averages of 12.9 ppg and 9.0 rpg, while Caterrion Thompson has 9.4 ppg and Puk 8.6 ppg. Thompson is shooting 50 percent from three-point range in league contests, having gone 16-of-32 from the arc. Lambert has 7.6 ppg in MAC play, while Cecil has 6.6 ppg.

THREE-MARKABLE
Through the years, BGSU rosters typically have been stocked with players who can score from three-point range. A total of 12 different Falcons hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last two years. This season to date, 10 different players have made at least one long-distance shot.

THREE-MENDOUS
The Falcons hit 14 triples – just one shy of the Stroh Center record and two away from the school record – in this season's first matchup with Ball State. Six different players hit a triple, with four of those six connecting from long range multiple times.

THREE-LIGHTFUL
Two years ago, the Falcons made at least four three-point field goals in all 28 contests. Last year, BGSU connected at least four times in 27 of the 31 games, and this year, the Falcons have made four or more treys in 16 of the 18 games.

THREE-POSTEROUS
In fact, BG has knocked down four or more three-pointers in 103 of the last 110 games, dating to late in the 2013-14 season.

THREE-GION OF BOOM
BGSU will be looking to extend a mucho-impressive streak in the BSU game. The Falcons have hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last 418 games. BG has not been held without a triple in close to 13 years – since Feb. 12, 2005, at Akron, when the Falcons won, 61-52, despite going 0-of-13 from long distance.

THREE- ... UMMM, SOME OTHER PHRASE THAT STARTS WITH 'THREE'
In MAC games only, the Falcons are ranked second in the conference in three-point field goals made, having hit 8.0 per outing. BG has made nine triple tries in each of the last three games, vs. Akron, Kent State and Ohio.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering Wednesday's Ball State battle, BGSU has an all-time record of 404-200 (.669) 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 with a winning series record against every other school. BG also has the most overall victories and highest overall winning pct. of any league institution.

SCOUTING BSU
Ball State is 15-3 on the season, and the Cardinals are 4-3 in MAC play. BSU went 11-0 in non-conference action, including road wins over Vanderbilt and Purdue. The Cards are 4-1 against MAC East Division foes and 0-2 vs. the West Division to date. Ball State topped Kent State, 79-58, on Saturday, snapping a two-game losing streak.BSU is 8-2 at home and 7-1 on the road this season. All five starters are scoring in double digits, led by Moriah Monaco, who has 16.6 points per game. Destiny Washington has 12.9 ppg and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds per appearance, while Carmen Grande has 12.4 ppg and leads the MAC with 9.7 assists per game. She is second in the nation in the latter category. As a team, BSU leads the MAC in scoring margin (+16.3), along with assists, blocked shots and assist/turnover ratio. Last year, the Cardinals finished with a 21-11 overall record and a 14-4 MAC ledger. Head coach Brady Sallee welcomed back six letterwinners, including two starters, from that club.

THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Ball State, 44-21, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Cardinals have won the last seven meetings. BSU came to BG and picked up an 84-73 win on Jan. 6. Last season, the Cards captured both matchups, including a 91-70 verdict in Muncie (Feb. 8, 2017). Prior to BSU's current seven-game streak, the Falcons had won five-straight games vs. the Cardinals. BG's last victory over BSU was a 72-61 decision on the road in January of 2014. BGSU is 24-6 in home games, 18-12 on the road and 2-3 in neutral-site meetings with the Cardinals over the years.

UP NEXT
Following the BSU matchup, the Falcons will return home to face Toledo on Saturday (Jan. 27). That contest is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. start at the Stroh Center, and will be National Girls & Women in Sports Day. Additionally, it will be an 'Orange Out' at the Stroh, and all fans are encouraged to wear orange.

Then, BGSU ends the month of January with a trip to Kent to face the Golden Flashes next Wednesday (Jan. 31). That contest is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.