Trip to NIU Up Next for Falcons

Wednesday, February 6

DeKalb, IL

6:00 PM CT (7:00 PM ET)

Bowling Green State University

Northern Illinois

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Photo by: Scott W. Grau

February 05, 2019 | Women's Basketball

BGSU Game Notes NIU Game Notes Watch on ESPN+ ($$)Live Stats Tickets

BGSU head to MAC's "West Coast" for Wednesday cross-divisional matchup

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

BGSU at NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 • 6:00 p.m. CT
Convocation Center • DeKalb, Ill.

TELEVISION / VIDEO: ESPN+
RADIO: None
LIVE STATS: www.NIUHuskies.com
TWITTER: @BGSUwbb
all audio, stats & video links can be found at BGSUFalcons.com on game day

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS...
>> The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team heads to the Mid-American Conference's "West Coast" to conclude the first half of the league schedule. Head coach Robyn Fralick and the Falcons face Northern Illinois University on Wednesday night (Feb. 6), with tipoff set for 6:00 p.m. locally (7:00 p.m. ET) at the Convocation Center in DeKalb, Ill.

NEED-TO-KNOW INFORMATION
(We provide these three fascinating facts only on a need-to-know basis – If you don't know, now you know. Keep reading for more info. re: these fascinating facts)
>> Junior Jane Uecker and sophomore Terri Battle each posted a season-high point total on Saturday (Feb. 2) at Toledo. The duo combined for 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor.

>> Seven of BGSU's first eight MAC games have been within three points with under 12 minutes remaining. Six of those seven contests were three-point games at some point in the fourth quarter, and no fewer than five have been one-possession games in the final minute.

>> Freshman Morgan McMillen is on pace to shatter the school single-season records for both three-point field goals made and attempted.

I AM IRON WOMAN
>> Senior Sydney Lambert checked out of the Toledo game withi 5:50 remaining in the second quarter on Saturday. It marked the first time she had sat on the bench in nearly a month, since the second period of the Falcons' game at Ball State back on Jan. 9. Lambert had played 239:32 – the equivalent of six-straight games, minus 28 seconds – without coming out of the game.

>> Lambert, who returned to the UT game just 44 seconds later after checking out, has played all 40 minutes in no fewer than eight games this season to date, including five in a row before Saturday's game in the Glass City. She leads the MAC and is ranked 12th in the nation in minutes played per game (37.28).

SEE THE THREE, BE THE THREE
>> The Falcons made a season-low three three-point field goals on Saturday at Toledo. Despite the struggles from the arc in the Glass City, BGSU is currently 11th in the nation in three-point field goals made per game, having hit 9.7 per contest.

>> The Falcons are 23rd in the land in total three-pointers made (185) and 27th in triples attempted (529).

>> BGSU has made at least three triples in each of the last 62 games.

>> Individually, freshman Morgan McMillen is eighth in the country – and first in the MAC – in three-pointers made per game (3.42), and she is 18th nationally in total three-pointers made (65) and 20th in long-range shots attempted (174). McMillen has made at least four treys in a game 11 times this year.

>> Junior Andrea Cecil is 37th in the entire nation in three-point percentage, having made 42.0 percent of her long-range tries.

MCMILLEN ON PACE TO SHATTER SINGLE-SEASON LONG-DISTANCE MARKS
>> As we just mentioned, freshman Morgan McMillen is ranked among the national leaders in multiple three-point field-goal related categories. And, she has a chance to be ranked atop several school lists by season's end.

>> McMillen has made 65 long-range shots this season to date, and is four away from moving into the top 10 on the BGSU single-season list. Lauren Prochaska currently holds down the number-10 spot, with 69 successful triples in 2010-11.

>> McMillen is 27 three-pointers away from matching the school record of 92, which was set by Prochaska in 2009-10.

>> McMillen has attempted 174 long-range shots this season, just 35 shy of the school single-season record of 209, currently held by Tracy Pontius (2010-11).

FAMILIAR FACE ON THE OTHER BENCH
>> BGSU associate head coach Kim Cameron and NIU assistant coach Maria Kasza certainly are familiar with one another, as they worked together in various capacities at Michigan Tech. Kasza spent three years on the Huskies' women's basketball roster, while Cameron was assistant coach. Kasza played just one season due to injury and transfer rules, but was a part of back-to-back Elite Eight teams. The 2009-10 Huskies went 31-3 and advanced to the final eight during Kasza's lone playing season, with Cameron an assistant coach on that team.

>> Then, with Cameron as the head coach, Kasza was Tech's assistant coach for five years, and the Huskies went 107-37 during that time. MTU made two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and posted a GLIAC championship in 2014-15 along with a pair of GLIAC North Division crowns.

LENDING A HELPING HAND
>> Last season, the Falcons were close to last in the nation in both assists and assists per game. With a total of 277 assists and an average of 9.2 helpers per game, BGSU was ranked 343rd (out of 349 teams) in the former category and 345th in the latter.

>> This season, BGSU is 36th in the country – and first in the MAC – with 16.2 assists per game, having nearly doubled last year's total. The Falcons are third in the league and 79th in the land with a total of 307 assists.

>> TL; DR ... with at least 11 games remaining in 2018-19, the Falcons already have shattered last season's assist total.

MAKING THE MOST OF THEIR MINUTES
>> Junior Jane Uecker and sophomore Terri Battle each took full advantage of their playing time on Saturday at Toledo. Uecker had a season-high nine points – just three shy of her career best – and added three rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot in just over 12 minutes of action.

>> Battle had a career-high seven points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting in under four minutes of action. The Chicago native nearly matched her career point total (eight) entering the game.

THE FALCONS: A QUICK OVERVIEW
>> BGSU enters the NIU game with a record of 7-12, and the Falcons are 0-8 in MAC play, having lost five of those seven games by seven points or fewer.

>> Seven of BGSU's first eight MAC games have been within three points with under 12 minutes remaining. Six of those seven contests were three-point games at some point in the fourth quarter, and no fewer than five have been one-possession games in the final minute.

>> BGSU's last contest, however, was not one of those games. The Falcons fell, 76-56, at Toledo on Saturday (Feb. 2). That game marked the first time BG trailed by double digits during the entire fourth quarter since the season opener at Michigan State.

>> The Falcons are 5-4 at home, 2-7 on the road and 0-1 in neutral-site contests.

>> Head coach Robyn Fralick is in her first season on the BGSU bench. Her staff includes associate head coach Kim Cameron, assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Karmen Graham, assistant coach Joel Whymer, director of operations Monique Rosati and video coordinator Amanda Cutcher.

>> Four Falcons are scoring in double digits this season. Freshman Morgan McMillen leads the way with 15.1 points per contest, and has scored in double digits in 15 of her first 19 career outings.

>> McMillen tied the school single-game record with eight triples vs. Marshall (in her second collegiate game). She is ranked eighth in the nation in three-pointers made per game, and has a total of 65 on the year.

>> Junior Andrea Cecil has 14.6 ppg and is second on the Falcons in rebounding as well as scoring, with 4.9 boards per game. Cecil has had 19 or more points eight times this season, and had an epic 33-point, 10-rebound outing at Eastern Michigan two weeks ago (Jan. 23). The junior is shooting 42.0% from three-point land, good for 37th in the country.

>> Sophomore Angela Perry has 12.5 ppg and is shooting 54.3% from the floor, good for 34th in the nation in field-goal pct. Perry, who has seen action in 15 games, has already more than doubled her point total for all of last season. She had 24 points, including 20 in the second half, at Akron (Jan. 12), and has three 20-point games this year to date.

>> Senior Sydney Lambert is averaging 11.9 ppg, along with 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. She is tied for the team lead in assists, and is third in both boards and three-pointers made (36). Lambert had her first career double-double against Ohio on Jan. 26, with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

>> Freshman Kadie Hempfling and sophomore Madisen Parker have 5.5 and 4.7 ppg, respectively. Hempfling averages a BG-best 9.0 rebounds per game, and she also has dished out 4.1 assists per game to tie Lambert for the team lead in that category. Both Hempfling and Lambert have 78 total assists.

>> Hempfling has had nine double-digit rebounding totals in her first 19 games, including a 16-rebound contest at EMU. In that game, she had 10 offensive rebounds, becoming only the third Falcon since 1995 to reach that total.

>> Parker has gone 25-of-66 (37.9%) from three-point range this year, including a perfect 3-for-3 in each of two Falcon wins and 2-for-2 at Akron.

>> In MAC games only, four Falcons are averaging at least 12 points per game. Cecil leads the team with 13.3 ppg, while Lambert has 13.1 ppg, McMillen 12.3 and Perry 12.0. Senior Maddie Cole has 5.4 ppg in conference contests, and is shooting 61.3% (19-of-31) from the floor in the eight games. Hempfling has 4.6 ppg and team-leading averages of 8.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

>> BGSU returned a total of 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's team that finished with an 11-19 overall record and a 3-15 mark in MAC play.

>> A total of nine different Falcons have made at least one start this season. Cecil and Lambert are the only two players to have started all 19 games.

LAMBERT'S LEGACY: 1,000-POINT SCORER NOW RESIDES IN BGSU'S TOP 25
>> Senior Sydney Lambert scored her 1,000th career point on Dec. 30, becoming the 28th player in school history to reach that milestone. Lambert's 1,000th career point came in her 100th career game at BG. She has averaged at least 9.4 points per game in all four seasons, and is averaging 11.9 ppg this season and 10.2 ppg in her BGSU career.

>> In Saturday's game at Toledo, Lambert moved past Stefanie Wenzel (1,099 points from 2000-04) into 22nd place on the BGSU career scoring list. Lambert now has 1,106 career points, and her next target is 21st-place Andrea Nordmann (1,164 points from 1989-93).

LAMBERT'S LEGACY II: START ME UP
>> Senior Sydney Lambert has started every game since coming to BG, and has made 108 career starts – good for seventh in program history – entering the NIU game. If she is in the lineup on Wednesday in DeKalb, she would move within one start of sixth-place Lindsay Austin (110 starts from 2000-04) on that list.

>> BG has at least 11 games left on the 2018-19 schedule, meaning Lambert has a realistic chance to finish her career as high as fifth in school history in games started. BGSU Hall-of-Famers Kate Achter (124 from 2004-08) and Jackie Motycka (115 from 1985-89) rank fourth and fifth, respectively, on the BG list for career starts.

LAMBERT'S LEGACY III: SYD-THREE LAMBERT
>> Senior Sydney Lambert enters the NIU game having made a total of 223 three-point field goals in her career. With a triple in the first meeting with the Huskies (Jan. 16), she moved past BGSU Hall-of-Famer Liz Honegger (216 three-pointers from 2003-07) into sole possession of third place on that list.

>> Lambert is averaging just over two treys per game in her career, and if she keeps up that pace, she will also pass Tracy Pontius (235 from 2007-11), to finish her career in second place on the BGSU list. Lauren Prochaska (who also terrorized the MAC from 2007-11) holds the school record with 310 career triples made.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE HUSKIES
>> Northern Illinois is 12-8 on the season, and the Huskies are 4-4 in the MAC after a 68-65 overtime win at Eastern Michigan on Saturday. That win snapped a brief two-game losing streak for the Huskies, who are now 8-2 at home, 2-6 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site games this season to date. Mikayla Voigt leads the team with 20.9 points per game, and has hit 64 three-point field goals. Gabby Nikitinaite and Myia Starks have 12.9 and 11.1 ppg, respectively, while Ally May has 7.7 ppg and a team-leading 8.5 rebounds per contest. Head coach Lisa Carlsen welcomed back 10 letterwinners, including four starters, from last year's squad that finished with records of 15-15 overall and 7-11 in the MAC.

THE SERIES
>> The Falcons lead Northern Illinois, 24-16, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Huskies have won the last three meetings, including this season's first matchup. Northern picked up a 66-52 win at the Stroh three weeks ago (Jan. 16, 2019). In BG's last trip to DeKalb, the Huskies came away with a 73-68 victory just under a year ago (Feb. 10, 2018). BG has won 14 of the last 18 meetings with Northern, and the Falcons are 14-7 in home games, 9-9 on the road and 1-0 in neutral-site contests with the Huskies through the years.

DOWN THE ROAD
>> Following the NIU game, the Falcons will return home for the next two games, beginning with a Saturday (Feb. 9) contest vs. Miami. That matchup will begin at 2:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center, and it will be Youth Sports Day as well as Robyn Fralick Bobblehead Day, with the first 500 fans receiving a bobblehead of the Falcons' coach.

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