BGSU Battles Bobcats as Regular Season Winds Down

B G S U a t O H I O
Saturday, March 9, 2019 • 1:00 p.m.
Convocation Center • Athens, Ohio

TELEVISION / VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: www.OhioBobcats.com
TWITTER: @BGSUwbb

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS...
• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team wraps up the regular season this weekend, facing the Mid-American Conference East Division leader on the road. Head coach Robyn Fralick and the Falcons travel to Athens for a Saturday (March 9) matchup with Ohio University, with tipoff set for 1:00 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

• Then, the Falcons will return to the road as the MAC Tournament gets underway on Monday evening (March 11). BGSU will meet either Toledo or Kent State in first-round action.

THE FALCONS AND THE MAC TOURNAMENT
• Heading into the final day of the regular season, the Falcons have a MAC record of 2-15. BGSU will be the 12th seed for next week's MAC Tournament.

• Currently, BG is one game behind Ball State in the overall league standings, but, even if the two teams were tied after the conclusion of Saturday's games, the Cardinals hold the tiebreaker by virtue of a narrow win in the teams' lone head-to-head meeting, on Jan. 9 in Muncie.

• Regardless of Saturday's outcomes, the Falcons will be on the road for a first-round game on Monday (March 11). The teams seeded fifth through eighth in the final regular-season standings will host the ninth- through 12th-seeded teams, with the four winners joining the top-four seeds in Cleveland for the quarterfinal round.

• If the regular season ended today, the Falcons would travel to Toledo for the first round of the league tourney. Kent State is a game behind UT in the overall standings. A KSU win on Saturday, coupled with a UT loss, would make the Golden Flashes the fifth seed and would send the Falcons to KSU on Monday night.

• Either a UT win or a KSU loss on Saturday would mean BGSU would face the Rockets for the third time this season. UT is at Central Michigan on Saturday, while KSU hosts Buffalo.

NEED-TO-KNOW INFORMATION
(These three fascinating facts are provided on a need-to-know basis)
• Senior Sydney Lambert continues to move up several BGSU career lists. On Wednesday night at Buffalo, Lambert moved up the lists for career games started and three-pointers made – she is ranked fifth or higher on both charts – and the Cincinnati native is also within striking range of 20th place on the BG scoring list.

• Freshman Kadie Hempfling dished out nine assists in the Buffalo game, the highest total by a Falcon in over eight years.

• Hempfling and classmate Morgan McMillen are moving up numerous BGSU freshman lists.

LAMBERT'S LEGACY: 1,000-POINT SCORER EYES BGSU'S TOP 20
• Senior Sydney Lambert scored her 1,000th career point on Dec. 30, becoming the 28th player in school history to reach that milestone. Lambert has averaged at least 9.4 points per game in all four years, and is averaging 11.7 ppg this season and 10.3 ppg in her BGSU career.

• In last Saturday's win over Kent State, Lambert moved past Andrea Nordmann (1,164 points from 1989-93) into 21st place on the BGSU career scoring list. Lambert currently has 1,195 career points as a Falcon. She is now just 18 points shy of moving into a tie for 20th place with Jacki Raterman (1,213 points from 1995-99).

LAMBERT'S LEGACY II: START ME UP
• Senior Sydney Lambert started each of BGSU's first 108 games after joining the program. She missed her first-ever game on Feb. 6, when she did not make the trip to NIU due to injury. Lambert returned to the lineup for the Miami game on Feb. 9, and has been there ever since.

• Lambert now has started 116 career contests, the fifth-highest total in BGSU history. She moved past Falcon legend Jackie Motycka (115 starts from 1985-89) on Wednesday night in Buffalo.

LAMBERT'S LEGACY III: SYD-THREE LAMBERT
• In that Buffalo game, senior Sydney Lambert knocked down a season-high five three-point field goals. She enters the Ohio matchup having made a total of 235 three-point field goals in her career, moving into a tie for second on that BG list.

• Lambert is currently tied with Tracy Pontius (235 made three-pointers from 2007-11). If she sinks one more shot from the arc, the Cincinnati native will trail only Lauren Prochaska on that BG list. Prochaska – who, like Pontius, terrorized the MAC from 2007-11 – holds the school record with 310 career triples made.

HEMPFLING'S HELPING HANDS
• Freshman Kadie Hempfling dished out nine assists, the highest total of her young BGSU career, on Wednesday night at Buffalo. In fact, it was the highest assist total by a Falcon in over six years, since Jillian Halfhill had nine helpers in a BG win over Ball State on Jan. 16, 2013.

• No BGSU player has had more than nine assists in over eight seasons, since Tracy Pontius had 10 assists against Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 4, 2010.

McTHRILLEN: MORGAN'S OUT HERE BREAKING RECORDS
• Freshman Morgan McMillen is ranked among the national leaders in multiple three-point field-goal related categories. And, she is already ranked atop one school list, with a chance to break another long-distance mark by season's end.

• McMillen has made 86 three-point field goals this season, the second-highest total in school history. She is just six successful triples away from tying the BGSU single-season record of 92, set by Lauren Prochaska in 2009-10.

• McMillen has attempted a total of 233 long-range shots, a new single-season school record. Tracy Pontius held the old record, with 209 attempts in 2010-11.

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
• A pair of Falcon freshmen, Kadie Hempfling and Morgan McMillen, have made an impact on the program from day one. Both players have started nearly every game, and both players are moving up several lists.

• Hempfling is ranked third or higher on no fewer than three BGSU freshman single-season charts. She is threatening school record for rebounds per game by a freshman, as she currently has 7.7. Hempfling is second in total assists (117) and third in total rebounds (215) by a frosh at BG, and she is tied for eighth in steals (40).

• With 375 points this year to date, McMillen is fourth all-time on that Falcon freshman list. And, she currently ranks fifth in points per game, with 13.4.

CLOSE CALLS
• The Falcons have seen a total of 12 games this season decided by seven points or fewer this season to date. In fact, 12 of BGSU's 17 MAC games have been within three points with under 12 minutes remaining.

• Eleven of those 17 MAC contests, including 10 of the 15 losses, were within three points at some time in the fourth quarter. And, no fewer than seven of the Falcons' MAC matchups have been tied or a one-possession game in the final minute.

• BGSU is currently 2-6 in games against fellow MAC East Division schools. The Falcons have been outscored by just 3.9 points per game in those eight contests.

CECIL SIZZLES IN SECOND HALF
• Junior Andrea Cecil had 23 points and 11 rebounds in BG's win over Kent State last Saturday (March 2). It was her sixth double-double of the season and her second in as many games. The forward had 24 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Akron three days prior to the KSU game.

• Cecil, who paced BG with 23 points at Miami on Feb. 23, has scored 20 or more points on 11 occasions this season, including in three of the last four games.

• Despite being held to four points at Buffalo on Wednesday, the Oak Harbor, Ohio, native is averaging 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists since the second half of the MAC schedule began. In that eight-game span, she has shot 52.3 percent (56-of-107) from the floor, 40.0% (10-of-25) from the arc and 89.2% (33-of-37) from the free-throw line.

THE FALCONS: A QUICK OVERVIEW
• BGSU enters the Ohio game with a record of 9-19, and the Falcons are 2-15 in MAC play. BG snapped a four-game losing streak with a 62-49 win over Kent State at the Stroh Center last Saturday (March 2), before dropping a 75-61 decision at Buffalo on Wednesday evening (March 6), as the Bulls salvaged a split of the season series.

• The Falcons' other win in conference action came in the first matchup with UB. BG downed the Bulls – an NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" team a year ago – 78-72 on Feb. 13.

• BGSU finished the home portion of the schedule with a 7-7 record, and the Falcons are 2-11 on the road and 0-1 in neutral-site games.

• 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.

• Three Falcons are scoring in double digits this season. Junior Andrea Cecil leads the way with 15.8 points per contest, and is second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. Cecil has had 20 or more points 11 times this year, including in three of the last four contests. The junior is 15th in the nation in free-throw percentage (88.6%), and she would be 31st in the country in three-point field-goal accuracy (41.1%), but she falls just short of qualifying for the NCAA minimum.

• Freshman Morgan McMillen is scoring 13.4 ppg, and has scored in double digits in 20 of her first 28 career outings. McMillen tied the school single-game record with eight triples vs. Marshall (in her second collegiate game). She is ranked 22nd in the nation in three-pointers made per game, and has hit 86 on the year, the second-highest total in school history.

• Senior Sydney Lambert is averaging 11.7 ppg, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. She is third on the team in boards, assists and three-pointers made (45).

• Lambert is now tied for second at BGSU in career three-point field goals made, and has moved into fifth place in career games started, having been in the lineup for 116 of the Falcons' 117 games since she arrived on campus. Lambert is 21st in school history in career scoring. This season, she leads the MAC and is 17th in the nation in minutes per game (37.15).

• Sophomore Angela Perry has 9.6 ppg and is shooting 50.6% from the floor. She has three 20-point games this year to date.

• Freshman Kadie Hempfling and sophomore Madisen Parker have 6.1 and 5.1 ppg, respectively. Hempfling averages a BG-best 7.7 rebounds per game, and she has dished out 4.2 assists per game to pace the Falcons in that category as well.

• Parker has gone 34-of-92 (37.0%) from three-point land, including a perfect 3-for-3 on three occasions this season. She made all three of her long-range attempts en route to a career-high 13 points in the first Miami game, then was a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line in the win over Buffalo.

• In MAC games only, three Falcons are scoring in double figures. Cecil leads the team with 15.9 ppg, while Lambert has 12.1 ppg, McMillen 11.0 and Perry 7.9. Hempfling has 6.1 ppg, while senior Maddie Cole has 5.5 ppg in conference contests, and is shooting 52.0% (39-of-75) from the floor in the 17 games.

• 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 10 different Falcons have made at least one start this season. Cecil is the only player to have started all 28 games. Hempfling and Lambert each have made 27 starts and McMillen 26.

SEE THE THREE, BE THE THREE
• The Falcons are currently ranked 17th in the nation in three-point field goals made per game, having hit 9.0 shots from beyond the arc per contest.

• And, BGSU is 20th in the land in total three-pointers made (251), 30th in treys attempted (711) and 47th in long-range accuracy (35.3%).

• BGSU has made at least three triples in each of the last 71 games.

• Individually, freshman Morgan McMillen is 21st in the country in three-pointers made per game (3.07), and she is 22nd nationally in three-pointers made (86) and 23rd in triples attempted (233). McMillen has made at least four treys in a game 14 times this year.

• Junior Andrea Cecil falls just shy of meeting the NCAA minimum; otherwise, she would rank 31st in the entire nation – and first in the MAC – in three-point percentage. Cecil has hit 41.1 percent of her long-range tries.

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 75th in the country with 15.2 assists per game, and the Falcons are 76th in the land with a total of 426 assists.

EYASSES (IT'S THE PLURAL OF EYAS) (LOOK IT UP)
• It's a youthful group that has taken the floor for the Falcons this season. A total of six players have seen action in at least 27 of BGSU's 28 games this year to date. That sextet includes one senior, one junior, one sophomore and three freshmen.

• The group that has emerged as the top-nine players in Coach Robyn Fralick's rotation consists of three frosh, three sophomores (including one redshirt soph), one junior and a pair of seniors.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE BOBCATS
• Ohio is 24-4 overall and 13-4 in MAC play after a 70-66 win at Miami on Wednesday night. The Bobcats are 11-3 at home, 11-1 on the road and 2-0 at neutral sites this season. Cierra Hooks has 17.3 points per game to pace no fewer than five players who are scoring in double figures. Erica Johnson has 14.0 ppg and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game, while Amani Burke has 13.3 ppg and has knocked down an Ohio-best 68 three-pointers. The 'Cats are ranked in the top-10 in the nation in three-pointers made and turnover margin. Coach Bob Boldon welcomed back seven letterwinners, including four starters, from last year's team that finished 16-15 overall and 9-9 in the MAC.

THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Ohio, 55-30, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Bobcats have won each of the last nine meetings after BG had taken the previous four games. This year's first meeting was a thriller, as the Falcons trailed by as many as 21 points, but rallied to get within one point before Ohio escaped the Stroh Center with an 82-79 win (Jan. 26, 2019). Last season, the 'Cats picked up a 70-63 win at the Stroh (Jan. 20, 2018) and a 69-58 decision in Athens (Feb. 17, 2018). BGSU's last win in the series was a 63-39 victory on March 2, 2014. BG is 31-10 in home games, 21-18 in road contests and 3-2 in neutral-site games vs. Ohio over the years.

DOWN THE ROAD
• The Ohio game is the Falcons' final regular-season contest. The MAC Tournament begins on Monday (March 11), with first-round games at campus sites. BGSU, as mentioned, will travel to either Kent State or Toledo for the opening round.

• Then, the winner of that game will advance to face the No. 4 seed in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday (March 13), at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. That game, the second of four quarterfinal matchups that day, is scheduled to begin at approximately 2:30 p.m. (30 minutes following the conclusion of the day's first game, which begins at 12:00 p.m.) at The Q.

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