Falcons Venture to Bloomington for Thursday Matchup with No. 9/12 Indiana

Thursday, November 17

Bloomington, Ind.

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Indiana

Tickets

Photo by: Luke Allen, BGSU Athletics

Falcons Venture to Bloomington for Thursday Matchup with No. 9/12 Indiana

November 16, 2022 | Women's Basketball

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BGSU puts 2-0 record on the line Thursday night

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN at #9/12 INDIANA
Thursday, November 17, 2022 • 7:00 p.m.
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall • Bloomington, Ind.
Video: B1G+ • Audio: BG Falcon Media
Live Stats: IUHoosiers.com • Twitter: @BGSUwbb

• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, off to a 2-0 start on the young season, hits the road to face a nationally-ranked opponent. Head coach Robyn Fralick and the Falcons face Indiana University on Thursday night (Nov. 17), with tipoff at 7:00 p.m. at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

• The Hoosiers are ranked ninth in the nation in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches poll and 12th in the Associated Press listings.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• There are multiple ways to keep up with the Falcons in 2022-23...

• TV/VIDEO: Thursday's IU matchup will be streamed on Big Ten Network+ (fee required).
• RADIO/AUDIO: All BGSU home games and selected road games – including the IU contest – are slated to have an audio stream thanks to BG Falcon Media (the Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization [BGRSO]).
• LIVE STATS: Live stats are scheduled to be available for all BGSU games in 2022-23.
• TWITTER: In-game updates, along with key graphics and information, can be found on the BGSU women's basketball twitter account, @BGSUwbb.

• For all of the pertinent links to any and all ways to follow the Falcons, go to BGSUFalcons.com and navigate your way to the "women's basketball schedule" page on game day.

ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE BGSU-IU MATCHUP
• One of the greatest players in BGSU women's basketball history will be on the opposing bench on Thursday night. Liz Honegger is in her 11th year as Director of Operations with the Hoosiers. During her four years with the Falcons (2003-07), BG went 103-25 and captured three MAC regular-season and three tournament titles.

• In her senior season, in 2006-07, Honegger helped lead BGSU to a 31-4 record and the first trip to the 'Sweet Sixteen' in MAC history. Honegger came off the bench for her first-ever game as a Falcon, then started the next 127. She is still ranked among the BGSU career leaders in scoring (1,522 points; seventh) and rebounding (903; fourth). Honegger finished her career as the school's record holder in both three-point field goals made (216) and blocked shots (188) and still holds the latter record.

THE FALCONS VS. THE TOP-25
• BGSU enters Thursday's matchup with an all-time record of 5-35 vs. nationally-ranked teams. The Falcons' most recent win over a top-25 opponent was a 25-point win (65-40) over #14/15 Dayton just under a decade ago (Dec. 30, 2012).

• BG's other wins over nationally ranked foes include three victories over Vanderbilt (in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, on the road in December of 2009 and at venerable Anderson Arena in December of 2010). The Falcons' first-ever win over a top-25 team was a 75-72 home win over #10/10 Purdue in November of 1991.

• The Falcons' most recent game vs. a ranked opponent came on the road against a Big Ten Conference foe, exactly one year prior to Thursday's game. BG dropped a 94-63 decision at Ohio State (Nov. 17, 2021).

• BGSU is 2-11 against top-10 opponents, with the wins coming against Purdue and #7/8 Vandy (59-56 in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament).

TWO AND OH
• The Falcons have started the season with a 2-0 record for the third time in the last four seasons. Two years ago, Robyn Fralick's club won the first four games of the year en route to an 8-1 start. The 2020-21 Falcons went on to win the MAC regular-season title. BGSU got off to a 3-0 start in both 2017-18 and '19-20.

THE FALCONS – A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons are off to a 2-0 start on the young season, after wins over St. Bonaventure and Wright State. Head coach Robyn Fralick and her staff welcomed back a total of 10 student-athletes from last year's team. That group includes four starters from the 2021-22 season, plus a fifth player who started in 2020-21 before missing all of '21-22 due to injury.

• Last season, the Falcons – despite losing nearly 75 player-games to injury – won 17 games and advanced to national postseason play for the second-straight season. BGSU went 17-16 overall and 10-10 in Mid-American Conference play, and the Falcons were selected to participate in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). BG went 2-1 in that tourney, finishing the '21-22 season with a victory.

• Kadie Hempfling returned for her fifth year with the Falcons after starting all 33 games last winter. Nyla Hampton and Amy Velasco made 32 and 30 starts, respectively, while Elissa Brett started 26 contests in 2021-22.

• BGSU's top-five scorers from a year ago – Hempfling (11.7 ppg), Velasco (10.8), Brett (10.7), Morgan Sharps (9.5) and Hampton (8.4) – all returned. Brett paced last year's team in rebounding (6.0 rpg), while Jocelyn Tate (6.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) was second on the team in that category.

• Other returnees from last year's squad include Sophie Dziekan (2.5 ppg) and Olivia Hill (0.8 ppg).

• Jasmine Clerkley played in the first three games of '21-22 before missing the remainder of the season due to injury, while Lexi Fleming was injured prior to the start of the season and missed the entire '21-22 campaign.

• Five newcomers, including a pair of transfers, joined the 10 returnees. Allison Day played four seasons at Loyola Chicago, where she started 97 games and had totals of 1,139 points and 645 rebounds.

• Payton Moore is also in her first season with the Falcons, but her fifth as a collegian. Moore played in 78 games, starting 60, at Anderson (Ind.) University, where she had 1,111 career points along with 701 rebounds.

• Three freshman have joined the Falcons. That group includes Jasmine Fearne (Cairns, Australia), Emily Siesel (New Washington, Ohio) and Jaci Tubergen (Hudsonville, Mich.)

A QUICK LOOK AT THE HOOSIERS
• Indiana is 3-0 on the season. The Hoosiers went on the road and defeated #4 Tennessee, 79-67, on Monday. Both Mackenzie Holmes (16 points and 10 rebounds) and Grace Berger (13 and 10) had double-doubles in the win. Both players have been named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List.

• IU's other wins this season have come against Vermont and UMass Lowell. The Hoosiers were picked to finish second in the Big Ten Conference by the media and third by the league's coaches. Last year, coach Teri Moren's squad went 24-9 overall and 11-5 in conference action.

THE SERIES
• The Falcons trail Indiana, 4-2, in the all-time series, and the Hoosiers have captured the last two meetings by identical 75-67 scores. IU won the most recent meeting at Anderson Arena in the third round of the WNIT (March 26, 2009), and also picked up a win in the Falcons' last trip to Bloomington (Dec. 16, 2007). BGSU's last series win was an 82-47 decision on Dec. 6, 2006, with Liz Honegger scoring a game-high 17 points and going 4-of-6 from the arc in that win at Anderson. BGSU is 1-1 in home games (0-0 at the Stroh) and 1-3 in road contests vs. the Hoosiers over the years.

DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the Indiana game, the Falcons will remain on the road for a weekend contest in Evansville. BGSU will face Southern Indiana at Screaming Eagles Arena on Saturday (Nov. 19), with tipoff at 1:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. ET).

• Then, Falcons will return home to meet Northern Kentucky on Wednesday (Nov. 23), in a 2:00 p.m. start at the Stroh Center. That game will be streamed on ESPN+.