Falcons Wrap Up January Slate with Trip to DeKalb

Saturday, January 28

DeKalb, Ill.

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Northern Illinois

Nyla Hampton at Buffalo - Jan 25 2023 - 1920 x 1080 updated version

Photo by: Paul Hokanson, Buffalo Athletics

January 26, 2023 | Women's Basketball

BGSU Notes NIU Notes Watch BGSU-NIU Listen (BG Falcon Media)Live Stats 2022-23 Record Book 2022-23 BGSU Media Central

BGSU faces NIU Saturday afternoon

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Saturday, January 28, 2023 • 2:00 p.m. ET
Convocation Center • DeKalb, Ill.
Video: ESPN3 • Audio: BG Falcon Media
Live Stats: NIUHuskies.com • Twitter: @BGSUwbb

• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team continues a busy travel week, heading to the Mid-American Conference's "West Coast" for a Saturday (Jan. 28) matchup with Northern Illinois University. Head coach Robyn Fralick and the Falcons meet the Huskies at 1:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. ET) inside the Convocation Center in DeKalb.

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

• TV/VIDEO: Saturday's game will be streamed via ESPN3.
• RADIO/AUDIO: All of BGSU's remaining 2022-23 games, both home and away, 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.

GREAT START!
• The Falcons enter the NIU game with an overall record of 17-2, tying the best start in program history. Five previous BGSU teams also won 17 of 19 games to begin the season, and all five of those squads wound up winning at least 27 games and advancing to national postseason play (four to the NCAA Championships, one to the WNIT).
BGSU RECORD BOOK – BEST STARTS IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Record  Year   Notes
17-2   2022-23  Falcons face NIU Saturday in DeKalb
17-2   2010-11  BGSU then lost back-to-back games before winning the next 11
17-2   2008-09  Lost first 2 games of season, then won 25 in a row
17-2   2006-07  BGSU got to 25-2 before losing again, went on to NCAA Sweet 16
17-2   2005-06  At 9-2, BG then won 19 in a row before losing to UCLA in NCAA's
17-2   1986-87  6-2 Falcons then won next 21 games before losing in NCAA's
16-3   2013-14  Started 14-2, lost at CMU, then won 13 in a row
16-3   2012-13  BG got to 20-3 before losing again; then, at 22-4, lost 3 of last 5
16-3   1993-94  Falcons started 6-3, then won next 20 before losing in NCAA's
16-3   1991-92  BG improved to 18-3 before losing again, then won 6 in a row
16-3   1988-89  Falcons, at 6-3, then won 21 straight before losing in NCAA 2nd rd.

ALL TIED UP
• BGSU picked up a 64-61 win at Buffalo on Wednesday night (Jan. 25), in the process improving to 17-2 on the season. The Falcons have tied the team's overall win total for all of last year. The 2021-22 club went 17-16 and advanced to the WBI.

FINDING WAYS TO WIN
• The Falcons are one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, ranking 14th in the country with 81.3 points per game. And, BGSU started the season with a 13-2 mark, posting double-digit victories in 12 of those 13 wins.

• BGSU's last two weeks have bucked those season-long trends. Three of BGSU's last four games have been decided by single digits. And, the last two games (vs. Kent State and at Buffalo) have seen the Falcons held to two of their three lowest-scoring point totals this season.

• One thing that hasn't changed during that time? The outcome. the Falcons won against both the Golden Flashes and the Bulls to increase the current winning streak to six games. And, as mentioned, BG has matched the best start in program history.

SHARING IS CARING
• The Falcons shared the ball, to say the very least, in Wednesday's (Jan. 25) 64-61 win at Buffalo. BGSU had 26 assists on 28 baskets vs. the Bulls, with six different players recording at least two.

• Amy Velasco dished out a game-high seven assists, just one away from her career high, while Jocelyn Tate had six to match her career best. Nyla Hampton, BGSU's assists leader in 2022-23 to date, had five dimes vs. the Bulls.

HOME COOKIN'
• BG has a record of 8-0 in home games this season. The Falcons have begun the home portion of the schedule with eight-straight wins for just the second time in the Stroh Center Era.

• The 2013-14 club went 16-0 at home before losing to Rutgers in the fourth round of the WNIT.

ROAD WARRIORS
• Before the calendar flipped to January, the Falcons already had topped the road win total for all of last season. Last year's team went 4-7 in true road games and 8-11 in all games played away from home (4-4 in neutral-site contests).

• Following the win at Buffalo on Wednesday night, the 2022-23 team is now 8-2 in true road games and 9-2 in all games played away from home.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE
• The 2022-23 Falcons have been quite successful at forcing turnovers by the opponents, while keeping their own turnover total to a relative minimum. BGSU has had fewer turnovers than the opponents in 18 of the first 19 games, with last Saturday's Kent State game the lone exception.

• Entering the NIU contest, the Falcons are ranked fourth in entire nation in turnover margin (+8.95), and BGSU is seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.45).

• BG had turned the ball over 17 times or fewer in each game (other than that KSU contest), and the Falcons have forced the opposition into at least 15 turnovers in all 19 games to date. The Falcons have averaged 12.32 turnovers, while the foes have turned the ball over 21.26 times per game.

• BGSU committed just seven turnovers in the home opener against Wright State, tied for the fourth-lowest single-game total in school history. The Falcons turned the ball over just nine times at Akron, the team's sixth game with a single-digit turnover total this season to date.

• And, BG has turned those opponent turnovers into buckets. Through 19 games, the Falcons have outscored the opponents, 430-198, in points off turnovers.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
• The Falcons own the second-best record in MAC history. Heading into the NIU game, BGSU has an all-time record of 440-256 (.632) in MAC regular-season games, for the second-highest winning percentage of all league institutions. BG also has the second-most conference wins of all 12 programs.

• BGSU leads the all-time series with all 11 MAC foes, making the Falcons the only team in the league with a winning record against every other school. BG also has the most overall victories and highest overall winning pct. of any league institution.

THE FALCONS – A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons are 17-2 on the season, and BGSU enters Saturday's NIU game with a record of 6-1 in MAC play. BG is tied with Ball State for first place.

• The Falcons saw a nine-game winning streak come to an end in the conference opener (Jan. 4), with an 81-73 loss at BSU, but have bounced back with six-straight wins since that time.

• BGSU opened the home portion of the conference slate with wins over Eastern Michigan (79-63; Jan. 7) and Central Michigan (101-68; Jan. 11). Then, the Orange and Brown rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit on the road to beat then league-leading Akron, 71-66 (Jan. 14).

• Last week, BGSU won the latest edition of the "Battle of I-75," with an 88-76 win over Toledo at the Stroh (Jan. 18), and the Falcons then topped Kent State, 66-57, on Saturday (Jan. 21).

• BGSU began this week's busy travel schedule with a Wednesday (Jan. 25) win at Buffalo, besting the Bulls by a 64-61 final.

• The BSU game marked the Falcons' first setback since Nov. 17. BGSU won the nine games in between those two losses by an average of 26.44 points per game.

• Head coach Robyn Fralick and her staff welcomed back a total of 10 student-athletes from a year ago. That group included 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 MAC 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 a 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 2021-22 before missing the remainder of the season due to injury, while Lexi Fleming – the 2020-21 MAC Freshman of the Year – 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 freshmen joined the Falcons for the 2022-23 campaign. That group includes Jasmine Fearne (Cairns, Australia), Emily Siesel (New Washington, Ohio) and Jaci Tubergen (Hudsonville, Mich.).

• This season, the Falcons are 8-0 at home, 8-2 in road games and 1-0 in neutral-site affairs. In MAC play, BGSU is 4-0 at the Stroh and 2-1 at opposing venues.

• Entering the NIU matchup, no fewer than six players are averaging at least 8.5 ppg. Brett leads that balanced scoring attack with 13.1 ppg, with Day and Hampton at 12.2 and 11.7 ppg, respectively.

• Brett had a double-double vs. Kent State, then led the Falcons with 19 points and seven rebounds at Buffalo. She is second on the team in rebounding, with 5.8 boards per contest, and has hit 37 three-point field goals to place second on the Falcons in that category as well.

• Day exploded for a career-high 31 points in the win over Toledo. She is shooting a MAC-leading 55.8% from the floor and has 4.4 rpg to date. Hampton is shooting 51.7 percent from the field, and paces the Falcons in both assists (3.58 apg) and steals (3.00 spg).

• Sharps is averaging 10.4 ppg. She has made a BG-best 41 three-pointers and is shooting 39.8% from the arc, but has missed the last two games due to an injury suffered early in the Toledo contest.

• Tate has 9.7 ppg, with Fleming averaging 8.5 ppg off the bench. Tate leads the Orange and Brown with 6.3 rpg and is second on the team in assists (3.00 apg). Fleming, who was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range vs. KSU, is shooting 37.7% (26-of-69) from long distance on the year.

• Dziekan and Velasco have 6.1 and 5.1 ppg, respectively. Dzieken was a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor en route to a career-high 14 points at UB. She is now shooting 61.2% on the year, having gone 52-for-85. Velasco is third on the Falcons with 2.84 apg and has a BG-best assist/turnover ratio of 2.57.

• Hempfling, a four-year starter before transitioning to a role off the bench in 2022-23, is shooting over 53% from the field this year, and she is 10-for-22 from the arc.

• Brett, Day, Hampton and Tate each have started all 19 games this season, while Sharps started 17-straight games to begin the year. All five players are averaging between 23.4 and 27.5 minutes per game.

• BGSU is +16.8 in scoring margin, +2.6 in rebounding margin and +8.9 in turnover margin this season to date. The Falcons are fourth in the entire nation in the latter category, and BG is seventh in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.45).

• In fact, the Falcons lead the MAC in nine statistical categories, and BG is ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation in 10 categories.

• In MAC games, Day has a team-high 17.0 ppg along with 5.7 rpg, and she is shooting 59.3% from the floor. Brett has 13.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg, while Hampton has 10.3 ppg and 3.9 apg in league play. Tate leads the team with 6.3 rpg, to go along with 9.4 ppg and 3.4 apg against MAC foes.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE HUSKIES
• Northern Illinois is 10-8 on the season, and the Huskies are 2-5 in the MAC after an 82-61 loss to Kent State Wednesday night. NIU is looking to snap a three-game losing streak after winning two of the previous three contests.

• Individually, Chelby Koker is averaging 16.7 ppg, and A'Jah Davis has 15.2 ppg and a team-leading 11.3 rpg. Janae Poisson (10.1 ppg) rounds out NIU's double-figure scorers, and Poisson (40) and Koker (36) have combined to make 76 three-point field goals this season.

• Head coach Lisa Carlsen's club is 5-3 at home, 4-5 on the road and 1-0 in neutral-site games this season. NIU is 2-2 at home and 0-3 on the road in MAC games. Carlsen welcomed back 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from a 2021-22 team that went 14-15 overall and 11-9 in MAC regular-season play.

THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead NIU, 26-20, in the all-time series, and BGSU captured last season's two meetings, with a 64-54 win in DeKalb (Feb. 2, 2022) and an 81-52 outcome one week later at the Stroh (Feb. 9, 2022). Prior to last season, the Huskies had won six-straight meetings with BG, including a 79-78 thriller at the Convocation Center on Feb. 3, 2021.

• The Falcons are 15-9 at home, 10-11 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites vs. NIU through the years.

DOWN THE ROAD
• Following Saturday's NIU game, the Falcons will return home to begin the month of February with a pair of games at the Stroh Center. BGSU will meet Western Michigan on Wednesday (Feb. 1), with the National Girls and Women in Sports Day contest set to tip off at 7:00 p.m.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will host Miami next Saturday (Feb. 4), on Title IX Day / Alumnae Day at the Stroh. That game is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m.